Since the 1950s, jazz has been a genre of music that was much appreciated, but usually relegated to a niche audience––those who were capable of understanding this often complex style.

The good news is that jazz is enjoying a major comeback. With increased public demand comes a palpable expansion of the New York jazz scene.

However, this doesn’t mean that NY jazz musicians will start having an easier life.

Jazz training  has gone from the homegrown "learning on the gig" of the 20s and 30s to an acceptable subject to be taught in music schools. But to attend a decent music school, you need the funds to pay for it. Today’s jazz musicians are afraid that only the children with money will have the privilege of attending such schools.

So, let’s say you've invested a lot of energy, money and practice room time in getting a good musical education. You believe you can have an edge on becoming a successful musician. What's next?

If you think the hard work is done, you're wrong.

A young jazz musician must work even harder to prove that he/she has the skills needed to dazzle audiences or even other players.

When getting started, it doesn’t matter where you play, as long as you keep playing.

This can be in a small café where it's "pass the hat," a church performance, or even in time, you can even have the chance to play in large venues and tours. In the best case scenario, your name will start to resonate only in the ears of the connoisseurs. Meanwhile, you will struggle to find a band to play together and even strive to record your own creations in a studio. If your reputation improves well enough, you may even start teaching music classes. So, the life of a jazz musician is far from being careless and paved with success. In this domain, success has a price, which needs to be paid constantly.

Read <a href="http://www.villagevoice.com/music/almost-famous-almost-broke-how-does-a-jazz-musician-make-it-in-new-york-now-8768844">this article</a> for a fascinating peek into the world of a New York jazz musician.

By now, it is more than obvious that you need to be passionate about playing jazz to start on this road. It will not get easier, at least not in the near future, so you have to be ready not to complain. If you are looking for fame and fortune, this is not the right path for you. Jazz musicians do the contrary of Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber, so if you want to have their success, you are heading in the wrong direction. Jazz is a stunning music genre, but it is not the type of music radios will play, as it is not understood and digested by the masses.