Writing in his The Age of Roosevelt three-volume series, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. referred to the Depression days of the early 1930s as “the Crisis of the Old Order.” It struck me that the phrase could well be applied to the current state of traditional jazz festivals.
Unhappily for trad jazz fans, a growing number of festivals and jazz parties have recently announced that they will cease operation—some like Sacramento have been around for over 40 years— citing changing demographics and musical tastes, an aging and diminished audience no longer able to travel extensively, escalating costs, inability to attract sufficient sponsor support, and increased competition for the consumer’s time and dollar.
The Sacramento Music Festival, which at one time claimed to be the country’s second largest music festival, is a prime example of the malaise that is impacting trad festivals. Back in the mid-1980s, the Sacramento Dixieland Jazz Jubilee drew up to 100,000 people, and performance venues were spread throughout the city. A popular site was at Cal Expo, a good 20-minute bus ride from the main festival sites in Old Sac. RVers camped in large numbers on the State Fairgrounds, creating a vibrant community for the four-day weekend where social interactions were as important as the music.
Once a not-to-miss event, Sacramento’s attendance has stea
