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The author certainly understands and loves his jazz but I have to disagree with his last paragraph where he says that we are at a big disadvantage today when coming to jazz and also his last sentence where he says Miles and Coltrane liked playing corny pop songs.
Even todays good pop songs have a catchy hook, this is the reason they are good pop songs. As we get older we are no longer the target audience for pop music and probably think good pop music stopped a long time ago.
Why should we be at a disadvantage coming to jazz today? Miles plays a convincing straight melody line at the start of the piece before 'jazzing' it. The melodies these guys choose are nearly all simple and beautiful and once through should be enough for everyone to get a handle on it. I don't believe you have to grow up with the pop hits of the 20s 30s or 40s to have an easy root into jazz. I think the author has been too long in the jazz world and has forgotten how ordinary people get into music. We generally hear something new by accident and then seek out more of it. That has not changed.
as for 'they liked playing corny pop songs' gimme a break, if they liked this stuff then why did they play jazz for pennies instead of joining a popular dance band playing covers but for decent money. They obviously loved the complex musical forms of jazz where they could rip these melodies to pieces.
An excellent article spoiled in the last paragraph.