How many Americans listen to jazz?

[AlphaMale]

How many Americans listen to jazz in percentage form?

Most people I know that listen to jazz are Super-serious musicians, or old people.

The youth is seriously like 0.1%

[Pilgrim]

Interesting question. I occasionally listen to "popular" style jazz like Stan Getz, but I'm an old fart.

[Bruce Lindfield]

Pat Metheny seems to be touring every day of the year to sell-out crowds - and he plays 100% Jazz!

[Scottgun]

I'm 40 and occassionaly listen to Jazz. I too studied it in youth. But I need to face the reality check: Jazz is much like classical music in that both are like low-cholesterol diets: we know it's better for us, but we eat it out of guilt and sense of duty. Then there are those who are into it to lord it over everyone else or just posing. Scoundrels. Then there are those who really enjoy it. More power to 'em.

[Phalex]

I dig jazz. I have a special place in my heart for jazz fusion (Cobham, Ponte, Clarke, etc).

My father worked his way through college driving a lumber truck, and playing clarinet and sax in a big band back in the late 30's early 40's, (He got a free cruise to Europe around '44 courtesy of the US govt) so I grew up listening to Ellington, the Dorsey Bros, Glen Miller, and the like.

[Bruce Lindfield]

Originally Posted by Scottgun

I'm 40 and occassionaly listen to Jazz. I too studied it in youth. But I need to face the reality check: Jazz is much like classical music in that both are like low-cholesterol diets: we know it's better for us, but we eat it out of guilt and sense of duty. Then there are those who are into it to lord it over everyone else. Scoundrels.

I love Jazz and listen to it purely for pleasure - I feel my life would be much less rich if I had never heard say, Miles' great quintets, Horace Silver's 60s Blue Note albums or Coltrane's quartets!

I just have to hear the first few notes of "Night has a Thousand Eyes" off "Coltane's Sound" and my mood improves dramatically!

Jazz is great happy upbeat music - huge energy.

Having said that, when I go to live gigs the audience is nearly all musicians and people old enough to have grown up with the tunes that form the basis of Jazz Standards!!

And I only really began to appreciate Jazz when I started to play it as I approached my 40s....

[baba]

I listen to it constantly. I'm a fan of mostly 40s/50s/60s jazz. I don't really enjoy big band. Smooth jazz makes me ill. I can get into some fusion, but the synthy stuff gets too cheesy for me. Some current artists I dig are Mike Stern, Christian McBride, Chris Potter, Joe Lovano, Joey DeFrancesco, and Dave Holland (sorry, gotta call him current).

[Bruce Lindfield]

I tried Googling to find the answer to the question and found this :

A recent study (2006) by the Jazz Alliance International (PDF download) says that 41 percent of the jazz audience is under 39 year old, which quite frankly surprised me. Another 37 percent are between 40 and 55. I had expected the numbers to be much older.


http://jazzportraits.blogspot.com/


Now let's think about those numbers and ages for a moment. Those 41 percent of people under 39 years old, did not grow up in a world where jazz was popular music. And most of those in the 40-55 age group didn't either. These are children of the rock and roll generation. They obviously came to find out about, or enjoy jazz at some point - but when? And how? This is the information I'd like to find out..

[Bruce Lindfield]

I also found this for the UK :

"Research undertaken on behalf of Arts Council England, the Arts Council of Wales and others. This show a growing audience for jazz which is predominantly male, middle-aged and of socio-economic groups ABC1. While over 3 million UK adults have attended a jazz performance in the past year, the core audience for jazz is estimated to be about 500,000.

[Joe Gress]

I listen to jazz. I tend to go for the more standard jazz, not fusion (hate that stuff). To me fusion is just mindless wanking. I like the more melodic and "with a beat" type jazz. Coltrane, Brubeck, Davis, Mingus type stuff. I also listen to a lot of blues, form the 20's to today. My rock and roll that I listen to tends to be very jazz influenced as well. Zappa, Cream, Umphreys McGee, moe., and other jam bands are high on my list.

[JimK]

Originally Posted by joeinsprings

I listen to jazz. I tend to go for the more standard jazz, not fusion (hate that stuff). To me fusion is just mindless wanking...and other jam bands are high on my list.

Many will argue how "jam" bands have a sound of mindless/endless wanking.

[JimK]

Originally Posted by baba

I don't really enjoy big band.
Some current artists I dig are Chris Potter and Dave Holland (sorry, gotta call him current.

Holland has certainly been on the scene for a long while, regardless, I would also call him "current".
Have you checked out his Big Band stuff w/ Chris Potter, et al?
http://www.amazon.com/Overtime-Dave-...1585758&sr=8-1

[baba]

Originally Posted by JimK

Holland has certainly been on the scene for a long while, regardless, I would also call him "current".
Have you checked out his Big Band stuff w/ Chris Potter, et al?
http://www.amazon.com/Overtime-Dave-...1585758&sr=8-1

Actually I have, and I dig. I've also seen Mingus Big Band a few times at Fez with Potter, Stubblefield, and Hicks, and it was AMAZING! I was speaking more to the traditional Big Band era artists like Duke, Dorsey, Basie, etc. The whole swing thing usually doesn't suit me.

[Joe Gress]

Originally Posted by JimK

Many will argue how "jam" bands have a sound of mindless/endless wanking.

A good portion of them do. Can't stand them either.

[Deacon_Blues]

I love a lot of different jazz including big band. Ever been to a big band concert by a great big band? Well that is something... I don't care for fusion or overly experimental stuff though, nor do I like playing that is too "out". I can't play jazz any well but I truly enjoy listen to it.

[Deluge Of Sound]

I've listened to a fair amount of jazz, but really the only thing that gets me hot and bothered is the first Mahavishnu album, which is really jazz-fusion, anyway. It just seems so much more purposeful than the rest of the fusion stuff, where the focus seems to be on technicality for technicality's sake, and I prefer the tones of the instruments than more traditional jazz.

[SteveC]

Probably more than you think, but still not enough.

[JimK]

I have been on a Free Jazz kick since about '99.
From my reading, I found this interesting-
There are some Punk Rock fans that are actually into Free Jazz...for example, guys like David S. Ware will actually open for someone like Sonic Youth.

Couple of new things for you guys to check out-
Beyond Quantum- Anthony Braxton/Milford Graves/William Parker First time Graves & Braxton have ever played together. Unbelievable.
Double Sunrise Over Neptune-William Parker Orchestra...not your grandpa's Big Band.

[Benjamin Strange]

I used to sneak into jazz clubs back when I was 16. The 7 foot bouncer would oftentimes let me in because he knew I was there to listen to the music, and not to drink.

I'm 31 now, and I'm incorporating more and more jazz into my music. Miles Davis's Sketches of Spain is on my all time top 5 desert island albums.

[Josh Ryan]

I've liked jazz ever since I had a music teacher who sort of gave my theory class a jazz sampler. The guy was sort of abrasive and a little arrogant, but he meant well. Currently I'm listening to a lot of music along the lines of Greg Osby.