WOULD JAZZ EXAMPLE
HELP POLKA MUSIC?

Chicago (PMN)—After learning about an article regarding enlarging the audience for jazz music, a member of the online polka newsgroup asked some interesting questions about how this might relate to polka music.

The man, Claude Wiatrowski had read a full-page article in the local jazz club newsletter that began "The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation has awarded a $200,000 grant to the Jazz Arts Group of Columbus to create a national model for building jazz and music audiences, entitled the Jazz Audiences Initiative." The item is available at http://www.jazzartsgroup.org.

Wiatrowski wondered what lessons there might be here for polka musicians. The article states that $200,000 is just to study why people do or do not listen to jazz and suggests ideas for building jazz audiences that can be implemented across the nation. It does not actually implement any idea, but leaves that to local jazz groups.

He says that "if jazz groups need to build audiences, they should see the

situation for polkas." Wiatrowski is in Colorado Springs, where he says the jazz scene is much larger than the polka scene and he suspects that is true across the nation. It could be that jazz is just getting started on this early so it does not decline.

There are some valid questions, though. Is there really a benefit to this kind of study? If so, who would pay for something similar for polka music? Wiatrowski realized there are Polish, German, Czech, Slovenian and other ethnic charitable foundations, but it is questionable whether how many would consider this issue important enough for a significant expenditure.

It would also have to be determined which organization would organize this effort and solicit grants.

Such a study would almost certainly have to encompass polka music of all ethnic origins. The jazz study is partnering with venues, musicians, consultants and universities across the country.

If the outcome of such research is ideas for building polka audiences, polka groups must be sufficiently robust to implement those ideas in some meaningful way.

Wiatrowski admits he does not know the answers, but suggests that the issues are worthy of discussion.