Our polls have moved forward at a slow pace in their early days. We did have some technical issues in our first days, but the voting never really progressed. I have decided to let polls build votes over two weeks with the hopes that they will gather some momentum. I’ll be posting some reminders as well over the next couple of weeks, trying to encourage participation. Although I don’t think our small number of votes give us an honest reflection of the LJC community, let’s move forward with what we’ve got . . .

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OUR PREVIOUS POLL - HOW OFTEN DO YOU ATTEND A LATIN JAZZ PERFORMANCE?
According to our last poll, the majority of LJC readers attend a Latin Jazz performance once every couple of months. At that rate, most people see between 4 and 6 Latin Jazz shows every year. A large number of artists will perform anywhere between 50 and 200 shows every year. Considering our poll results, they would need thousands of people to support their art. They would still have less than stellar attendance, making a sustained career somewhat difficult.

That leads me to ask - are we doing enough to support Latin Jazz musicians? We certainly want our favorite Latin Jazz artists to continue their careers, and they do rely upon us to support them through live performances. We purchase their albums, but that only encompasses part of their income. As listeners, we do have our limits - finances, time restrictions, and work all push us into a corner. The reasons that we don’t regularly attend Latin Jazz performances certainly exist, but maybe we need to look at our priorities. If we want Latin Jazz to survive, maybe we should be attending more live shows.

There are a variety of things that we can do to increase our support of live Latin Jazz, ranging from the obvious to the creative. We can make an effort to see both major Latin Jazz names and local artists on a regular basis. Many of us may take time to see a visiting act but ignore the Latin Jazz groups that play weekly in our own communities. If your area doesn’t have a local Latin Jazz scene, find the closest groups from neighboring cities or towns. Travel to them or encourage local venues to hire these bands at some point. Think outside the box as well - maybe someone could help a Latin Jazz group simultaneously webcast their performance from a club. I know that I would happily pay $5 - $10 to watch a group at home on my computer. There are many options, we just need to make live Latin Jazz a priority and pursue it strongly.

I’d be curious to hear what you think - are we doing enough to support live Latin Jazz? It’s a fine line between our busy lives and the music we love, but our actions now effect the future of Latin Jazz. Do we attend enough performances? What can we do to increase our support of live Latin Jazz? LEAVE A COMMENT and give us your thoughts - every reader’s idea would help!

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OUR NEW POLL - WHAT LATIN JAZZ STYLE GETS THE MOST ATTENTION FROM YOU?
Over the past few years, the Latin Jazz world has experienced a massive expansion. In its early years, Cuban dance rhythms dominated Latin Jazz with Dizzy Gillespie’s big band, Machito and his Afro-Cubans, and Tito Puente’s Orchestra leading the charge. The bossa nova’s popularity in the United States infused a Brazilian influence into the Latin Jazz community through albums by Stan Getz and Antonio Carlos Jobim. Recently, musicians from across the Caribbean and South America have freely explored their native musics and then combined them with jazz. Music from Argentina, Peru, Puerto Rico, Haiti, and more have all found an equal footing within the genre. Musicians involved with Cuban and Brazilian rhythms have integrated lesser known and folkloric styles more liberally, showing a different side of the music. Latin Jazz is riding through a renaissance period, and it now reflects every shade of Latin influence.

This creates a wide-open world for today’s Latin Jazz listener to explore. Artists such as trumpeter Gabriel Alegria mix Peru’s Festejo and Lando rhythms with jazz improvisation. Trombone player Papo Vazquez creates powerful small group and big band jazz based upon Puerto Rican styles such as Bomba and Plena. Pianist Jovino Santos Neto composes innovative pieces using a variety of Brazilian genres such as Xote, Baião, and traditional Samba. Bassist Fernando Huergo explores a wide range of Argentinean traditions in a jazz context. Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra utilize Cuban approaches from both the past and present, producing a rich big band sound. These are just a few examples in an ever growing world of Latin Jazz possibilities.

Focusing upon this modern diversity of approaches, our latest poll asks: What Latin Jazz style gets the most attention from you? Please VOTE IN THE SIDEBAR TODAY - I’m looking forward to seeing the results!

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If you haven’t commented on our current community conversation yet - GO THERE NOW! Our topic is: What’s The Best Latin Jazz That Noone’s Ever Heard? Check in the comments section - we’ve got some thick lists . . . but there’s got to be more! Let us know which Latin Jazz albums or artists you think are underserved - GO THERE NOW!

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