Oscar Peterson's death has, for the moment, shone a spotlight on the Canadian jazz scene and prompted some observers to question how healthy things really are. On the one hand, there is plenty of evidence to suggest Canadians are getting their jazz fix and loving it.

Jazz FM 91, for several years now, has been cranking out jazz tunes 24/7 on the radio. And unlike in the past, when they relied on significant government grants to pay the bills, the station is now fully supported by members' donations and some advertising as well (although the station airs significantly fewer ads than the private radio stations).

Jazz festivals seem as popular as ever, in Montreal, in Vancouver, in Toronto, and in the Beaches neighborhood of Toronto, to mention just a few.

But last week, the jazz world gathered in Toronto for the annual International Association for Jazz Education conference (Pictured, right: Groovin' to the music at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre). And an entirely different picture was painted.

"We're going through the worst crisis I've ever seen in this country," said Jane Bunnett, one of the country's all-time greats. "For jazz musicians, it's a terrible time."

Bunnett's list of concerns is long. Two of Toronto's veteran jazz establishments --- the Top of the Senator and the Montreal Bistro --- are no longer the jazz centres they once were. The Senator has deemphasized jazz, while the Bistro has closed its doors entirely. Another, The Courthouse, had to close shop after just eight months, when the owners figured they just couldn't make a go of it.

"People don't seem to want to go out of their homes anymore," Bunnett added. "There's just apathy in general. Montreal doesn't have a single jazz club anymore.

"It's depressing," she continued. "I may be the only realist here. I make my living performing and I know what a loss it is for musicians."

Ross Porter, who runs Jazz FM 91, acknowledged the dilemma.

"A lot of people do want to stay home where they can control what they're listening to," he admitted.

Still, he was optimistic about the future.

"Jazz is something you have to discover at a point in your life," he said. "The banality of pop radio drives you to it. You can even find it by mistake."

There was one unmistakably positive piece of evidence through the IAJE conference.

"There is a tidal wave of kids playing jazz in this country right now," said York University's Peter Flaherty, referring to the impressive programs at not only his own university, but also University of Toronto, Seneca, and Humber.

As another conference attendee observed: "Humor and jazz are weapons of mass instruction."