Is Jazz Really Disappearing? How the Scene is Dying? Guitar Discussion

[nbevan3]

I dunno seems like there’s more jazz players than ever before to me.

I think that is true; I do question if there is a critical mass of venues available to play.

[rpjazzguitar]

One person I know jokes that "just because it's bad doesn't mean it's jazz".

I think it's way easier to become a jazz player, at some level, now than it was before internet, fakebooks and the proliferation of instructional materials on how to play jazz. And, people like playing the music, again, at some level, so there are a lot of players.

And, there are some gigs. But, a band has to be playing at a very high level to get regular gigs playing purely instrumental music in the center of the jazz tradition (I don't know how to define that). I hear that level in NYC more than I hear it in my Calif. suburb. Around here, having a pop component to the music, and a singer, helps.

[Christian Miller]

Waited from a train next to a massive poster of the Ezra collective advertising Corvoisier at the station yesterday.

Make of that what you will


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[Christian Miller]

Seems to me that number of live jazz audience members would be a better metric.

Part of the problem might be thinking about ‘jazz audiences’ rather than ‘audiences.’

People seem to be pretty open minded these days. At least around these parts.


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[Christian Miller]

I think that is true; I do question if there is a critical mass of venues available to play.

I do think the onus is on musicians to work on building a community and a scene.

You also need people who are not musicians who are up for putting the time into creating and nurturing those spaces too. They exist, but it takes a special combination of passion and determination.


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[wolflen]

I think "Jazz" is alive and well and has an active following in major cities here is the 2026 list for the Los Angeles area..and its only Jan 1..the calendar will fill up

Jazz Concerts Los Angeles 2026 | LA Jazz Calendar

[rpjazzguitar]

I think the fundamental issue is the quality of the music.

Most jazz styles, played really well, will attract an audience.

[Aiq]

(Hanging head) I had to search Ezra Collective.

I am familiar with Courvoisier.

[ragman1]

I do know the damn thing is taking far too long to die!

[GuyBoden]

I do know the damn thing is taking far too long to die!

UK Jazz was living on life support provided by Arts Council grants.

Has main stream UK Jazz been embarrassingly gentrified beyond recognition?
Is UK Jazz just another musical cultural appropriation?

On a more positive note:
"Men whose first coronary is coming like Christmas; who drift, loaded helplessly with commitments and obligations and necessary observances, into the darkening avenues of age and incapacity, deserted by everything that once made life sweet. These I have tried to remind of the excitement of jazz, and tell where it may still be found."

[ragman1]

Apparently the only people who think jazz is 'dying' are the jazzers themselves. Well, it's up to them, isn't it? If they want to keep it alive, they can. Simple as that.

[kris]

There is no audience - there is no jazz.

[voxo]

Jazz is alive and well ..Ask this Cat...

[grahambop]

Jazz seems to be surviving where I live (south east UK), here are just a few of the venues, there are others in pubs etc:

Watermill Jazz event tickets from TicketSource.

What's On | Verdict Jazz Club Brighton

Chichester Jazz Club - This seasons Jazz events

[grahambop]

I’ll be going to several of the Watermill gigs, especially the Dave Douglas one (quite a coup for the club).

[2bornot2bop]

European and Japanese society support jazz, and it is a thriving segment of their culture.

American society has the attention span of an ant. So naturally they’re all over the place.

But I don’t care if jazz thrives, or not. I only care that I appreciate it. I’m still buying jazz albums. Yes, albums.

[Bill C]

Waited from a train next to a massive poster of the Ezra collective advertising Corvoisier at the station yesterday.

Make of that what you will


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As an old UK guy (proud bearer of an oldie’s free bus pass), Ezra Collective definitely seem to attract the imagination of a younger audience beyond what one of my jazz guitar teachers affectionately called “the beards”. They did a cool video (imo) with Ca7riel e Paco Amoroso recently.

As I understand it, Ezra are also alumni of https://tomorrowswarriors.org

[Aiq]

In this small city on the northern Gulf of Mexico we have an organization, Mystic Order of Jazz Obsessed, which holds monthly meetings/concerts, Gulf Coast Jazz festival - last one I attended was Russell Malone with Rick Germanson at keys. A few one off themed events put on by a great local pianist which I do not attend because the venue still allows smoking. A few second line style bands who march in the Mardi Gras parades. A local trumpeter does small group and more rarely big band performances.

As far as regular jazz in clubs not much.

[2bornot2bop]

Jazz is dying? Listen to what Wynton and prior members in a band he played in are doing today. Still teaching, still striving to become better musicians.

That’s the why of what we do. Keep playing.

[2bornot2bop]

Also, this video is likely more relevant today than when it was created.

It’s about the history of the music we love.

So, continue to put your love into your music. Let whatever opinions there are go. Continue striving to become a better musician.

[ragman1]

In this small city on the northern Gulf of Mexico

I'm glad you're still calling it the Gulf of Mexico. Quite right. So would I

[Alex W]

Step back from the Central-Eastern European abyss of "jazz = ECM-oriented high art music with jazz-influenced orchestration" and there's a chance.

Maybe that's not a thing where you are, but here in the Beetroot Belt (Poland), oh boy...

If that sounds like an over-generalisation, well yeah, it sort of is - but it is what the academies are pushing: and doing the rounds of year-end diploma concerts here has shown me that a lot of new players are going to be entering a scene where you can take the music out of the school but you can't take the school out of the music.

Fortunately there are bands who are pushing against the grain but the cultural momentum still resides with the fogeys and their cerebral Komeda/Stanko necrophilia. When it's their turn to go to the glue factory, that's it.

[Christian Miller]

As an old UK guy (proud bearer of an oldie’s free bus pass), Ezra Collective definitely seem to attract the imagination of a younger audience beyond what one of my jazz guitar teachers affectionately called “the beards”. They did a cool video (imo) with Ca7riel e Paco Amoroso recently.

As I understand it, Ezra are also alumni of https://tomorrowswarriors.org

TBH, there are bands from the current London scene I prefer. I haven't heard anything by Alfa Mist I haven't really enjoyed for example. But it's all generally - groove music with solos.

I'd compare it to the "intelligent drum and bass" movement of the late 90s, but it's a lot more based around the instrumental solos, which is interesting. The Nigerian afro-beat influence is very strong of course.

Come to think of it, if I had to define jazz as 'groove music with communal improvisation' I don't think I'd be too unhappy. I think one unhelpful thing was talking about 'groove tune' and 'swing' as different things. So swing feel jazz got a bit separated from groove and dancing in people's minds, perhaps. They are all groove tunes! That's what I hear from the great jazz of the 1920s-1960s. So many different ways to swing.

[Stevebol]

I'm glad you're still calling it the Gulf of Mexico. Quite right. So would I

Now now. Let's not upset our mad king. It's the Gulf of America.

[Stevebol]

I don't know if music associated with intellectualism will do well in the new world. Maybe it will. IDK.