Jazz isn't dead. It just smells funny.

The line is a comic reversal of the cliché “X is dead,” conceding that jazz persists while implying it may have acquired an off-putting odor—i.e., a sense of stagnation, institutionalization, or self-seriousness. Zappa’s joke works because it separates vitality from mere survival: a tradition can continue to exist yet feel culturally “musty.” At the same time, the exaggeration is affectionate as well as critical; it keeps jazz in the realm of the living, capable of renewal. The quote is often used to argue that jazz’s health depends on experimentation and contact with contemporary audiences rather than reverent preservation alone.

“Jazz is not dead, it just smells funny.”