Whats the difference?

If the music calls for someone to play specific parts, then a good artist will do what the music calls for, not what their intellect thinks they should play in order to meet a specific goal (e.g. impress others, feel creative, be ‘artistic’)

We are artists, to be sure – even the most mechanical, note copy of us. We do our thing in the moment, and all the practice+study+experience allows us to make better decisions in the moment about the moment. I personally regard people (and *everyone* does this) such as the unidentified drummer @ the end of the article as making decisions based on theory instead of whats going on. The theory being “I need to make a statement.” This type of thinking *disconnects* the musician from the music.

The music is also not some ethereal, mystical thing. It is, in another word, people. It is a flesh and blood thing that has needs and makes mistakes. The song, in theory, may really sound good with, say, a double backwards blushda fill leading into the 2nd. However, if the musicians/audience don’t connect with that kind of feel in that particular venue on that particular day, it won’t work.

In other words, the implicit definition of ‘craftsman’ you’ve laid out is of someone who copies note perfect. The artist, on the other hand is someone who puts themselves into it. IMHO, both are entirely beside the point. The point is to do what the music wants. Because music is flesh and blood, this means not playing fills the singer doesn’t expect as much as it does playing dynamically.