A review of chapter 6 in Elijah Wald's recently published book How the Beatles Destroyed Rock 'n' Roll contains this quote and paragraph:

"Paul Whiteman was known as the King of Jazz, and no one as yet has come near carrying that title with more certainty and dignity." -- Duke Ellington

Paul Whiteman led the most popular and influential orchestra of the 1920s. Hiring some of the period's finest musicians and arrangers, who mixed classical techniques with jazz rhythms and melodies, he started out making huge hits like 1920's "Whispering," then created the decade's equivalent of Sgt Pepper when he comissioned George Gershwin to write A Rhapsody in Blue (this is the original 1924 version with Gershwin on piano). In the phrase of the time, he "made a lady out of jazz," changing it from a music of small, hot improvising bands into a style arranged for formal dance orchestras and concert presentations.

-snip-

I'm interested in exploring in this thread why some people thought or still think that Paul Whiteman was/is considered the "King of Jazz". I'm also interested in folks' opinions about whether "making a lady out of jazz" was a good thing or not.

Of course, other thoughts about jazz then and now are also welcome in this thread.

Thanks in advance for your participation in this discussion.