Global Citizen Mission Statement

Get off Coal

Get off Oil

Stop wasteful practices

Recycle

Mandatory jail for malicious behavior no matter what bank or institution they work for

Stop polluting the air and the water

Stop using chemicals to grow food

Stop waging wars

Stop subsidizing business that are not in line with the above

Whats wrong with Jazz today?

Why has the Jazz audience dwindled with little renewal? Why is the audience at most festivals and clubs the very same one as 20 years ago?

I believe the root of the problem is how Jazz has been learned since the 70s.

Prior to this period, jazz was primarily learned on the bandstand. Veterans would share their knowledge, craftsmanship, and ideas with each other live on the bandstand – the ultimate workshop of the idiom – and youth would soak up the experience by hanging out and sitting in. It’s hard to believe today but every major American city had myriads of clubs featuring jazz 6 -7 nights. I’ve seen listings of clubs in the 60s for Detroit which looked like a phone book. But by the 70’s, Jazz venues were vanishing rapidly. For most musicians learning the craft, the bandstand was replaced with recordings and play-along records.