what are you guys talking about? There are big undergroud hip-hop scenes all around! The same goes for house/trance/d&b/breaks... there is all sorts of music out there. I'm not sure about small bands, but I know in mpls they get a lot of support! then again, I haven't listened to top 40 music for a while, and it's either more alternitive stuff, or public radio. dj's and spinning records=the new jazz

When i was talking about hip hop, I was refering to mainstream. I love the underground world, because they havent been tainted by money. Like Dj Madlib for instance. He has taken old jazz classics and remixed them into songs that the newer generations can dance to. Yall should check him out

I have been a working musician for the past 12 years, playing mostly local clubs and bars, and a few casinos. I've seen a trend in the past 5 years, and a lot of the clubs that used to have live music have switched over to more of a "sports bar" type of establishment. Many of them have stopped having live music alltogether. Some only have karaoke a couple nights per week or a DJ that plays mostly dance music. Bands today are generally making less money than they did in the early 1970's. This is largely because the costs of owning and maintaining a liquor license have increased dramatically in the last 5 years. The cost of insurance to own and operate a night club is astounding! Therefore, most club owners look for the cheapest investment with the biggest financial gain. The answer seems to be the sports bar. A few televisions cost far less than paying a live band to play every weekend. The televisions don't get stale after a while, demand a raise, or decide to move to a different club. Sports bars seem to be a hit with the 30-50 crowd, which is the majority of those who frequent clubs and bars for entertainment. You're also seeing more bars and night clubs serving food. With the high cost of alcohol, many establishments are offering a menu and food to increase profitability. I have also heard that by serving food and not just drinks, they fall under a different catagory and the insurance is a little cheaper. With today's music and people's interests being so diverse, it's hard for any band to play a wide enough variety of music to keep everyone happy. Our band strives to play a variety of music, but still, we frequently get requests to do songs that we are either not instrumentally equiped to play, and/or just do not fit with our music style (which we try to be as diverse as possible). I used to play 3-4 nights per week or more consistantly. The past couple years I have played considerably less. The reason is mostly due to the fact that I have been finishing up a Bachelor's degree, and I have been busy with college and haven't had the time to travel as much with the band and play as many week nights. In order to make money playing music, you have to be willing to travel to the bigger cities and places that can afford to pay for a good band. Local bar gigs are fast becoming extinct, and the competition for those local jobs more and more fierce. The best bands who are willing to play for the least amount of money are the ones that are getting the jobs. Jim

That extreemly sucks. I'm just entering high school, and I love listening swing, blues and jazz, and I love playing it. maybe the times may change for jazz by the time im older, because I'm still pursuing my dream to become a great jazz saxophonist with my boyfriend. Sure the times right now are all with the rap crap, and no-talent singers (even though there are a few talented ones) we might be able to make a change, and stand out from everyone else, sure jazz will probably never make it onto MTV, but we can make a difference for those who do love jazz. We can't see the future, but we can hope for the best.

I'm part of the new generation, and i am one of few that still appreciates the good music. most of my friends listen to rap, or some kind of modern boy band, or britney spears. that junk. I agree, was it Ashlee simpson that sucked at the half time? it's all crap to me. I like the old swing, quar-sextets, music like that.

it seems like very few people appreciate the good music anymore. : ^(

yeah people now just jump on the bandwagon

I've come to the conclusion that many people indeed do like jazz, they just don't know what it really is and don't want to give it a chance. I've come to this conclusion after sitting people down and making them listen to someone hip like Michael Brecker or Chris Potter. They loved it, but some people said to me 'ooh i hate jazz its all the same'. This statement (as you all know) is ridiculous and it is indeed a true sign of ignorance. Hopefully people will give jazz another chance, and it will become popular again and we'll all make sh*tloads of money :):):):) By the way, I wrote this post while listening to some Chris Potter (oh my god he's so awesome). ELSEANO TRANE LIVES

You know, it's true, the genre of jazz is not as popular as it used to be, and there are many true virtuossos out there to be discovered the thing is that nobody cares to discover them. Jazz was the thing back in the 60's, now it isn't. But I along with others believe it's going to have a comeback soon, I mean at least over here in Puerto Rico it's getting popularity fast. But we have to get out there! We can't stay playing in our houses we have to show the world, I mean I'm 17 years old and have been on tenor for about a year and a half now, NOTHING obviously and I allready have weekly gigs, why? Because I try to get myself out there, get jazz out there, we all have to do the same, jazz is NOT going to die down, WE make shure of that, so get to it!