Whoa, Tim, you're listening to Coltrane instead of Milli Vanilli?!?! Most excellent :) It's great to see the younger generation getting into jazz and supporting it. The last few shows I've been to have been populated with hords of "youngsters" which is refreshing and gives one hope that support for jazz will be carried on for some time to come.
Jazz Renaissance
I first started listening to jazz in my early college years in the mid-late 70's and have been an avid fan since, taking it to an addictive level from the mid 80's on. I've had the pleasure of seeing the popularity of this art form slowly (re)gain momentum thru the 80's, seemingly take off in the early 90's, and reach an apparent zenith as of late. I've seen the record bins increase in size and variety. Being a frequent traveler to hear live jazz, for the better part of 20 years,I've seen the number and variety of live performances increase significantly from Manhattan to Portland (Or), the crowds swell at the shows and "walkin" opportunities, which used to be an always viable option, become virtually non-existent. And not the least, the variegated and copious jazz commentaries on the web, such as A'gon( sdcampbells erudite threads come to mind). These are all good things. But even more interesting, I see the crowds becoming increasingly younger( contrary to my live classical music experience) and younger. Refreshing, to say the least. I've been wondering as of late, what to attribute this to. The increased availability of software, Wynton's popularity and promotion beginning in the 80's, the proliferation of young talent,? etc. 15-20 years ago this seemed like a closet passion, now I see the record bins being ransacked by, and shows from Marcus Printup to Jimmy Heath populated by more and more who are younger and younger. I'm puzzled in a good way.