Jazz Music and Its Necessity

For all intents and purposes I was forced to put my jazz skills on a shelf in the closet.  I have engaged most of my adult life with the jazz aesthetic.  Today I am not sure why.  I know without a doubt that jazz music is dead.  It is dead because the genius's that created it have become extinct.  Dinosaurs became extinct, but not for the same reasons.  The jazz sensibility still today is one of the most tangible, intelligent, spiritual, and artistic endeavors of this earth, yet is too is going the way of the dinosaur.  Why?  Is it because it is mammoth, violent, and cold-hearted?  On the contrary jazz is one of the most humane processes the world ever has known.  I am sure it has existed in many forms throughout history.  With a bit of study the strict boundaries of Western classical music easily are disrupted, and elements of jazz can be found centuries ago.  The most obvious one is "Figured Bass" which existed during the Baroque Era.  Composers of this day would write a "chord symbol" over the top of a root note on a continuo part expecting the harpsichord player to "realize" the chord from intellect.  They had to calculate the note intervals from the written numbers (example:  inversions of the dominant seventh chord, 6/5, 4/3, 4/2) and realize the correct chord in lieu of the composer writing a specific voicing. In essence this is what the jazz musician does relying upon this nomenclature to realize complex music without the need of reading dense "clumps of grapes" on the gig.  It is a short cut, but not an undermining.  The process of realizing jazz harmony in such a way equally is as challenging as performing the most virtuosic concerto.    Not only must the jazz improvisor know enough to realize the correct harmony from these chord symbols, he them must on the spot create a musical and expressive melody over them.  That means choosing notes not only that fit into the specific chords but notes that will act as passing tones in between.  Varying intervals must be used for variety and interest, space must be left for breath, and a story must be told with tension and release.  Rhythm is of key importance, because in addition to all of these tasks the musical performance must swing.  Ouch.  I do not know too many people that are capable of this, and the ones that could are dead.  It was not that long ago with the passing of these truly great jazz purveyors that an aberrant form of jazz snuck its way into the public's eye.  Because jazz is intelligent music and a certain knowledge is required to understand it, easily "pop" infiltrated the jazz world quickly disguising the true feeling of swing.  For this reason it highly is unlikely real jazz will experience a renaissance anytime soon.  No one seems to understand the difference.  Each and every day I listen to jazz performances on the radio, and they are nothing more than "pop" covers of jazz tunes.  I believe, because great artistry is required to understand and perform jazz music, that this is the world's feeble attempt at re-creating the legacies of John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, and Dizzy Gillispie.  These are huge shoes to fill.  In America's current climate of immaturity there are not many platforms available to pitch America's one and only true art form.  For me when the scales tipped too far in the "pop" direction, and I began to be criticized for being able to play real swing, I stopped.  Why would any artist choose to be chastised for their artistic ability?  We could ask Jesus this question, because it was this phenomenon that defined his word.  Often good is labeled as evil.  Certainly I alone do not harbor the strength of Jesus, and therefore the desire and need to fight for the longevity of jazz music.  I rather would be congratulated on my skills and rushed off to the next well-paying gig.  Disappointingly real swing has been replaced with a phony.  "Pop" will continue to masquerade as jazz until it dies.  As for the necessity of jazz in my life, it is the one thing that has driven me to excel as a musical performer.  While I appreciate many styles of music, and I was trained in the classical genre, the visceral aspects of jazz are what demand higher levels of performance.  I have had no desire to perform any kind of music recently.  What's the point?  The point is that when I sit down at the piano or the organ, I have nothing to say.  I begin to doubt my abilities, because the voice always that has driven me to play jazz is absent.  It is simple.  Why would any artist choose to be chastised for their artistic ability?  I would just choose to be thanked for my efforts.  Why is it my generation has inherited the survival or extinction of the human condition?  Is it not enough just to stomach the disappointment of living in the remnants of America?  It is not enough to watch as Baby Boomers live off of their children destined to inherit nothing?  My generation is out of luck.  No one watched out for us.  No one thought it important to hand over the reins empowering the next generation of America.  That is why we are failing as a country.  If I intend to empower myself again musically it is becoming evident that I once again will have to embrace the jazz aesthetic.  In spite of all of the crooning, the smoothing, and masquerading, and the downright lying, I will have to pick up the torch.  I can't tell if it burns.