Is this thread running out of steam?
Quick-- someone bring up something controversial about Jazz ! ;o)
How about this -- what was the most recent live Jazz gig you attended ?
For me, it’s been, I’m guessing, close to ten years: Kenny Werner Trio at the Harris Center in Folsom, CA. Werner was booked for the smallest, most intimate of their three performance spaces that seats just 200. Despite its diminutive size, it was not sold out, so we were able to stay for the second set for free. Such is the sad state of Jazz appreciation in America. The Harris Center is a gorgeous venue -- must’ve cost a fortune to build and the lenders must be applying pressure because it’s been years since any Jazz or anything remotely interesting has been offered -- it’s all blandly inoffensive mainstream pablum, at this point. I guess that’s what the public wants.
Anyway, it was this group: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwW5XKCfP4A
I really miss being able to experience live Jazz. But at this point, I’m not willing to spend 2-3 three hours each way in the insanity that is Bay Area traffic. All the more reason to own a nice system!
BTW, Werner is also known as the author of a "Effortless mastery -- Liberating the Master Musician Within" which addresses common psychological difficulties, such as perfectionism, that hamper many players.