ABSTRACT
A strong economic climate during the 1990s provided Americans with what became, in retrospect, a false sense of security and prosperity. Economic prosperity abruptly ended in 2008, when the financial, auto, home industry, and virtually all aspects of the U.S., and eventually world, economies witnessed the worst collapse since the Great Depression. Unemployment topped 10%, and the government attempted to right the ship through financial bailouts and unemployment payment extensions. The year 2008 will be remembered as the beginning of the Great Recession, highlighted by turmoil in the mortgage industry and in politics prompting the grass-roots Occupy Wall Street movement. Its members protested in groups throughout the US, bringing attention to the growing economic divide between classes and associated inequities. It is, therefore, not surprising that all aspects of the entertainment industry have suffered, including the clubs and concert venues that support jazz. Even major symphony orchestras have faced bankruptcy and reorganizations requiring significant salary and benefit reductions. Jazz festivals in the US and abroad continue to be a viable source of employment for musicians, but the shortage of jazz clubs in some cities makes it increasingly difficult for jazz artists to find regular work. It has become almost economically impossible for big bands to maintain regular touring schedules, and, for that matter, very few big bands exist on any regular basis, aside from those sponsored by the armed services. The Mingus Big Band, Basie Band, and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra are the only remaining big bands (aside from “ghost bands” or reunion bands, such as the Glenn Miller and Woody Herman bands, respectively) that continue regular touring schedules. Consequently, the steady flow of qualified, young jazz musicians, groomed by an increasing number of university jazz programs, has very few outlets for apprenticeships, as had been the case in earlier decades. The supply of highly qualified musicians is greater than ever, but there is very little work to sustain them.
