A couple hours later he had made his contributions to the recording and was on his way home. Jazz is like an exploding star - everything is happening, and it's all expanding outward. Artists are taking more responsibility for their own work. The playing field is larger and more eclectic. We have retrospectives, and we have explorations, sometimes simultaneously.
Independent labels are more important than ever - anyone can make a CD, and that's good and bad.
The cream will rise to the surface, though. Video is becoming more important, MP3 is happening. All of these innovations in technology will have implications on the music. Just look at the web. It's possible to reach people all over the world in a way that one could only dream about a few years ago.