I think you lost your readership after the second sentence, or if not there, at 'jazz', or 'dancing in the pews'.

I will attempt to answer this as calmly and rationally as I can, given the subject matter.

The music you deem to be "traditional" is just as performance-focused (some might say sacrilegious) as unhinged jazz. (Considering that much modern organ music is built at least partially on jazz harmony, and that it manages to remain reverent the entire time, it may even be a false dichotomy...) If people are actually dancing in Mass, that is pretty much the least desirable reaction possible.

In this case I am inclined to agree with your pastor. No matter how out-of-focus, secularistic, and ill-suited for the liturgy Haugen and his folk's music may be--if the congregation is remaining reverent, it is an enormous improvement on whatever was programmed at Christmas. I never believed I'd say this, but this is the one case where their music is preferable.

This is hardly any attempt by the Church to stifle "good music-making." Countless choirs give superlative renditions of challenging, expressive, and accomplished music every week--yet they consistently remain reverent and in line with the expectations of the Mass. This definition encompasses far more than Gregorian chant, to be sure; but it hardly encompasses what you deem "eclectic" and what the majority of us here would deem "inappropriate" (regardless of what your choir members think; this question is not exactly up for debate). The goal of church music is indeed not to be a "performance", or something that people react to by dancing.

The music ministry in our world does indeed have plenty of problems--but I would vehemently argue that this is certainly not one of them. Listen to your pastor. He's right.

Blaise -
To which Ordinariate parish do you belong?

So you are Paul?
I remember you now.
We sat next to each other a couple of times at last year's workshop.
The choral workshop is scheduled again for this summer, with Dr Simon Carrington having been invited back.
The dates are 13-16 June.
Anyone reading this is welcome to attend the choral workshop at Walsingham this summer.
Dr Carrington was the founder of the King's Singers and is an inspiring teacher of the choral arts.
The workshop concludes with solemn evensong in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Walsingham.

Paul -
I don't know when registration opens.
Try googling Chorus Angelorum.
I'll try to remember to ask Edmund and pass it on to you.

When I first read the OP I was wondering if it was serious, or merely meant to send some people over the edge! I am more contemporary than many who began this forum, but the basic underlying tone of your post is a bit concerning. There will always be some disagreement about individual pieces of music, but the overall goal of sacred music is worship as part of Mass. Entertainment is not the goal. Try not to be defensive, but take time to reflect and see if some of the feedback could be helpful.

By the way, since the title of this thread is "Church 'politics' regarding music", I should say that CMAA really is dedicated to making the Church's teaching about music better known. The Church's principles about sacred music were articulated in several documents over the course of the 20th century, from 1903 through Vatican II and beyond.

An introduction to the themes involved appears in CMAA's Q&A page:
https://musicasacra.com/about-cmaa/faq/

Not Orthodox. JB would be freezing in Siberian gulag. He be trying to keep toesies warm. Is outrage!