[Dixielandjazz] "Trad" Jazz in the UK

[Arnold Day]

Expecting to visit North Wales next year I was doing some browsing, not with much hope, for what kind of artistic entertainment I might find in that area. Well, I came across this: ://www.nwtheatre.co.uk/eng/index.asp , the website for what looks like a wonderful, and fairly new, theatre in Llandudno, a Victorian seaside resort which many might think had seen better days; apparently not. Take a look at the breadth of offerings for this October alone,and note particularly, the next to last one.  Then take a look at the website for Terry Lightfoot and his Jazzmen and note their busy schedule in large regional theatres all over the UK. http://www.terrylightfoot.com/

As a student growing up in London in the 1950s, people like Terry Lightfoot, Humphrey Lyttleton, Chris Barber Acker Bilk, Cy Laurie (especially), Kenny Ball, Sandy Brown, Wally Fawkes, and many others were my musical heroes. Some have passed on, but I find it amazing that so many of them still run full-time bands and are still enjoying what they do and appear to be making a living at it, just like our listmate John Petters, plus Keith Smith , Mart Rodger http://www.manchesterjazz.co.uk (whom I've known for over 50 years!) and others. Their audiences are a mix of their old faithful, increasingly supplemented by younger "Trad" enthusiasts. 

My question is, why is it so different in the USA, where it is hard to name even one New Orleans/Chicago/ Dixieland/ Trad (whatever one wants to call OKOM) which is well-known and plays all over the country, especially to packed audiences in the same theatres which "pack them in" with opera, rock, country music, Symphony Orchestras and Shakespeare companies?

Any thoughts?
Arn