Many musicians and fans have recently read and commented on the Wall Street Journal article by music critic Terry Teachout, "Can Jazz Be Saved?" The article talks about how attendance at jazz events has dropped since a survey in 1987 and that the audience is getting older. It goes on to say that even the older people are not showing up as much. Apparently, jazz is now considered a high art form, and, like classical music, the average person has trouble understanding it. You can't see it on TV, it doesn't sell, young people can't relate to it, and jazz musicians are snobs. Why do we even need jazz now? How does it fit into today's zippy electronic, information age? Shouldn't jazz just go away and die peacefully in the desert or the snow someplace, or be put in mothballs in some catacomb?

I just found a bag of CD's that I once brought to play for intermission music at a gig. They are some of my favorites and I had been missing them. I thought I'd share the list with LAjazz.com readers. Three of these I had the pleasure of playing drums on. I'm not ashamed to say that I still like them a lot. (Gotta give yourself a break now and then!)

It's amazing to see very young students respond to Duke Ellington, Basie, Goodman -- even Charlie Parker. They feel the music and react positively right away.

As a working jazz musician in L.A., it's sometimes challenging to get out to hear other artists in clubs. After a week or so of driving from San Diego to Santa Barbara and points in between on our choked and challenging freeway system to make the gigs on time, the sanctuary of a night off at home is most welcome.

Smokin’ at the Half-Note, Milestones, and the Lester Young Trio

If it's good, it's good. If the music moves you and makes you feel something, then it's for you. I can listen to Lester Young and Joe Henderson and enjoy the hell out of both of them.

Despite rumors of its decline and demise, I believe jazz music is surviving and, in many cases, almost healthy here in L.A. Sure the slice of the pie is small, but the whole pie is getting bigger. With the new information technology, specialized niche markets are easier than ever to reach. If musicians make the effort to promote themselves and find their audience and fans make the effort to find out what's going on, the music will continue to be there.

In 1985 I began working with Ray Charles and his orchestra with the Raelettes. The band toured around the U.S. and internationally. We recorded both live and in Ray's RPM studios in Los Angeles. The experience is still big influence on my life and music as I continue to make my living as a professional drummer.

Pianist Lou Levy has had a career spanning some six decades and has worked with the best jazz musicians and vocalists in the business. Known to many of his colleagues as the "Silver Fox" he has been at the forefront of jazz and popular music-from Woody Herman's groundbreaking second herd to Stan Getz, Peggy Lee, Ella, and Sinatra -and has many colorful stories to tell.

Frank has had a full and fascinating career that reads like a chronicle of jazz and pop music from the forties to the present day.

My wife Merle and I are sitting in the huge Jordan Ballroom at Boise State University along with almost 1,000 others. On stage are musicians, a grand piano draped with flowers, blow-up photos, and two oversized video screens. The Governor of Idaho, Dirk Kempthorne, the former governor Phil Batt and the mayor of Boise, H. Brent Coles are scheduled to speak. Reverend Henry Webb begins the opening prayer. There is an unforgettable feeling of sorrow mixed with celebration in the air.

A telling of Tony William’s life through the eyes of Paul Kreibich.

A candid round table discussion with the men who swung with him and hung with him, The Rhythm Section: Pianist Bill Miller, guitarist Al Viola, bassist Chuck Berghofer, and drummer Gregg Field.