I said, no there's not.
>> there’s even good country music <<
Of course there is. Willie Nelson’s “western swing” recordings use pure jazz phrasing. And the original King of Western Swing, Bob Willis, was playing mostly jazz, albeit with “country” instrumentation.
I could go on and on, not only about singers and various ensembles, but also about the professional talents and techniques exhibited by solo instrumentalists like Chet Atkins, Boots Randolph and Floyd Cramer.
And would you believe that Jethro Tull, of the famous “Homer and Jethro” act, was actually a well-respected jazz artist? Jazz was what he really wanted to play on his mandolin when not on-stage with the cornball H & J comedy routines.
Or consider one of my all time favorite country tunes, “All the Good Ones Are Gone,” sung by Pam Tillis. I really love the chord and key changes in the bridge, which I think are comparable to some of the best standards in Great American Songbook. Drop your prejudice and take a listen sometime.
(OK, OK. Maybe it’s not as inventive and challenging as the bridges in “Cherokee” and “Body and Soul.” But still pretty good. And a lot better than the Sears and Roebuck bridges in “Rhythm Changes” etc.”)
Anyway, maybe my favorite story is about Charlie Parker:
When touring, he and the boys-in-the-band would stop at a roadhouse for food, and he’d often put a few nickles in the jukebox to play country tunes. A bandmate would say, “Hey, Bird, why you be listnin’ to all that cracker sh#t?”
Parker would reply,
“Hey, man, it’s the words. Listen to them words!”