In The Future of Jazz, 10 leading jazz critics take on the various issues surrounding jazz’s future-the dominance of mainstream jazz, its spread around the world, the difficulty of making a living playing it, the growth of repertory jazz, the dearth of interest among young African Americans, the paradoxically backward-looking nature of the avant-garde, and many others. Published in an innovative new format, this book was written entirely by email as these jazz critics engaged in lively debate on the future of this venerable American institution.