The little-known Asian American Jazz Festival has sputtered along for the past 21 years with little to no national attention. But suddenly the festival is a hot commodity.

Originally a Bay Area tradition, Asian American Jazz went national for the first time this year. A collaboration of African-American and Asian-American jazz and electronic music, it is the largest of its kind in the United States.

Bassist and composer Tatsu Aoki, one of the most talked about and prolific musicians in Chicago, is one of the headliners of this tour. With more than 30 recordings to his name and over 70 guest appearances on albums internationally, Aoki is one of the must see performers of the festival, along with pianist Jon Jang and singer Yoko Nage.

Aoki sees the festival as a means of boosting the profile of Asian-American arts.

'If you look at so many of the wealthy Asian Americans, they all contribute to white institutions,' Aoki said. 'They don't support Asian-American arts. They don't know the value of these important artists.'

Aoki's career in the United States started in the late 1970s, when he came to Chicago from Japan to pursue his two passions: music and experimental filmmaking.

'I wanted to live in a city that has its own sound, an all-rooted sound,' he said. 'Chicago and New Orleans were the only two that I could find that had the sound of the city.'

Since Aoki grew up in a family full of singers and dancers, it was not unusual for him to pursue a career in the arts. What was unusual was how Aoki discovered the bass - an instrument he never intended on playing.

'The senior and junior members of the school were forming this band,' Aoki said. 'I just wanted to be in the band and I wanted to play the guitar, but all the seniors and juniors and everyone older than me got the parts and the only thing left was the bass.'

Now Aoki is a renowned and successful musician, an experimental filmmaker and an assistant professor in film at the Art Institute of Chicago. But in reaching these heights, he has uncovered another desire – to raise national awareness about Asian-American arts.

And that's just what has been happening in recent years. The popularity and audience for Asian American Jazz is widening and attracting not just old jazz fans, but younger generations of music fans every year.

The Asian American Jazz Festival will hit venues in San Francisco, Philadelphia, San Jose, Los Angeles and Chicago. The tour will be in Chicago Oct. 24-27.