"Try some William Parker Hamiet Bluiett Charles Gayle recorded at a concert a couple of months back."

Jesus, that's just a bunch of tuneless rambling!! Just kidding, yes, that's nice stuff but notice there's not any younger musicians. That's the part that worries me. Younger musicians can't lead jazz bands but they must apprentice in these bands when they are young so they can be ready to lead when they are old enough.

That's been the biggest complaint of the jazz musicians I've played with--where are the young kids? Sure, there'll be a few but there's frankly not enough. I remember when I was a boy wonder of jazz. Now I know why the older musicians took such an interest in me--I was a rarity, a teenaged kid who even wanted to listen to jazz much less be able to play it. Now I'm all grown-up and I see it too. There's a dearth of kids who want to play real jazz.

Now there might be people thinking, "What's he talking about? Wynton Marsalis is bringing up young jazz talent year after year!" Yes, he is. He deserves some kudos for that. But Marsalis is also what is known as a neo-classicist jazzer. He has no interest or patience for jazz innovation. He wants his wards to be new Ellingtons, new Lester Youngs, new Miles Davises, new Jelly Roll Mortons, new Wyntons. Well, we already went through that period, we don't need copies. We need originals. Jazz is a spontaneous, existentialist form of music, it is playing what is in your heart at that moment, it can't survive as an "oldies" reunion show.

One of my favorite bassists is Chris Dahlgren. Check him out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r44FBulwprM