I'm not die-hard by any means, and am definately not a jazz collector, but my ears perk up when I hear it.
Brad Mehldau (mostly because he covered Radiohead...)
Tory Cassis (Canadian, if you've not heard of him...)
Jazzanova (even if its not traditional jazz...i recognize elements in it...)
Koop (their "Waltz for Koop" album more than any other IMHO)
St.Germain (did i mention that i like electro?
)