Josh has some interesting stuff to say about abstraction and jazz in his blog today. I’d add that if abstraction is what allows jazz acceptance into the canon, rhythm is precisely what makes that acceptance “grudging”. I’d also add that Hancock’s Sextant is highly uncanonical and is viewed as being pretty freaky and over-reliant on electronics even by the man’s fans, let alone by jazz fans. Or at least that was the impression I got! Great record, though.