Two decades ago, in the summer of '79 to be precise, writer Chris Albertson asked me to do a series at The New School as a sub for an author friend of his who had recently passed. Linda Kuehl's idea was a jazz survey course with an occasional guest. Expanded to a full interview course with audio--later video--aids and the occasional live performance, Jazz Insights was born. The performance part has now become almost de reggeur.

The New School loved the idea of famous guests, but offered little in the way of publicity as, they said, they would have to give the same to everyone of their adjunct profs. (They still maintain that policy. Even the Actors Studio TV series gets pitifully little in the way of extra attention.)

With our 20th Anniversary, and the tacit cooperation of Jazz At Lincoln Center, Jazz Insights is making some noise, and "The Jazz Guy," my sobriquet for lo these many years, now has a face and a name. In 1989, "The Music Of Duke Ellington," a series-within-a-series, made its debut. Same format, but separate, and decidedly Ducal, dedicated topics.

But, alas, do I still have to write about Jazz Insights for IAJE, for JJA and now this Diatribe? The only course of its kind (live interview/ demonstrations each and every week, all year long) and the longest, ever, 20 years and counting! The only ink JI gets is my own. Preposterous.

How do we expect to carry on the jazz/art tradition if we don't boast about what we've already got. It can't always be "what's next?" Leave that to the Ellington's.

Perhaps Wynton and the late Stanley Dance are/were right when they sing hosanna's to canon. The only problem is if we do that, and only that, we lose the essence of jazz, fresh improvisation, yes, the "what's next." But cutting edge is never where it is in exclusivity. The edge is only as good as the handle on which the blade is mounted. You can't cut with bleeding palms.

We owe everything to our antecedants and we owe it to them and their successors to tell the world so that the edge-cutters have stones on which to sharpen their knives. Jazz Insights performs that function from the mouths of the practioners, including members of the fourth estate.

So why do participants on both sides of the lecturn love this course and we can't get more of the press, my erstwhile colleagues, to pay attention, in print and online? This is no more of a profit-making venture than my publicity company has become. That, too, doesn't garner the attention it should, not for me, certainly, but for the clientele, younger, underexposed, or otherwise wonting talent.

In short, pay attention, lest we all lose it!