Really, it comes down that I've known too many academic musicians. That is, they wanted to excel at an instrument, so they majored in it. They learned technique and performance. Once they had it all down, they studied "jazz" because it had all sorts of descriptions and charts.
What they never had was any soul. They're technically proficient at an instrument, but their stuff is devoid of feeling.The notes were all there in the correct order, pitch, and time, but it just didn't swing.
Like having your ears unplugged, I had to learn that jazz didn't have to be clinically boring. I was just hearing boring stuff.