Regarding the similarities between jazz and democracy, jazz isn't unique in being a form of collective activity that involves cooperation between individuals. Volleyball does as well. On the other hand, I'm sick of writers and filmmakers who use music as a means to an end to discuss their favorite political and social issues. Frequently they do this because they don't have anything important to say about the music. I wish more of them would deal more directly with the stuff that's most important to them instead of trying to get at it in a roundabout way that is sometimes ludicrous.
Jazz is important enough to be dealt with as an end in itself.
As it is, Burns deals with jazz and politics in a half-baked way. As for the notion that Jazz is going to play a part in reviving the music, Burns can forget it, although there may be a slight upturn in record sales. A relatively small number of retro performers, including Marsalis and Redman, are doing well for themselves, but they're not going to bring back the days when jazz and pop music were virtually synonymous. The vast majority of young people are involved with the music of today, not 50 years ago. Moreover, from the advent of bop to the present, ,jazz has been too difficult for most people to make sense of.