"there's no value in pushing any form of "world music" closer and closer to the jazz-pop mainstream, nor is there any need to do so."

On the specific issue of concertina song accompaniment, I was thinking about the evolution of the style by such English players of the English system as Lou Killen, Tony Rose, Steve Turner, Dick Miles, Keith Kendrick and - most recently and spectacularly - Rob Harbron. There's been a gradual loosening, sophistication and enrichment of the style since the days of Alf E., without (to my ears at least) sailing too close to the wilder shores of jazz. Having a foot in the melodeon camp as well, I've certainly noticed a pronounced trend towards jazz chording and syncopation amongst the new generation of players of that instrument (which seems to appeal to younger musicians more than the conertina), which some people enjoy and others don't.

I think it would be hard to find any form of 'world music' that hasn't been pushed closer to the mainstream in recent years, and there have been both gains and losses there. There will (at least as far as the near future is concerned) always be sporadic trends to 'get back to the old style' alongside the dizzying levels of experimentation and fusion, but the world is changing and shrinking so rapidly that none of us can predict what happens from here.