Sometimes it's not about the song.

Musicians and people who consider themselves musically sophisticated can be particular about the songs we listen to and perform. We tend to be suspect of anything that has pervaded the popular milieu too deeply.
But the best musicians can take any song, no matter how banal and overplayed, and add soul and energy to it to create a great performance. The first time I realized this was in the 70’s listening to the late, great Little Rock jazz pianist Art Porter, Sr. Art had a regular gig at Cajun’s Wharf in Little Rock for many years. He didn’t keep the gig by playing Bill Evans material all night—although he was quite capable of doing just that. He played songs the restaurant’s patrons knew, and he did it in a very accessible, but artful way. I once heard him play an inventive, inspired version of the theme from the Andy Griffith show (not a bad song, but not typically found in the jazz canon). The masses loved it. The musicians in the house appreciated it.
Now, Art could have narrowed his repertoire to material that might have been considered more “artistic.” But the venues for that kind of performance are very limited, especially around Little Rock. He would have had to hit the road to make a living. Instead, he decided to stay around home, teaching, entertaining and bestowing other legacies, including the more widely known Art Porter, Jr. And in doing so, he artfully adapted his repertoire to popular acceptance.
Musicians around the world face the same choices as Art Porter: You can stay “artistically true” and either hit the road or play less frequently around home (in which case, you’ll need to supplement your income—but you’d better not supplement it too effectively, or you won’t be a “real” artist). Or you can play to the local market. The best musicians can keep it real and do it their own way, even when they’re playing “Brick House” for the two thousandth time.