« Rap Pioneers ain't feelin' the love... | Main | Music at YearlyKos »

Well, the big Shabang is in town this week, and the NY Times has an interesting article about what it all means:

If you happen to stop by the Hilton New York or Sheraton New York during the latter half of this week, you’ll be about as close as possible to the global epicenter of jazz. That’s because both hotels are playing host to the 34th annual conference of the International Association for Jazz Education, which is expected to attract more than 8,000 registered attendees from 45 countries: students and teachers, promoters and producers, and musicians of every tier of accomplishment.

Wandering the overcrowded ballroom levels of either hotel, or through a 75,000-square-foot expo hall, you might draw a simple conclusion: Jazz is booming. And you would be right, in one sense. “I don’t have empirical data,” said Bill McFarlin, the executive director of the association, “but I would have to guess that the jazz education industry has quadrupled in the last 20 years.”

Yet the conference also offers workshops like “Jazz Radio in Crisis: Why That’s a Good Thing.” The panic in that title, and the strained attempt at reassurance, are emblematic: while jazz education is thriving, the business of jazz itself, as measured by things like market share and album sales, has been in a tailspin.

Yes, indeedy, the actual listening audience for jazz keeps shrinking while the number of teenagers attracted and committed to this music continues to grow. I think that this attests to the vibrant spirit of Jazz Music and is a testatement to its longevity - something that Nate Chinen doesn't comment on in his article. Jazz really is America's only art form, and as such, we should make sure it continues to thrive.

I'm doing my bit as I sit on a panel at the IAJE convention this Friday, January 12th, at 6pm at the Sheraton on 7th Avenue and 52nd Street (3rd floor, New York Ballroom) entitled: "Jazz in MySpace: Online Community Building."

Come check it out!

Name (required)
Email
Website
Remember personal info? Yes   No
Comments

home | music | democracy | earth | money | projects | about | contact

Site design by Matthew Fries | © 2003-23 Consilience Productions. All Rights Reserved.
Consilience Productions, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
All contributions are fully tax deductible.