I'm personally glad they don't dominate on recordings. And, for that matter, I'm glad that nothing dominates (except if intended). "Live" (the quotes are there because much of what we call "live" is actually amplified) is much more difficult to control than a recording that an engineer and producer tweak for many hours. I'm saying, much of time, I find recordings better BALANCED than live performances. That it NOT to say that recordings are better in other ways.
Drums reproduction
Considering audio's desire to reproduce live performance as accurately as possible, why do you think the drums are recorded so far back in the mix? I've attended many jazz and fusion performances and many drummers are at the sonic forefront of their bands. Tony Williams, Billy Cobham, et all sonicly fill the room like nobody's business. Even less powerful drummers are on equal footing with their bandmates. Why does it not sound so on recordings? The drums are politely included for percussive colorations but in no way dominate like live. Example: Elvin Jones live powerfully fills every bit of the room to the point that it can border on exhaustion. But on recordings he can sound like a pipsqueak in comparison, just another polite member of the band. Please don't confuse the performance of the musician. It seems like it is the producers choice. Why?