Years ago, jazz players carried stylistic traits which marked the tendencies and aesthetics of their musical home towns. From the 1920's until the 1970's, it was possible to hear and identify these traits, especially in the playing of people
from the most active jazz communities. This was, of course, due to the influence
of local players in the formative stages of one's development. The established
local heroes exerted great sway over the other local musicians and audiences. It was to their standards,expectations and approval that the younger musician aspired.

In my own experience as a young player, I traveled around the Midwest listening to the great players of that region. During the late 1970's and early 1980's, regional differences still seemed very pronounced in my mind. Each city had a different characteristic rhythm section style and feeling, and groups of horn players seemed to also share truly distinctive qualities. As I studied the great recordings, I could make the connections to what I was hearing in my travels: A Detroit trumpet sound,as heard in the styles of Marcus Belgrave, Thad Jones, Jimmy Cook, and today in Dwight Adams: A Chicago tenor style, exemplified by Von Freeman, Johnny Griffin, Clifford Jordan, John Gilmore and others: An Indianapolis hard-grooving swing,featured by the Montgomery Brothers, Slide Hampton, Freddie Hubbard, and now by Pharez Whitted: A laid back, almost countrified jazz style heard in Louisville
and Cincinnati, typified by Cal Collins, Jimmy McGarry and Jimmy Raney.

Because jazz is now institutionalized, we may be losing these flavors which
once made traveling to different regions so interesting. Woody Shaw is said to have
commented "Jazz died when it entered the schools." Dexter Gordon said, "I don't
know where these kids are coming from. They all sound alike, like they all had the same teacher." Although these statements may sound harsh, to me they have the ring of truth.

As jazz educators, we must be careful not to kill the very thing we love. The standardization of jazz teaching methods is,itself,very unjazzlike. We must also beware of reductionism in the teaching of jazz history. We, by consensus, have limited the players we ask our students to study and emulate to the few we have deemed to be the most important. It has become increasingly difficult to find distinguishable stylistic characteristics separating young, talented players.

There is some promise on this front. The advent of the artist/teacher in university jazz programs is providing much needed perspective. As many schools are
adding rosters of adjunct jazz faculty comprised of top local players, the jazz departments are beginning to function much like real jazz communities.

The educational system does not bare the full responsibility for the homogenization of jazz. The jazz media has developed a pop-culture model for the
marketing of new artists. What sounds the most familiar is projected as the most
marketable. Thus, since the 1980's we have been plagued by a stream of highly lauded and well promoted sound-alikes. Now, our students are emulating THESE people.

The booking policies of so-called 'jazz clubs' may also be to blame. The traditional model had established artists leading bands, and young players trying to
make an impression on the older cats. If a young musician could earn their respect,
and gain employment as a sideman,he may later be approached by the manager or promoter for his own booking.

Today's model most often has the venue managed by someone who has no knowledge of the music, whatsoever. His main concern is the bottom line. He accepts tapes and solicitation from all comers, and hires accordingly. Thus,a band of young players may find themselves working without having to meet anyone's expectations. They are left alone to learn the business and the music by themselves. This has resulted in an epidemic of musical relativism.

It's become increasingly difficult to pass the torch, as nobody seems to know which torch to pass. Politics and philosophy seem to be more and more at play. A young player no longer learns by observing the people in his community and attempting
to integrate and distinguish himself.

It's our duty to correct this situation. The music is at stake.