[Dixielandjazz] Top 10 Reasons--decline of Dixieland Jazz

[Bill Gunter]

Hi Charles,

You offered:

>Top 10 Reasons for the Decline of Dixieland Jazz

No need to fret about why Dixieland has declined.

There is but 1 reason . . . it ain't popular.

I recognize that there are little enclaves around the world where dixieland 
is played and appreciated but the truth is that Dixieland is no longer 
popular.

Rap is popular
Country is popular
Hard rock and roll is popular
trad jazz is not.

There are jazz clubs all over the country which hold monthly meetings and 
little jazz bands go and play for a few bucks at the Sunday sessions and the 
club members get to enjoy another dose of the music that was popular in 
their youth.

They are now slowly but surely dying and there is nobody to replace them 
BECAUSE THE MUSIC IS NOT CURRENTLY POPULAR. That's why jazz clubs keep 
running into deeper and deeper financial problems. The people who pay the 
dues to support the monthly activities are diminishing. Not a month goes by 
that one of 'em doesn't head for the big jam in the sky.

Say what you will about youth scholarships and jazz camps. Point to youth 
bands and say "There's the hope for dixieland in the future."  Alas, it is 
all for naught. As soon as the jazz camp is over and the kids are home with 
their peers it's back to Eminem and P. Diddy.  Point to the kids that pile 
into the microbrewery in great numbers to listen to your band play and say 
"There's the hope for dixieland." Sorry, that's what is called an anomaly 
and you can be sure that none of them will go to a jazz society session to 
hear more of the same. Look at the CDs in their recording collections and 
see how much trad jazz is there (I'll wager "zero" - except for the CD of 
yours they bought at the microbrewery and to which they never listen).

The ONLY way dixieland can reverse the tide and start expanding instead of 
diminishing is for it to become POPULAR.  What are the odds that's gonna 
happen (less than the odds of winning the state lottery).

There is no denying the reality - we play and listen to the music we love. 
When we die there's nobody to replace us with the enthusiasm, drive, and 
compulsions to seek out jazz dives and infuse the youth of today with a 
desire to embrace the genre.

Unless you can somehow push a magic button and suddenly make the music a 
representation of youthful rebellion against old mouldy outmoded musical 
forms dixieland will go nowhere!

Enjoy it while you can . . . time is running out.

Actually we're all extremely fortunate. We've managed to keep "OUR MUSIC" 
alive for us far longer than most youth today will be able to keep their 
music alive for them in their old age.

As a side observation on this phenomenon, if you have a business that has 
become plagued with groups of youthful punks hanging around and driving away 
customers, start playing dixieland on your P.A. system and the young punks 
willl leave instantly.  Is that pathetic or what!!!

Respectfully submitted,

Bill "Not immortal" Gunter
jazzboard at hotmail.com

_________________________________________________________________
MSN 8 helps eliminate e-mail viruses. Get 2 months FREE*.  
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus