Los Angeles has a jazz scene. Really, it does. But you have to know how to look for it, and be ready to accept that it may not be a carbon copy of New Orleans or Chicago. “Contrary to popular grousing, there is jazz to be had in Los Angeles — and we’re not just talking about high-profile clubs such as the Jazz Bakery or this weekend’s Playboy Jazz Festival. The experience may come wrapped in a way we’re not accustomed to, or it might take some seeking. The bad rap about L.A., from performers to listeners, is this: ‘People don’t come out.’ Or, ‘It’s too over their heads.’ But the jazz issue is deeper and more complex: It’s an issue of sprawl, of competing distractions.”