"Although I do feel that with a show like ours we ourselves are getting a lot more young listeners at concerts"
About this Quote
There is a quiet strategic intelligence in McPartland's phrasing: she doesn’t declare victory for jazz, she reports a shift in the room. "Although" signals she’s answering a doubt she’s heard a thousand times - that jazz is aging out, that the audience is thinning, that the culture has moved on. Instead of arguing theory, she offers the most concrete metric musicians trust: who actually shows up, and how old they are.
The emphasis on "a show like ours" is doing a lot of work. It’s modest on the surface, but it’s also brand-aware: not just any gig, but a specific format with its own tone, pacing, and invitation. McPartland built a reputation (onstage and on the radio) around conversation, accessibility, and repertoire that treats listeners as curious rather than initiated. The subtext is that jazz doesn’t need to be diluted to attract younger audiences; it needs to be framed in a way that lowers the intimidation factor without lowering the artistry.
"Getting" and "a lot more" keep the claim breezy, almost offhand, as if she’s resisting hype. That restraint matters coming from a musician whose credibility rests on taste, not trend-chasing. She’s also quietly repositioning concerts as proof against the idea that jazz is only a museum piece preserved by institutions. Young listeners, in her telling, aren’t being lectured into appreciation - they’re choosing to be there, live, where the music can still feel like a present-tense social act.
The emphasis on "a show like ours" is doing a lot of work. It’s modest on the surface, but it’s also brand-aware: not just any gig, but a specific format with its own tone, pacing, and invitation. McPartland built a reputation (onstage and on the radio) around conversation, accessibility, and repertoire that treats listeners as curious rather than initiated. The subtext is that jazz doesn’t need to be diluted to attract younger audiences; it needs to be framed in a way that lowers the intimidation factor without lowering the artistry.
"Getting" and "a lot more" keep the claim breezy, almost offhand, as if she’s resisting hype. That restraint matters coming from a musician whose credibility rests on taste, not trend-chasing. She’s also quietly repositioning concerts as proof against the idea that jazz is only a museum piece preserved by institutions. Young listeners, in her telling, aren’t being lectured into appreciation - they’re choosing to be there, live, where the music can still feel like a present-tense social act.
Quote Details
| Topic | Music |
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