21 CONFER ENCE PROG RAM ME - Documenting Jazz Conference
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21
Session 1: 1
Jazz & Gender
WEDNESDAY 23 JUNE
10.45 GMT
CONFER
ENCE
PROG
RAM
ME2 Credits Contents 3
Copyright 2021 Edinburgh College
of Art and the author(s).
Images copyright The Library of Congress
available online at: Welcomes 6–9
74 Lauriston Place www.flickr.com/photos/library-of-congress/
Edinburgh
EH3 9DF
albums/72157624588645784/.
Timetables/schedules 10 – 13
www.eca.ed.ac.uk Front cover : 52nd Street, NYC, July 1948,
William P. Gottlieb, 1917.
Image copyrights as marked.
The use of images is for educational Page 15: Portrait of Mary Lou Williams, Day 1: Sessions 15 – 26
purposes only. Every effort has New York, N.Y., ca. 1946, William P.,
been made to contact the copyright Gottlieb, 1917.
holders for the images used in
this book. Please contact Edinburgh Page 27: Portrait of Milt (Milton) Jackson Day 2: Sessions 27 – 37
College of Art with any queries. and Ray Brown, New York, N.Y., between
1946 and 1948, William P. Gottlieb, 1917.
Book design by Nicky Regan.
Page 40: Portrait of Sarah Vaughan, Café Day 3: Sessions 38 – 47
Edited by Dr. Marian Jago. Society (Downtown) New York, N.Y., ca.
August 1946, William P. Gottlieb, 1917.
All rights reserved.
Page 38: Portrait of Dizzy Gillespie and Keynote 47
No part of this book may be Georgie Auld, Downbeat, New York, N.Y.,
reproduced in any form or by any ca. August 1947, William P. Gottlieb, 1917.
electronic or mechanical means
including information storage Page 58: Portrait of Thelonious Monk, Day 4: Sessions 48 – 57
and retrieval systems, without Minton’s Playhouse, New York, N.Y., ca.
permission in writing from the September 1947, William P. Gottlieb, 1917.
authors.
Back cover : Portrait of Art Hodes, Kaiser Biographies 58 – 69
Printed in Scotland by Ivanhoe Marshall, Henry (Clay) Goodwin, Sandy
Caledonian. Williams, and Cecil (Xavier) Scott, Times
ISBN: 978-1-912669-37-0
Square, New York, N.Y., ca. July 1947,
William P. Gottlieb, 1917. In memorium 70 – 714 Committees 5
Conf e r e nce Committe e Pr ogramme Committe e
Dr. Marian Jago Dr. Marian Jago
Conference Chair, University of Edinburgh Conference Chair, University of Edinburgh
Roderick Buchanan-Dunlop Dr. Pedro Cravinho
University of Edinburgh Birmingham City University
Dr. James Cook Maya Cunningham
University of Edinburgh University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Dr. Pedro Cravinho Dr. Damian Evans
Birmingham City University Research Foundation for Music in Ireland
Maya Cunningham Dr. Marc Edward
University of Massachusetts, Amherst Hannaford University of Michigan
Dr. Damian Evans Dr. Matthias Heyman
Research Foundation for Music in Ireland University of Antwerp
Prof. Björn Heile Dr. Kelsey Klotz
University of Glasgow University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Prof. Raymond MacDonald Dr. Mark Lommano
University of Edinburgh Albright College
Dr. Haftor Medböe Dr. Gayle Murchison
Edinburgh Napier University William & Mary
Dr. Nikki Moran Dr. Loes Rusch
University of Edinburgh Utrecht University
Prof. Gabriel Solis Dr. Floris Schuiling
University of Illinois, Urbana Utrecht University
Dr. Aleisha Ward
National Library of New Zealand
Dr. Christi J. Wells
Arizona State University6 Welcome Welcome 7
The Re id School of Mus ic at Edinburgh Edinburgh Colle ge of Ar t has t he
Colle ge of Ar t is delighte d to be ambition to br ing toget he r and e nt angle
hos ting t his year ’s Docume nting acade mic r igour, r es ear ch powe r,
Jaz z conf e r e nce . ins pir ing e ducation, inve ntive met hods ,
dis ciplinar y e ngage me nt and cr eative
The themes offered in the call for papers prac tices , w it h s ubje c t s or iginating
expose important seams that demand w it hin an ‘ ancie nt ’ and wor ld-leading
attention and reflection both in jazz unive r s it y coming toget he r w it h t hos e
scholarship and more broadly across music s te mming f r om one of t he longes t
studies. Well-being, race, gender, and es t ablis he d ar t s chools in t he UK .
environment are active concerns here at
our School and understanding how music As an international community of
plays into and around them is more practitioners, historians and theorists,
important now than ever before. we aim to create new knowledge and
innovation, based on our capacity to facilitate
Documents of music performances tell
conversations across disciplines and achieve
of stories, journeys, possibilities, and
an in-depth understanding about how new
experiences yet without scholarship, they
forms of representation and experience are
rest untold and unshared. Conferences like
developed and articulated as and in practice.
this can help connect us with perspectives of
We are also committed to conjoining data
history that reach beyond text into archive,
and creativity, and contend that knowledge
place and sound.
and artistry are interdependent complex
We are particularly excited to welcome such coordinates of creativity.
a diverse array of academics from across the
We are therefore delighted to host the 2021
globe and while we all wish we could host
edition of the Documenting Jazz conference,
you in person and share the magnificent city
which seems so well aligned with the
of Edinburgh with you, I have no doubt that
objectives of Edinburgh College of Art
the conference will sustain discussion late
to analyse and understand creative practice
into the Zoom night and collaborations
in order to foment its further ambition
long into the future.
and reach.
Huge thanks to the conference and
programme committees for bringing
everything together so skilfully.
Professor Juan Cruz
Principal,
Edinburgh College of Art
Dr. Martin Parker
Head of the Reid School of Music
Edinburgh College of Art8 Conference Welcome 9
It is my s ince r e pleas ur e to welcome you While the limits placed on us by the global
Covid pandemic have led to mitigation
In some instances their sense of the music, its
people, its aesthetic, its values, and its place
all to t his t hir d ite ration of Docume nting practices which we have largely found less
than ideal in their limiting in most cases the
within American culture have been formed
by them, silently. Through his association
Jaz z hos te d by t he Re id School of Mus ic , live, in-the-moment, and in-person aspects of
jazz that so often sit at the heart of the music
with publications such as Down Beat, The
Washington Post, and Record Changer,
par t of t he Edinburgh Colle ge of Ar t at and its community, I invite us here to consider
the positive aspects of our very strange year –
Gottlieb’s images have joined with the written
discourse on jazz, and with the intersections
t he Unive r s it y of Edinburgh. It ’s a s hame the ways in which being forced to ‘encounter’
jazz in new ways might have brought us
between journalism, criticism, and scholarly
writing. In being housed in their entirety
t hat I’ m not able to welcome you he r e on- to new perspectives. In having to take this
conference online, for example, while we miss
as an archive hosted by the Smithsonian
Institute, these images highlight the essential
campus in t he hear t of t he amazing cit y the chance to meet with one another in-person
and in Edinburgh, we have been able to
role played by jazz archives, and the ways
in which access to stable, public-serving
of Edinburgh—hope f ull y t hat oppor tunit y open our event up to a wider audience
than would have been possible otherwise!
funding maintains, preserves, and makes
accessible such important key ‘documents’.
w ill ar is e again in t he f utur e! I’m very pleased to report that we have
presenting delegates at Documenting Jazz
Such archives by their very existence also
help to move the music—and therefore its
2021 from North America, South America, constitutive communities—into the cultural
the UK, the EU, and Israel, as well as an mainstream. Having decreed that his images
audience which includes practitioners, enter the public domain, the collection also
This year ’s conf e r e nce t he me inv ites us students (both undergraduate and post- links through to issues of rights, accessibility,
graduate), and other colleagues from within and ownership. They’re also gorgeous works
to cons ide r t he var ious way s , places , and the jazz studies community around the world. of art in their own right, and I’m very pleased
to be able to make use of them here.
contex t s in w hich jaz z is e ncounte r e d and I would like to thank Dr. Damian Evans
and Dr. Pedro Cravinho as past chairs of I look forward to meeting as many of you
t he impac t s t hat t hes e e ncounte r s have Documenting Jazz for their hard-earned
wisdom; the conference and programme
as I can over the four days of the conference,
and to hearing what promises to be diverse
upon t he ide ntit y, r e ce ption, r e put ation, committees for their assistance across these
past several months; the Principal of the
and thought-provoking program of papers.
My thanks to all of you for sharing your
prac tice , and pe r ce ive d value of jaz z and Edinburgh College of Art, Juan Cruz and
Head of the Reid School of Music, Martin
work and your time with us.
Fàilte!
it s cons titue nt s . This t he me is pe r haps Parker for their enthusiasm and support; Dr.
James Cook for his incredible help in setting
par ticular l y r es onant f ollow ing a year up some of the online aspects of this event;
and Nicky Regan for the brilliant design work.
in w hich we’ ve all had to e ncounte r Indeed, in framing the design of this
conference program around iconic jazz
jaz z—w het he r as pe r f or me r, r es ear che r, images taken by William P. Gottlieb between
1938-1948, we’ve managed to engage with
s tude nt , teache r, lis te ne r, or ar chiv is t several of the themes central to Documenting
Jazz. The images that Gottlieb captured of jazz
—in radicall y new way s . (primarily in New York City and Washington
Dr. Marian Jago
2021 Conference Chair
D.C.) during this time have become some
Edinburgh College of Art
of the most iconic and widely reproduced
jazz images of all time – many people have
‘encountered’ jazz for the first time through
these images.10 Day 1: Day 2: 11
Wednesday 23 June Thursday 24 June
Sessions/Time in Edinburgh (BST) Attend online Sessions/Time in Edinburgh (BST) Attend online
Session 1 12:00 – 13:30 Session 7 12:00 – 13:30
Matthew Jacobson: Non-standard Standards: Using Jazz Standards as Vehicles for Non-structured
ROUND TABLE: Archives
Improvisations
Session 2 12:00 – 13:30 Pauline Black : Imagine if There Was No Fear of Failure? Encounters With Jazz and Improvisation in UK
Michele Corcella: Duke Ellington’s Scoring for Films Secondary Schools
Una MacGlone & Guro Gravem Johansen: Approaches to Teaching Improvisation in European
Matthias Heyman: How Do They Know Who Wins?: The Representation of Jazz Competitions in Whiplash
Higher Music Education
Tim Wall: A question for the 1973 BBC Jazz Committee: “Does the BBC have a jazz policy... and if so, is it
satisfying the needs of the general listening audience and the Jazzworld? Session 8 12:00 – 13:30
13:00 – 13:30 COFFEE BREAK Attend online Rebecca Zola: Women in Jazz: A Failed Brand
15:15 – 15:30 Conference Welcome/Chair’s Remarks Tom Sykes: “Can I play in the big band?” Encountering Jazz at University
Friederike Bartel: Jazz: In-between Community and Competition
Session 3 15:30 – 17:00
Ricardo Enrique Alvarez Bulacio: Jazz on TV During the Chilean Dictatorship 13:00 – 13:30 COFFEE BREAK Attend online
Pedro Cravinho: Encounters With Jazz on Television in Cold War Era Portugal (1954–1974) Session 9 15:30 – 17:0
Guro Gravem Johansen: Playing jazz is what she does!’: How Creating a Micro-community of
Renan Ruiz: Grupo Um and the Changes in Brazilian Jazz (1976-1984)
Children Builds Female Identification with Jazz Performance
Session 4 15:30 – 17:00 Joy Ellis: Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz
John Ehrenburg: ‘Stuff and Nonsense’: The Writings of Helen Oakley in the Jazz Press, 1935-1936
Janette Lambert: Why Are You Singing That? Encounters With Gender Bias in the Lyrics of Jazz
John Gennari: A Cool Encounter: Stephanie Barber, John Lewis, and Music Inn Standards and Other Pitfalls of Being a Chick Singer
AJ Kluth: JAZZ IS DEAD – Long Live Jazz Session 10 15:30 – 17:0
17:00 – 17:30 COFFEE BREAK Attend online Mark Lomanno: On Inked Traces and Golden Repair: Comping More Sound Grammars for Jazz Scholarship
Maya Cunningham: Jazz Improvisation as African-American Male Gendered Code in Mid-Twentieth Century
Session 5 17:30 – 19:00 New York City – A Historical Study
ROUND TABLE: Encounters with Jazz in Brazil
Ron Levi & Ofer Gazit: Resonant Tensions: (Re)positioning African Jazz between Europe and America
Session 6 17:30 – 19:00 17:00 – 17:30 COFFEE BREAK Attend online
ROUND TABLE/BOOK TALK : Artistic Research in Jazz: Positions, Theories, Methods
Session 11 17:30 – 19:00
19:00 – 20:00 COFFEE BREAK Attend online
ROUND TABLE: Encountering Gender in Jazz
19:00 – 20:00 COFFEE BREAK Attend online
See pages 15 to 26 See pages 27 to 37
Click here to register via Eventbrite. Click here to register via Eventbrite.12 Day 3: Day 4: 13
Friday 25 June Saturday 26 June
Sessions/Time in Edinburgh (BST) Attend online Sessions/Time in Edinburgh (BST) Attend online
Session 12 12:00 – 13:30 Session 17 12:00 – 13:30
Stewart Smith: Things That Zap the Mind: Tom McGrath, the Third Eye Centre, and Avant-garde Pedro Cravinho & Brian Homer : Birmingham Jazz Perspectives: Encounters With a Local Jazz Community
Jazz in 1970s Glasgow Through Photography
Alex de Lacey: The Rye Lane Shuffle: Re-rendering Jazz Practice in London’s Displaced Diasporas Alan John Ainsworth: A Cultural Encounter: Bill Bernbach, Bert Sten, Louis Armstrong and Polaroid
Daniel Marx : ‘Something you do over there’: Jewish Musicians and the Mediation of Identity in Christian Glanz: The Imagery of ‘Jazz’ within Vienna’s Popular Culture during the 1920s in Popular Literature
Contemporary British Jazz and Musical Entertainment
Session 13 12:00 – 13:30 Session 18 12:00 – 13:30
Michael Kahr : Seeing Jazz Harmony: The Visual Documentation of Harmonic Structures in Jazz Philipp Schmickl: A Ground Breaking Encounter at the Chapelle des Lombards: Tracing and Documenting
the Impact of Personal Global Jazz-networks on a Festival Located at the Borders
Spillane & Jackson: ‘Nuages’: Different Takes on a Django Reinhardt Original
Michael Saunders: Goodbye Pork Pie Hat: Charles Mingus and Joni Mitchell’s Late Encounter
Adolfo Mendonca Slink: An Investigation of Lyle Mays’ Composition and Improvisation
Eric Petzoldt & Joshua Weitzel: ‘Jazz, Baseball, Boxing’: Jazz Encounters at Documenta IX
13:00 – 13:30 COFFEE BREAK Attend online
13:00 – 13:30 COFFEE BREAK Attend online
Session 14 15:30 – 17:00
Session 19 15:30 – 17:00
Christa Bruckner-Haring: Was ist Jazz? Jazz in Austrian Television and its Relation to Classical Music
Ken Prouty: Audience and Identity in Maynard Ferguson’s Science Fiction Theme Song Recordings
Kennedy & Wells: ‘ With Great Wit and Imagination’: Jazz Ballet no.1, Archaeo-choreology, and the
Ethics of Recreation Monica Herzig: Anyone Can Improvise: The ABCs of Arts Entrepreneurship – a Case Study
Andrew Hamilton: Jazz as Classical Music Philip Arneill: Entering the Inner Sanctum: Japanese Jazz Kissaten as Sacred Spaces
Session 15 15:30 – 17:00 Session 20 15:30 – 17:00
Laurisabel Maria de Ana da Silva: Marilda and her Orchestra: women’s work in the Jazes and Sean Mills & Eric Fillion: Swirling Notes: Lou Hooper’s Life in Jazz
Invisibility in Salvador in the 1950’s
Kira Dralle: Archival Silence in the Collections of Dietrich Schulz-Köhn
Jen Wilson: Blanche Finlay: The ‘Otherness’ of a Cultural Intervention in 1960s Britain
Chris Inglis: Electro Swing in Europe: Hopping the Atlantic to Become a Dance Music Phenomenon
Damian Evans: ‘Internationally-famous Lady Saxophonist’: Documenting the Life of Irish Musician
Josephine ‘Zandra’ Mitchell 17:00 – 17:30 COFFEE BREAK Attend online
17:00 – 17:30 COFFEE BREAK Attend online Session 21 17:30 – 19:00
Session 16 17:30 – 19:00 Margot Morgan: In Conversation: An Encounter with Dylan Thomas
K E Y N O T E : Nate Chinen Oliver Nelson Jr.: (Lecture/Recital) Oliver Nelson’s Small Group Compositions Arrangements and Improvisations
19:00 – 20:00 COFFEE BREAK Attend online CLOSI NG REMARK S
19:00 – 20:00 COFFEE BREAK Attend online
See pages 38 to 47 See pages 48 to 57
Click here to register via Eventbrite. Click here to register via Eventbrite.DAY 1
14 15
WED
23 JUNE16 Session 1 17
Panel Session
WEDNESDAY 23 JUNE Search, Surprise, and Serendipity A Living Archive: Jazz at the Third Eye JAZZ’ DAP: An Approach to Using AI to Open Q&A
SESSION1 in the Jazz Archive Enhance Discovery in the ‘ Long Tail’ of
Stewart Smith
12:00 – 13:30 Recorded Music in Jazz Archives
Session Chair: Marian Jago Documenting Independent Scholar
Jazz 2021 Conference Chair Gabriel Solis
University of Edinburgh University of Illinois
This pr oje c t is a Cr eative Scot land
Welcome: Rachel Hosker, Archives Manager Tillman Weyde
f unde d r es ide nc y at t he Ce nt r e f or
and Deputy Head of Special Collections City, University of London
Conte mporar y Ar t s Glas gow, de dicate d
University of Edinburgh
to es t ablis hing a f r e e -to -acces s digit al Pedro Cravinho
Jazz Archives Introductions and Updates, ar chive of jaz z and impr ov is e d mus ic at Birmingham City University
UK and Ireland it s pr ev ious incar nation, t he Thir d Eye
Adriana Cuervo
Ce nt r e , f r om 1975 to 1992 .
Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers, Newark
This s es s ion br ings toget he r t hos e This new archive aims to establish the Simon Dixon
e ngage d w it h docume nting, pr es e r v ing, Third Eye Centre as an important hub for Queen Mary University of London
and dis s e minating jaz z r es ear ch v ia community creativity in Scotland, and shed
Haftor Medbøe
t he ir involve me nt w it h jaz z ar chives . light on an overlooked part of Scotland’s
Edinburgh Napier University
The s es s ion welcomes by inv it ation cultural history. The project also takes a
all t hos e w it h an ac tive inte r es t in jaz z creative approach to the sharing of research
ar chives , and w ill include a s e r ies of by inviting contemporary Glasgow-based
New Dir e c tions in Digit al Jaz z Studies :
s hor t pr es e nt ations f ollowe d by ope n artists to create new works inspired by the
Mus ic Inf or mation Ret r ieval and AI
dis cus s ion/Q& A . archive. The aim is to create a living archive,
Suppor t f or Jaz z Scholar s hips in Digit al
highlighting the diversity of Glasgow’s music
Jaz z Ar chives , or, t he Jaz z in Digit al
scene and opening up a dialogue between
Ar chives Pr oje c t (JA ZZ’ DAP) br ings
past and present.
toget he r jaz z ar chiv is t s , mus icologis t s ,
and compute r s cie ntis t s in t he US and
UK to wor k on imple me nting digit al
humanities met hodologies to give
DAY 1
jaz z r es ear che r s new way s to f ind
r elations hips bet we e n jaz z r e cor dings
in large cor pus es held in ar chives .
With test cases from the Institute for Jazz
Studies at Rutgers, Newark, and the Scottish
Jazz Archive, this collaborative project
uses computational audio transcription
and melodic pattern comparison tools to
indicate potential relationships between
jazz recordings held in the archives. We see
this as a useful exploratory tool to help drive
archival discovery, particularly in the ‘long
tail’ of less-well-known audio such as in situ
recordings, radio broadcasts, alternate takes,
and rehearsal recordings held in archives but
not widely commercially distributed.18 Session 2 19
WEDNESDAY 23 JUNE Michele Corcella Matthias Heyman Tim Wall
SESSION2 Bologna Conservatory University of Antwerp Birmingham City University
12:00 – 13:30 Duke Ellington’s Scoring for Films How Do They Know Who Wins?: A question for the 1973 BBC Jazz Committee:
The Representation of Jazz Competitions ‘Does the BBC have a jazz policy?’ and if
in Whiplash so, is it satisfying the needs of the general
Des pite hav ing s cor e d onl y a f ew listening audience and the Jazzworld’?
s oundt rack s , t he f ilm mus ic compos e d
by Duk e Ellington is neve r t heles s Damie n Chazelle’s 2014 f ilm Whiplash
of cons ide rable inte r es t , es pe ciall y has r e ce ive d w ides pr ead cr itical This pape r ex plor es t he way s t hat
pe r haps in light of his ex pr es s e d ne e d acclaim, culminating in t he awar ding audie nces e ncounte r jaz z t hr ough
to compos e hav ing alway s in mind of t hr e e Acade my Awar ds . Howeve r, radio. Us ing as a jumping-off -point a
an image , a s tor y or an ex t ra-mus ical w it hin t he jaz z communit y, t he r es pons e De ce mbe r 1973 BBC r e por t , ‘A BBC Jaz z
s ubje c t . In t his pape r I anal y ze and has be e n rat he r luk ewar m, w it h prais e Polic y ?’, t his r es ear ch inves tigates bot h
compar e t hr e e s oundt rack s : Assault f or t he f ilm’s aes t hetics , but litt le how we can unde r s t and t he r ole of radio
on a Queen, Paris Blues and Anatomy appr e ciation f or t he r e pr es e nt ation in national jaz z cultur es in t he s e cond
of a Murder. of jaz z and it s prac titione r s . hal f of t he t we ntiet h ce ntur y, and how
we s hould r ead t he ar chive d docume nt s
In large part this paper is based upon Whiplash centres on the abusive of t hes e e ncounte r s .
copies of Ellington’s original manuscripts, relationship between student-drummer
augmented in places by personal Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller) and teacher- The report was submitted to the then BBC
transcription. The original scores are full of bandleader Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), Jazz Committee, specifically focused on the
annotations, which reveal to us some very as they both strive for musical perfection, BBC radio broadcasts of jazz programming in
important aspects of film production, the whatever the emotional and physical cost. the early 1970s; a period in which, it is often
link between Ellington and the directors While much attention has been devoted argued, jazz ‘lost its way and its audience’.
and, above all, the original intentions of the to the film’s (mis)representation of jazz In exploring our engagement with varied
composer: in some scenes, for example, pedagogy, I focus on the framing of jazz archived materials as researchers, and the
the music wasn’t edited following his ideas. competitions. Critical moments in the British post-war listener’s engagement
Going further, these manuscripts also exhibit protagonists’ relationship coincide with three with broadcast jazz that is illuminated by
some hidden aspects of the relationship fictional contests. Neiman wins the coveted these materials, we can start to address
DAY 1
between Duke and Billy Strayhorn, as seat of core drummer in the first competition, how we can understand the mediation of a
evidenced by some alterations made by only to lose it again in the second one, even mediation of a mediation. What emerges is
Ellington to Strayhorn’s arrangements. abandoning music altogether. The film’s an unstable sense of the British jazz listener,
Additionally, the paper will examine climax, where Neiman confronts Fletcher, the conflicted notion of jazz as a ‘problematic
Ellington’s compositional approaches, is not an actual contest but is presented music’ for BBC staff, and of the struggle
such as his matching a given member of as an audition of sorts before an industry- British musicians had to make their music
his orchestra with a particular character or connected audience. relevant for their listeners and for themselves.
a particular scene or mood, and likewise After sketching the history of collegiate It is during this time that jazz is seen by BBC
how Ellington focused in particular upon jazz competitions, I examine how Whiplash’s personnel as a specialist music that requires
expressing the feelings of the main female competitions compare to their non-filmic specialist programmes and presenters,
characters. Finally, we’ll consider the limits counterparts. I highlight particular aspects and yet struggles to find a home in the new
of Ellington’s scoring for movies such as gender and race, and consider these broadcast services established at this time.
and the potential reasons why the film in the real-life context of competitions such
industry did not call upon him to compose as Essentially Ellington (US) or Generations
further soundtracks. in Jazz (AU). Overall, I argue that the
representation of contests is more nuanced
than that of education; some elements
are rooted in reality, whereas others are
exaggerated or simplified for the narrative’s
sake. Nevertheless, the net result remains:
the audience’s understanding of jazz
pedagogy and competitions is equally flawed.20 Session 3 21
WEDNESDAY 23 JUNE Ricardo Enrique Alvarez Bulacio Pedro Cravinho Renan Ruiz
SESSION3 Music Institute of the Pontificia Universidad Birmingham City University Universidade Estadual Paulista
15:30 - 17:00 Católica de Valparaíso
Encounters With Jazz on Television in Cold Grupo Um and the Changes in Brazilian Jazz
Jazz on TV During the Chilean Dictatorship War Era Portugal (1954–1974) (1976–1984)
(1973–1989)
This pape r ex plor es t he e ncounte r s Gr upo Um (Gr oup One) (1976–198 4)
The prac tice of jaz z in Chile dates back w it h jaz z on telev is ion in Cold War Era was one of t he mos t ex pe r ime nt al and
to t he 1920s in t he multicultural por t of Por tugal (1954–1974). It anal y s es t he innovative bands in t he his tor y of jaz z
Valparaís o, w he r e tour is t s s pr ead jaz z r elations hip bet we e n jaz z and telev is ion in Brazil. It s dis cography is es s e ntial to
r e cor dings t hat s timulate d t he prac tice in t he t we ntiet h ce ntur y in one unde r s t and at leas t t hr e e as pe c t s of t he
and compos ition of or iginal r e pe r toir e par ticular count r y dur ing a pe r iod t rans f or mations unde rgone by jaz z in
by local mus icians , s t ar ting a cons t ant of pr of ound change . t he count r y dur ing t he lates t year s of t he
prac tice in Valparaís o and ot he r cities civ il-milit ar y dic t ator s hip (1964–1985).
develope d by amateur s and s ome By examining the cultural politics of
pr of es s ional mus icians s ince t he n. jazz on Portuguese public television (RTP) These aspects include changes in
under the corporatist far-right Estado Novo the social and aesthetic intelligibility of
The coup d’état of September 11, 1973 (New State) regime, it addresses ways and what could or could not be understood
put live music in risk due the application contexts in which jazz was encountered on as Brazilian jazz (in constant friction with
of the curfew and the censorship of the television during the Cold War Era Portugal. the idea of ‘Brazilian Instrumental Popular
Latin American repertoire associated with By locating jazz production within a critical Music’) as well as the reception of fusion
artists linked with the Socialist government cultural milieu like television, it looks to the jazz in Brazil as a central reference for
of Salvador Allende that was overthrown impact of these encounters have upon the making the compositions feasible without
by the military forces. However, jazz was identity, practice, and perception of jazz in compromising the ‘Brazilian impetus’ of
not considered ‘political music’ by the new one of the last European colonial states. the music. In addition, Grupo Um was also
authorities, which allowed it to have a By analyzing the musicians and a pioneer in career self-management in
prominent presence on the state channel repertoires, the production processes, the field of instrumental music, providing
Televisión Nacional de Chile on TV programs and the policies and strategies of the symbolic and practical subsidies (alongside
such as Tiempo de Swing (Swing Time) which time it explores connections between the Lira Paulistana label) to strengthen the
DAY 1
was broadcast on primetime until 1974 and RTP’s productions, both the national and so-called ‘independent’ musical production
made some jazz players, such as trumpeter international jazz scenes, other Western and the movement recognized as ‘ Vanguarda
Daniel Lencina, into media celebrities. The television corporations, and the US Paulista’ (São Paulo’s Vanguard). Grupo
aim of this paper is to analyze how Chilean Embassy in Lisbon and that country’s Um’s first studio album, entitled Marcha
jazz was developed during the military propaganda organization, the USIA sobre a cidade (March on the City) (1979)
dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973–1989) (United States Information Agency). started a new moment for jazz in São Paulo,
based on performance recordings on TV Source material includes those archival anticipating a series of new bands (Divina
at the time, press archives, interviews with records of television programmes, official Increnca, Pé Ante Pé, Pau Brasil, Metalurgia,
jazz musicians active in the country at that institutional documentation, press archives, Medusa, among others) with sonorities based
time and existing research. The presentation complemented by interviews with key figures on the combination of instrumental music,
seeks to explain the reasons for the apparent in television jazz production. It highlights the jazz fusion, and Brazilian popular music.
non-existing relationship between jazz and Portuguese television jazz programming, and By articulating such characteristics, the
politics during the most turbulent years in the TV JAZZ series in particular, by exposing trajectory of Grupo Um can be understood
the country’s history. the way jazz was used as subversive as an index of the changes undergone
opposition to dominant colonial ideology. by Brazilian jazz in São Paulo precisely
Finally, this paper addresses opportunities for at the moment of ‘political opening’ of
a comparison of the Portuguese experience the totalitarian civil-military government
with that of other countries, situating Cold (1964–1985).
War-era television jazz broadcasting as part
of a bigger, still unwritten story.22 Session 4 23
WEDNESDAY 23 JUNE John Ehrenburg John Gennari AJ Kluth
SESSION4 RIPM Jazz University of Vermont Case Western Reserve University
15:30 – 17:00 ‘Stuff and Nonsense’: The Writings of Helen A Cool Encounter: Stephanie Barber, JAZZ IS DEAD—Long Live Jazz
Oakley in the Jazz Press, 1935–1936 John Lewis, and Music Inn
A f ew year s back , pos te r s e mblazone d
Hele n M. Oak ley Dance (1913–2001), In a late 1950s photograph, Ste phanie w it h ‘JA ZZ IS DEAD’ s t ar te d appear ing
né e Oak ley, is r e me mbe r e d today as a Bar be r, pr opr iet r es s of t he Mus ic Inn in ar ound Los Angeles . No f ur t he r
pione e r ing jaz z f igur e f or he r long and Le nox , Mas s achus ett s , cas uall y chat s comme nt or contex t was off e r e d;
cons e que ntial car e e r as a pr oduce r, w it h John Lew is , compos e r and pianis t jus t w hite block lette r s on black pape r.
wr ite r, and pr omote r ; f or advancing civ il of t he Mode r n Jaz z Quar tet and ar tis tic Was t his s t ate me nt ear nes t ? Ir onic?
r ight s caus es ; and f or be ing one of t he dir e c tor of t he Le nox School of Jaz z . Relate d to a brand or ad campaign?
f ew r e cognize d, w hite f e male voices
w it hin t he his tor y of jaz z jour nalis m. The photo, by Clemens Kalischer, is not Yes. JAZZ IS DEAD turns out to be a
one of special artistic distinction; it appears concert series and influencer brand in Los
Yet despite these achievements, there to be a routine, unremarkable image meant Angeles that deploys a discursive move
remains, as American jazz writer and to record a passing moment. But there is asserting the death of jazz, or at least the
critic Nate Chinen has noted, a ‘shroud nothing routine about the social implications term’s problematization, while simultaneously
of obscurity’ surrounding Oakley’s early of what Kalischer captured, or the complex being a proponent of the many ways ‘jazz’
contributions as a jazz critic. Writings by histories deeply embedded within the image. presently manifests. In doing so it figures jazz
women such as Oakley constitute a small Unpacking what lies behind this photograph, as a non-essentialized intermusical archive
but invaluable body of jazz criticism still and digging into the cultural discourses of practices, attitudes, and histories of taste
largely unexplored. surrounding it, helps us understand the that echo their communities of production.
This paper situates Helen Oakley’s fascinating social dynamics of Lenox’s jazz More importantly, it moves strangers with
presence as both the subject of, and a scene and the power of photography as a varied backgrounds and values to meet in
contributor to, the burgeoning popular form of jazz documentation. a room and dance. My paper presents this
American jazz press of the mid-1930s. It My paper will read this encounter between phenomenon as one trading on the idea that
explores how Oakley garnered the status Lewis, Barber, and Kalischer as a challenge jazz is not monolithic, but rather a negotiation
of the ‘Foremost Woman Swing Authority’ to long-standing social hierarchies—a black located in an intermusical constellation—
DAY 1
working in a field dominated by patriarchal man and a white woman figured in a Jewish manifest materially in a complex socially-
attitudes. In her writings and criticisms— émigré photographer’s image as professional and historically-situated urban space.
spotlighted in the journals Melody News, collaborators in the time of Jim Crow and By programming small-group jazz, funk,
Tempo, Metronome, and, in particular, Emmet Till. In particular, I’ll consider how samba, hip-hop, experimental beat music,
DownBeat—Oakley expresses not only the image underscores the importance of etc., JAZZ IS DEAD is by accident or design
a critical awareness of her subjects, but what Nichole Rustin-Paschale calls ‘female engaged in the sonic and spatialized curation
also a critical self-awareness of her gender. jazzmen’, figures like Barber, Chan Parker, of a community that models those musical
Sue Mingus, Maxine Gordon, and Pannonica interspaces—mixing audiences of varied
de Koenigswarter who, in their roles histories of taste, races, and socioeconomic
as partners, managers, patrons, and backgrounds often separated by those
impresarios, found the primarily masculine very differences. JAZZ IS DEAD is, then,
space of jazz conducive to their own quest for a vivifying, symbolically rich space that
authority, expertise, and freedom as women. transcends genre from which we can
In playing with this idea, I’ll draw on Joel uniquely consider music’s relationship
Dinerstein’s work to contextualize Stephanie to issues of popular culture, memory,
Barber and these other better-known figures representation, and resistance.
as cool jazz women.24 Session 5 25
Panel Discussion
WEDNESDAY 23 JUNE Encounters with Jazz in Brazil The Word ‘Jazz’ in the Brazilian Press Jazes in Salvador During the 1950s:
SESSION5 in the 1920s A Gendered Perspective
Chair: Pedro Cravinho
17:30 – 19:00 Birmingham City University, UK Marília Giller will conduct a brief analysis Still in the Brazilian Northeast during
of the emergence of the word jazz in Brazil the 1950s, Laurisabel Silva will reflect on
Panelists: Marília Giller
centred on a myth constructed around how the musical practices involving the
Universidade Federal do Paraná)
a character called ‘Jazzbo Brown’, and ‘jazes’ bands in Salvador (the capital of
Nicolau Clarindo will consider how the appropriation and the state Bahia) lend themselves to a
Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina diffusion of this myth by the Brazilian press gendered analysis of the prevalent socio-
contributed to the construction of the idea cultural climate.
Thiago Santiago
about Jazz in Paraná during the 1920s.
Universidade Federal do Paraná
Antônio Carlos Araújo Experimentalism and Dictatorship:
Universidade Federal do Maranhão Jazz Bands in Southern Brazil: Paraná, Jazz in Brazil During the 1970s and 1980s
Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul
Laurisabel Silva Renan Ruiz will make brief considerations
Universidade Federal da Bahia Nicolau Clarindo will discuss early jazz about the substantial changes in the notion
bands during the 1920s in the three states of of Brazilian jazz during the 1970s and 1980s,
Renan Ruiz
the Southern region of Brazil: Paraná, Santa which saw in these decades a move away
Universidade Estadual Paulista
Catarina, and the Rio Grande do Sul. from the legacy left by bossa nova and
samba jazz tied to the social and cultural
transformations during the authoritarian
This panel dis cus s ion inte nds to
Jazz in North Brazil: Belém do Pará During civil-military regime (1965–1985).
ex pand t he conve r s ation ar ound
the Jazz Band Age (1922–1940)
‘Jaz z in Brazil’ by s har ing ongoing
r es ear ch f ocus ing on dive r s e Thiago Santiago brings to the discussion
chr onological pe r iods and ge ographical the presence of jazz in Northern Brazil
r e gions . Dr. Pe dr o Crav inho w ill chair between 1922 and 1940. This presentation
t he s es s ion, and w ill br ie f l y addr es s will highlight the emergence of jazz in Belém
t he s igni f icant cont r ibution of t he do Pará, including groups, instrumentation
Brazilian Jaz z Studies Gr oup GEJA ZZBR. and repertoires, as well as the public spaces
DAY 1
This int r oduc tion w ill be f ollowe d by where this music was performed.
a s e r ies of s hor t r es ear ch s t ate me nt s
and an ope n Q& A/dis cus s ion.
From Congo Square to São Luís: The First
Evidences of Jazz in Maranhão (1924–1965)
The trail of Brazilian jazz-bands also
includes the Northeast of the country, and
Antonio Carlos Araújo will analyse the
emergence of jazz in this area, focusing on
the State of Maranhão. Consideration will
be paid to its unique connections with the
Brazilian capital at the time, as well as with
Europe and via American radio broadcasts
this region which prompted a boom in local
jazz-bands from the mid-1920s onwards.26 Session 6 27
Roundtable Discussion & Book Presentation
WEDNESDAY 23 JUNE Artistic Research in Jazz: Positions, The International Network for Artistic
SESSION6 Theories, Methods Research in Jazz was established in 2019 in
17:30 – 19:00 reaction to the increasing relevance of artistic
Convenor: Michael Kahr
perspectives in the academic discourses in
JMLU/KUG
jazz research. It aims establish a formalized
Panelists: Andrew Bain network of artistic researchers in jazz, open
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire dialogue on the state of artistic research in
jazz internationally and increase visibility of
Mike Fletcher
artistic research in jazz as an independent
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
sub-discipline. The network has organized
Petter Frost-Fadnes two conferences (2019 and 2021) and its
University of Stavanger member have delivered individual papers
and participated in various panel discussions
Monika Herzig
on artistic research in jazz (e.g. Weimar Jazz
Indiana University
Research Conference 2018, Rhythm Changes
Conference Graz 2018, JEN Conference
Louisville 2021).
This panel dis cus s ion aims to s he d light
Artistic Research (AR) is situated at the
on t he multiplicit y of pos itions , t he or ies
interface between scientific and artistic
and met hods in ar tis tic r es ear ch bas e d
knowledge. It encompasses various research
on and/or involv ing ar tis tic k now le dge
perspectives such as research on, for and
and ex pe r ie nce in jaz z . In cons ide ration
in the arts (Frayling 1993). It is based on
of t he incr eas ing s pe cialization of
a dynamic relationship between scientific
acade mic dis cour s e and t he pote ntial
and artistic roles and positions; artistic
alie nation bet we e n prac titione r s ,
researchers question the separation between
t he or is t s and t he ge ne ral public ,
research object and subject, embark on
t he dis cus s ion s t r es s es t he pote ntial
questions and problems derived from
to r e -me rge t he ofte n dive rge nt
within the artistic practice and re-integrate
pe r s pe c tives of prac tice and t he or y in
research results in new, often experimental
mus ic in ge ne ral and jaz z in par ticular.
DAY 1
forms of practice (Dogantan-Dack 2016).
The panel br ings toget he r a dive r s e
Nevertheless, AR often appears in close
range of ar tis t -r es ear che r s conne c te d
interrelation with a range of scientific
to t he Inte r national Net wor k f or Ar tis tic
methods, such as laboratory settings and
DAY 2
Res ear ch in Jaz z .
experiment design, applied phenomenology,
music analysis and historical research
(Assis 2018). Artistic research has begun
to be supported as an academic discipline
particularly at European universities but is
often explicitly and implicitly evident in works
of jazz artists as well as researchers across
THUR
the globe. Concepts related to AR have been
adopted, adapted and complemented over
the past two decades in Europe, UK, Australia
and South Africa, with the aim to highlight
the relevance of arts-based knowledge
within academic jazz research. The panel
24 JUNE
discussion will include a presentation of the
multi-authored volume Artistic Research in
Jazz Positions, Theories, Methods (Routledge
2021) (10 minutes).28 Session 7 29
THURSDAY 24 JUNE Matthew Jacobson The main part of the paper features Pauline Black Una MacGlone
SESSION7 Dublin City University analyses of two non-standard performances University of Aberdeen Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
12:00 – 13:30 of jazz standards. One featuring Thelonius
Frank Lyons Imagine if There Was No Fear of Failure? Guro Gravem Johansen
Monk’s composition ‘Boo Boo’s Birthday’
Ulster University Encounters With Jazz and Improvisation Norwegian Academy of Music
by piano and drum duo Sanders/Jacobson
in UK Secondary Schools
Brian Bridges and the other, Arthur Altman’s piece ‘All Approaches to Teaching Improvisation
Ulster University or Nothing At All’ by guitar trio Fireplace in European Higher Music Education
Dragon. Given the open-ended intention of
Non-standard Standards: Using Jazz This pape r is drawn f r om a PhD in
the performances—and their presence in
Standards as Vehicles for Non-structured pr ogr es s s tudy ing t he ide ntities and
the context of non-structured improvisations In mus ic e ducation contex t s ,
Improvisations live d ex pe r ie nce of e ducator s and t he
using motivic compositions—there were impr ov is ation is cur r e nt l y a rapidl y
young pe ople t hey wor k w it h.
expectations that traditional harmonic evolv ing f ield acr os s mus ical ge nr es .
forms would not be adhered to. However, In Highe r Mus ic Education (HME),
This pape r was or iginall y f or me d ‘If it wasn’t for the jazz band we wouldn’t
in practice, departure from structure was impr ov is ation has t raditionall y be e n
as par t of a large r prac tice -bas e d know anything about music’... ’we just learn
limited. The paper will also compare these t aught as par t of Wes te r n jaz z cur r icula.
r es ear ch pr oje c t on non-s t r uc tur e d stuff to pass the exam’ ... ‘stress, assessments,
performances to some of the limited number
impr ov is ations us ing motiv ic pressure’ (conversations with young people).
of practical examples of such an approach in It is increasingly introduced as part
compos itions . One cate gor y of
the current practice including Ellery Eskelin of Western classical music and in cross-
inves tigation was t he us e of jaz z Studies show that in the secondary school
(2011; 2013) and Anthony Braxton (2010; 2014). genre courses. The underlying purposes
s t andar ds as vehicles f or non- music curriculum there is generally a focus
when teaching improvisation may vary
s t r uc tur e d impr ov is ations , w hich on technical development, musical skills
from developing and testing musical skills,
t his pape r w ill f ocus on. and reproduction, rather than the more
to fostering creativity and a socio-musical
creative activities such as improvisation and
aptitude. A number of improvisational
The paper will consider relevant literature composition. There are resultant tensions
teaching concepts are emerging, however, as
in a variety of fields including musicology, between the performativity and creativity
with jazz pedagogy, debates on improvisation
cognitive psychology, and sociocultural agendas found in schools and issues of
pedagogy seem to be tension-loaded,
theory; and will make use of a brief teacher agency, freedom and control are
perhaps stemming from socio-historical
discussion of the hybridised mixed-method prominent. This paper will discuss an online
battles of power, status and artistic identity.
methodologies used by the study, including survey examining attitudes, beliefs and
Issues such as decision making over teaching
descriptive and transcriptive analysis, fully experiences of educators (n = 170) with
DAY 2
content, whether it draws on jazz, classical
adapted Schenkerian analysis, graphs regard to jazz and improvisation in UK
or free improvisational artistic practices,
representing comparative levels of elaboration secondary schools. The data shows that
highlight hegemonic hierarchies and the
and a semi-structured qualitative interview there are marked differences between males
tradition versus liberation contradiction. In
series with performers of non-structured and females, as well as Instrumental and
the context of HME, there are scarce to no
improvisations. Classroom Teachers, concerning confidence,
research studies exploring such issues and
anxiety, amount and type of activity.
the musical backgrounds which inform the
Implications for professional learning
many different practices in Europe.
needs, gender issues, pushing boundaries
A new study addresses this gap in
and the climate for learning will be discussed.
current research by utilising surveys and
Improvisation as a distinct way of being in
interviews, with the purpose of investigating
the world, embodying qualities such as risk-
micro-practices within the teaching of free
taking and spontaneity in order to develop
improvisation in European HME institutions.
the generative skills, resilience and creative
Research questions were: What conceptual
disposition to come to know music well will
tools do teachers in free improvisation
be discussed. Thinking about whose norms
use HME institutions in Europe, and how
might be privileged, whilst being mindful
may these relate do different cultural and
of the power relations that condition social
genre-related educational values? Results
relations within our environments will be
provide insight into both the institutional
considered.
and personal educational aims which inform
approaches to teaching improvisation and
map contradictions and complexities of this
new and evolving area of pedagogy.30 Session 8 31
THURSDAY 24 JUNE Rebecca Zola Tom Sykes Friederike Bartel
SESSION8 Hebrew University Liverpool Hope University Independent Scholar
12:00–13:30 Women in Jazz: A Failed Brand ‘Can I play in the big band?’ Jazz: In-between Community and
Encountering Jazz at University Competition
‘ Wome n in jaz z ’ is a ne olibe ral f e minis t
brand t hat f unc tions s ucces s f ull y f or Cr itical dis cus s ions of s y s te matic This pape r s e ek s to ex amine t he
f ew s ucces s f ul indiv iduals . This brand jaz z e ducation have be e n pr evale nt in s imult ane it y of communit y and
be ne f it s pr of ite e r ing organizations jaz z s tudies f or s ome time — s e e , f or competition in t he jaz z s ce nes of
w it hin t he jaz z s ce ne , w hile maint aining ex ample , Why ton (2006), Pr out y (2012) Eur ope , and draws upon my live d
a pat r iar chal hie rar chy in t he and Wil f (2014). This t y pe of inte ns ive ex pe r ie nce of t he jaz z s ce nes in
communit y. s tudy, t aught largel y in cons e r vatoir es We imar, London and Le ipzig.
and pe r f or mance -bas e d unive r s it y
It does so by continuing to frame women mus ic de par t me nt s , is aime d at and In particular, this paper asks the question
as the exception, and in this case forcing mar k ete d towar ds s tude nt s w it h an ‘how do experiences of community and
them to become individual entrepreneurs ex is ting inte r es t in jaz z . competition influence and shape the scenes?’,
in order to succeed in a scene that is built and considers the simultaneity of community
to exclude them. This argument will be There are, however, students following and competition, of support and envy, within
fleshed out first by examining the history of classical and popular music programmes these scenes.
neoliberalism since the second half of the that discover or develop an interest in As a theoretical basis I use the sociological
20th century in the United States. This will jazz while at university. At a time when analysis of communities and the jazz
contextualize how neoliberalism has become professional musicians need to be more community in particular ‘A Theory of the Jazz
inseparable from every facet of both public versatile than ever, coupled with digital Community’ by Robert A. Stebbins (London
and private sectors and social movements, access to a huge range of recorded music, 1968), as well as the work of Marc Huygens
including in the arts, and in the feminist student encounters with jazz should not (Rotterdam 1999) and a German abstract on
movement. be overlooked. virtuosity in jazz ‘ Varianten von Virtuosität.
Two case studies substantiate this For this paper I will investigate ways in Innovationen des Jazzavantgardisten Anthony
argument: the first will examine Jazz at which undergraduate students studying Braxton’ by Timon Hoyer (Bielefeld 2017).
Lincoln Center (J@LC), and their previously music in programmes that are non-jazz These studies point out two different sides of
DAY 2
annual Diet Coke Women in Jazz Festival, specific encounter jazz while at university. competition – competition for achievements,
addressing previous scholarship on J@LC’s Using case studies from my own institution popularity and opportunities to be part
ties to neoliberalism (Laver), and on gender I intend to gain some insight into the of the music industry on the one side and
at J@LC (Teal, Pellegrinelli, McMullen). The pedagogical, social and institutional factors competition for being one of the best players,
second case study will conduct remote field that give rise to such encounters. By gaining comparable to competitive sports. My aim
research on The New York City Winter Jazz an interest in jazz, how are these students’ is to discuss how this ambivalence can
Fest (WJF) and their programming for gender, preconceptions or attitudes towards be fruitful and hindering at the same time,
jazz and social justice. Each of the case the music changed? Could there be an whether this is specific to the jazz music
studies will reveal their ties to neoliberalism institutional benefit in providing contexts in scene, and whether or not links might be
and neoliberal feminism, and therefore which students may encounter jazz? With made with the increasing professionalization
how ‘women in jazz’ as brand fails to create reference to post-Bourdieusian theoretical and institutionalization of jazz over the
productive (feminist) change for gender frameworks such as Richard A. Peterson’s last decades? Is community with highly
equity in the genre. cultural omnivore theory and subsequent experienced competition possible? What
debates, I hope to find out what the discovery is the influence of the music industry on
of jazz means to the non-jazz major. competition within jazz communities?32 Session 9 33
THURSDAY 24 JUNE Guro Gravem Johansen Joy Ellis Jeannette Lambert
SESSION9 Norwegian Academy of Music Independent Scholar Independent Scholar
15:30 – 17:00 ‘Playing jazz is what she does!’: How Creating Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz Why Are You Singing That? Encounters with
a Micro-community of Children Builds Gender Bias in the Lyrics of Jazz Standards
Female Identification with Jazz Performance and Other Pitfalls of Being a Chick Singer.
An ex ploration of t he wor k of
pr of es s ional f e male jaz z mus icians
Jaz z has be e n calle d a he ge monic acr os s t hr e e de cades of radio Draw ing on notes f r om my pe r s onal
mas culine s pace , and des pite a r elative br oadcas t s . jour nal as a jaz z s inge r w ho be gan
incr eas e in ge nde r e qualit y in ot he r pe r f or ming publicl y as a child, I w ill
cultural f ields , changes w it hin t he Hosted by British-born jazz pianist Marian des cr ibe my e ncounte r s w it h t he
jaz z communit y s e e m to be s low. McPartland, and first airing in 1978, Piano Jazz Gr eat Ame r ican Song Book , t he vas t
was the longest running show on America’s r e pe r toir e k nown as jaz z s t andar ds .
A common explanation is that when National Public Radio (NPR). The hour-long I was told to lear n as many of t hes e
students enter higher jazz education, males, weekly broadcast gave prominence to the s ongs as pos s ible ear l y on as it
and especially instrumentalists, are already in work of emerging and established jazz artists, was cons ide r e d v it al to one’s jaz z
clear majority. Thus, the question arise: how both male and female. Featured guests would cr e de ntials .
does the jazz community recruit and keep discuss and perform their music, often in
females from a younger age? duet alongside McPartland. Through her If called upon in a jazz club or jam session,
As part of a bigger ethnographic study, warm personality, relaxed interview style I was expected to stand up and sing any of
this paper presents the gender policy of the and intricate knowledge of working in jazz, these from memory at any given moment.
Norwegian learning practice Improbasen, Marian offered an accessible insight into I will give examples of lyrics that raised red
where children are taught jazz improvisation. the lives and careers of some of the world’s flags for me and how I went about filtering
Improbasen is widely acclaimed for its high finest jazz musicians for music connoisseurs my choices. Also, the consequences of those
levels among even young children, and its and casual radio listeners alike. Over the choices, such as being fired after pretending
international interaction with jazz playing course of roughly three decades, the 700+ I didn’t know one of them. Does encountering
children from all over the world. broadcasts featured a variety of celebrated gender bias in this repertoire discourage
In many ways, its gender strategies are musicians such as the programme’s first ever women from pursuing jazz music? Also,
unconventional compared to common tuition guest, Mary Lou Williams, as well as Chick how often do we stop to consider who
DAY 2
for children or jazz education. Girls are Corea, Shirley Horn, Bill Evans, and Sarah wrote a song and in what context? I will
always in majority, and pupils are normally Vaughan to name but a few. McPartland was describe the steps I took to sidestep the
assigned non-stereotypical instruments from a passionate educator, often interviewing restrictions placed on me and the places
the teacher. Pupils are seldom introduced pedagogically when questioning guests where I found inspiration. Hopefully sharing
to historical jazz masters, but think of jazz on their approach to music and was an this path will provide inspiration for other
performance as natural for children to do ardent advocate for women in jazz. Utilising women looking for solutions to the sexism
with their peers. interviews, transcripts and the radio inherent in the jazz community and also
In the presentation, I discuss the success broadcasts themselves, this paper will give others ideas for how to become freely
of Improbasen’s gender policy in the light seek to explore McPartland’s encounters expressive in their music.
of concepts such as tokenism, stereotype with some of the women she interviewed
threat, empowering through mastery, and on her show, including Blossom Dearie,
identification. Finally, I discuss the impact Eliane Elias, Renee Rosnes, Geri Allen and
on young girls’ and boys’ possibilities for more. The presentation will highlight the
building self-efficacy if they are socialised women’s experiences of working in jazz and
to experience jazz as a thing among peers, the ways in which the industry advanced
as opposed to socialisation in an adult, during the years of the broadcasts in regards
monolithic culture of admiration of the to gender equality.
‘great masters’. Or ‘the need to admire
Parker, Garbarek, and God’, to paraphrase
Improbasen’s founder Odd André Elveland.34 Session 10 35
THURSDAY 24 JUNE Mark Lomanno Maya Cunningham Ron Levi
SESSION10 Albright College University of Massachusetts, Amherst Tel-Aviv University
15:30 – 17:00 On Inked Traces and Golden Repair: Jazz Improvisation as African-American Male Ofer Gazit
Comping More Sound Grammars for Gendered Code In Mid-Twentieth Century Tel-Aviv University
Jazz Scholarship New York City: A Historical Study
Resonant Tensions: (Re)positioning African
Jazz Between Europe and America
On his 2017 album Work Songs This s tudy is an Af r icanis t , ge nde r e d
dr umme r Jaime o Br own exe mpli f ies r eading of t he jaz z t radition t hat
Re ce nt jaz z s cholar s hip has de dicate d
t he ‘ r oot wor k ’ of Af r o -Dias por ic cr itical ex plor es t he Af r ican f unc tionalit y of
much atte ntion to cor e/dias pora
cr eative prac tice by incor porating t he mus ic .
r elations hips in t he contex t of jaz z
ar chival and et hnographic r es ear ch on
as a global cultural ac t .
t raditional Af r ican Ame r ican cultur e into This paper seeks to reclaim the music as
his te chnology-r ich pe r f or mances . an African-American creation from cultural
Scholars such as David Ake (2004), Kristin
appropriation efforts that deem it ‘America’s
McGee (2019) and others have framed the
Brown draws on hip hop’s sampling classical music’ by examining an unseen
music of European jazz musicians as a
aesthetics to reimagine African American aspect of its Africanity: the language of
local derivation of an African-American art
musical communities and collapses the space- jazz improvisation as Black male gendered
form, and African-Americans in Europe as
time that separates him from his imagined code. Using the cultural theories of Turino
the authentic bearers of this tradition. On
collaborators. In an attempt to connect these (2008) and Matsue (2016), I argue that
the other hand, Robin Kelley (2012), Ingrid
communities’ historical struggles with similarly African-American male jazz musicians in
Monson (2007) and Steven Feld (2012) have
marginalized populations around the world, mid-twentieth century New York City formed
described African and African-American
Brown inserts the track ‘Safflower’—featuring a gendered cultural cohort that parallels
collaborations as revolving almost entirely
a sampled Japanese folk song sung by female the West African Mandé djali artisan class,
around a sense of pan-African affinity
dye-workers—into the middle of the album. through which they created the language
between musicians of Afro-diasporic
On first listen, though, the emancipatory of bebop. In Mandé cultures djalis are a
descent. The dynamics between African and
appeal of this Afrofuturist aesthetic politics hereditary class of musicians who keep
African-American musicians on questions
that so effectively overwrites difference may lineage and community histories. Through
of nationality, universality and authenticity
suggest an all-too-facile transcendence the lens of Carr’s ‘way of being’ theory
DAY 2
in jazz, however, have remained largely
that fails to account for the fundamentally concerning Black American Africanity,
unexplored.
‘untranslatable’ aspects of everyday life and I argue that African-American musicians
In this paper, we examine the relationships
cultural identities. formed a similar class, which is evident in
between African jazz musicians and their
In response to Work Songs and Brown’s the collaborative relationships, instrumental
African-American counterparts in order to
integrated approach to research and lineages, and private jam and practice
show their complex positioning vis a vis the
performance, this presentation espouses sessions reported by Black be-bop/hard-
‘Americanness’ of jazz. Through analysis
‘comping’ as a performance practice that bop architects like Dizzy Gillespie, Max
of the complex role of ‘America’ in shaping
can aid researchers in thoughtfully attending Roach and Freddie Hubbard. Building on
the transnational artistic identity of Mulatu
to their interlocutors and the inherent studies in Africanist/African-Americanist
Astatke (Ethiopia), Hugh Masekela and
‘untranslatability’ that characterizes written ethnomusicology (Nketia, 2005, Coleman,
Johnny Dyani (South Africa), we argue
scholarship on sonic phenomena. Whereas 2013 Maultsby, 2015 and Monson, 2017),
that while African musicians share similar
Brown compares his sampling to traditional gendered music traditions (Koskoff,
positions regarding nationality, universality,
quilting practices, I suggest the Japanese 2000), anthropology (Bourdieu, 1977)
and authenticity in jazz with their European
pottery art of kintsugi (‘golden repair’) as an and ethnolinguistics (Smitherman 2006),
counterparts, their musical reflections of
equally evocative metaphor for scholarship this paper examines jazz musician’s archival
these positions are markedly different.
that must fuse together disparate musical papers, oral histories, Black autobiographies,
Framing musical, social and political
cultures like those invoked in Work Songs. and ethnographic interviews with jazz
‘tensions’ as generative and positive forces in
Along with works on sonic Afromodernity, masters, to assert that African-American
jazz, we suggest that the musics of Astatke,
I invoke Nakamura’s research on Japanese male bebop musicians in mid-twentieth
Masekela and Dyani offer new ways of using
calligraphy as another model for jazz studies century New York City formed a cultural
tension to foreground the importance of
that creates breaks for the embodied cohort that resulted in a gendered, Black
popular and folk musics in jazz.
processes and particularities of scholarship male improvisational language based in
that are too often polished off its final gendered musical roles that are ubiquitous
products. in African-American culture.You can also read
