Bruce Hornsby's done it. So have Rod Stewart, and Nancy Griffith. In midlife, Hornsby, Stewart and Griffith have all stepped away from their usual musical genres--rock, pop, folk--to explore the world of jazz. So has Gen Xer, Queen Latifah. What gives? Jazz Times magazine publisher Lee Mergner joins me to offer his opinions about what's causing this trend and to share cuts from some of these artists' recent CDs.

Increasing numbers of Boomers are dusting off their old instruments or discovering them for the first time and are getting together to perform in master classes and bands all over the country. Canadian-born saxophonist, composer and teacher Jeff Antoniuk knows all about this trend. He's founder and owner of "Jazz Band Masterclass," an adult jazz education program, and director of Maryland Summer Jazz, a "boot camp" for aspiring amateur and semi-pro musicians in the DC/MD/VA area. Jeff Antoniuk joins me to talk about what brings these Boomers to his classes and what it's like to be a professional musician who's released five nationally released CDs, including the most recent "Here Today." The CD reached number 3 in his native Canada, and spent more than two months on the US "Jazz Top 50" charts.