The term's ambiguity allows for the fact that Brazilian musicians themselves do not always have much in common with each other and might be willing to play in several genres.
Examples of musicians associated with this instrumental style include Hermeto Pascoal, Egberto Gismonti, Moacir Santos, and Zimbo Trio.
Jazz or jazz-influenced music has at times been controversial for being seen as representing a foreign "contamination" of native forms like choro.
On the other hand bossa nova, a jazz influenced form of Brazilian music, was popular among the upper-class and sometimes faced criticism for being "bourgeois.
This, combined with earlier collaborations between America jazz musicians and bossa nova artists, also led to "Brazilian jazz" as a kind of genre American musicians, notably Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd played.