I like my jazz like I like my men - hot, well constructed and none too bright - so Paul Whiteman always bored me. He did help move popular jazz out of the instrumental-two verses-chorus rut but he's too cerebral, too slow and frankly too gimmicky. (That asthmatic "cha-cha" noise in Charleston still annoys me). He did apply considerable musicianship, reached out to the Gershwins and others,and coordinated one of the first big(ish) bands, but to me he's still the Backstreet Boy of jazz. Give me a nice uncomplicated Scrappy Lambert number any day!