It has been pointed out by a number of people we respect that what we wrote could be interpreted as a personal attack on two of the individuals involved, as well as the label itself. And, the information contained in the Diatribe may not have been entirely accurate.

That was certainly not the intention. If Jeff Levenson and Branford Marsalis, two men who have proven their commitment to this music, were in any way disturbed by what we wrote, we must apologize.

We know Jeff Levenson personally and he’s a fine fellow--intelligent, well intentioned and his track record speaks for itself, both as a journalist, and an executive.

We also didn’t mean to demean Columbia Records. Although we’re not cheerleaders for big corporations and the way some of these entities trample on First Amendment rights and other assorted Constitutional issues, the music that appears on the Columbia label has long been an essential part of our musical landscape. Any Jazz listener has a stack of Columbia releases in their library and on our CD player at any given time Miles or Monk and Duke or Richard Bona are certainly present.

However, Bird Lives is designed as a vehicle to promote discussion of issues of importance to the Jazz community. One of the great things about the Internet is that something like Bird Lives can exist and reach out to a niche audience.

Admittedly, there is a certain dramatic quality to the writing that appears on this site but we're certainly not about to cry fire in a crowded theatre.

On occasion, we have crossed the line of good taste and upon further examination, we do re-evaluate and as in this case, apologize and retract what we’ve said, even without legal threats, simply because it's the right thing to do. We're not out to "get anyone" on this site. We're not pointing the barrel of a shotgun at our enemies, just trying to stir up some dialogue where now, there is only silence.

The reason we decided to post this story is because of how damaging it could be, if it was true. Yet, talk of Columbia Records and their Jazz program didn’t start two weeks ago when our Diatribe appeared. Speculation regarding the future of Jazz at Columbia has been rampant for months. We didn't start it, just merely posted it and exercised our right to offer an opinion.

Sadly, there is no definitive information regarding the future of Jazz at Columbia. We can only hope the speculation is unfounded and that Columbia reinvigorates their Jazz program with new releases and artists who benefit from their powerful marketing and distribution. In fact, we’d like nothing more than to see our friends at Columbia live long and prosper by recording and releasing all the artists who've been dropped by Verve, as well as those who used to record for Columbia back in the good old days when Bruce Lundvall was at the reigns.

Nevertheless, the prospect of the biggest, most powerful record label in the world shutting down their Jazz division is rather troubling and worth further discussion.

This is certainly not a Golden Era in the Jazz industry. Although it's possible to purchase just about every Jazz recording ever released, and literally thousand more being released yearly, there has been an erosion in sales. Jazz CD sales have sunk from 5% to 3% of the total music marketplace.

There are other problems as well, just ask any club owner in a major city. Why aren’t people going to hear the music? And why do major Jazz festivals have to water down their programs with pseudo-Jazz acts?

So if these rumors do become a reality, and we certainly hope they don’t, it might be a case of the tail wagging the dog and all of a sudden Jazz is in dire straights. If a major label decides that an art form like Jazz is not commercially viable, this sends a dangerous and ominous message that could effect other labels as well.

Hence our concern about the situation at Columbia. Obviously, the last chapter has yet to be written. Let’s hope the story has a happy ending for everyone involved.

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