For some time, I have believed that the number of great jazz musicians is declining. Assuming this to be true, I have been curious as to the cause. Of course, there have been good jazz musicians of late, even excellent ones, but have there been any giants? In the last twenty five years, about the only true jazz great I have heard mention of is Winton Marsalis. In the years before him, there was a plethora: Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, Art Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, the list goes on and on.
In my opinion, Charlie Parker is the best jazz musician of all-time. Ushering in the bebop era, Parker blitzed the competition and took the art to unprecedented heights. Flaming out at age 34, his impact is still felt today.
So where have all the jazz geniuses gone of late? One idea is that gifted, musical youths are turning to other genres. The popularity of jazz has declined, while r & b/rap music has become dominant. It might be simply that artists interested in african-amercian music now choose rap and r & b, whereas fifty years ago they would have chosen jazz.
If this is true, and the movement away from jazz is just due to changes in cultural tastes, I'm not sure society is better off for it. Many of the current r & b/rap artists are a dime a dozen - over time their music will be forgotten. To think of it another way, people today are still listening to classical music that was written centuries ago. I believe the music of jazz giants like Charlie Parker will also stand the test of time. But as for the current crop of r & b/rap artists, I'm skeptical - history may judge this period very harshly.
