Interaction as Freedom, Tradition, and Mentorship: a performer-centred investigation into interaction in jazz performance

Banks, Daniel

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is twofold: to construct a performer-centred autoethnographic methodology and to re-examine interaction in jazz performance utilising this methodology to recast interaction and position it as a means by which an ensemble's social aesthetic ideal is expressed. The ever-expanding body of scholarly work investigating interaction in jazz performance is filled with varied approaches but features little from the field of artistic research; thus, there is a clear need for a performer-centred perspective.
The questions posed by this thesis adopt distinct theoretically-based approaches. Firstly, I utilise the growing literature in Artistic Research to construct a performer-centred autoethnographic methodology. Secondly, the performer- centred perspective is deployed to re-examine interaction through reflexive writing drawn from the accompanying performance portfolio. Thirdly, both the reflexive writing and recast description of interaction is used as a touchstone to explore the role of freedom, tradition, and mentorship as social aesthetic ideals which inform and shepherd interaction in jazz performance.
Throughout this thesis, I demonstrate that the performer-centred perspective is highly beneficial for examining interaction and use this to develop a comprehensive body of theory. Resultantly, this thesis illustrates that an ensemble's collectively created and construed conception of the principles that inform their sonic landscape—their social aesthetic ideal—profoundly influences their inter- actions during performance. The significance of this thesis lies in its incorporation of the performer's voice into the discourse on interaction and the introduction of the concept of framing interaction as an expression of a social aesthetic ideal to the burgeoning literature on interaction in jazz performance.

Citation

Banks, D. Interaction as Freedom, Tradition, and Mentorship: a performer-centred investigation into interaction in jazz performance. (Thesis). University of Hull. https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4565247

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Feb 27, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 12, 2024
• Keywords: Music
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4565247
• Award Date: Dec 11, 2023