Please join us for

Michael Allemana

PhD student in Ethnomusicology

Ethnomusicology of Jazz: the Tensions and Connections Between Performance and Scholarship

Logan 802

Monday, April 17, 4:30-6pm

Abstract:
Although the study of jazz has been part of ethnomusicology since the 1940s, it wasn’t until Paul Berliner published his study (1994) of jazz musicians’ performance practices that studies of jazz took a more active role in the discipline (Solis 2014). This work inspired some new directions such as the ethnographic study of interaction in jazz performance (Monson 1996), and ethnography of a local jazz scene (Jackson 2012). These studies follow the ethnomusicological model of spending long periods of time conducting fieldwork by observing and interviewing musicians and others to understand the musical and social processes of music making. As a training ethnomusicologist who has also been an active jazz guitarist in Chicago since the 1990s, I have found these and several other studies productive for the development of my ethnographic jazz research and speak to my performing experiences. Other studies, though, I have found problematic. For this presentation, I will consider examples of ethnographic studies of jazz in relation to the broader discipline, comparing jazz examples with other ethnomusicological examples. What sorts of ethnographic methods do jazz ethnomusicologists use? How do musical practices from the perspective of the musicians as well as live performance figure into these studies?  In what ways do they present their findings? To what extent are they in dialogue with other ethnomusicological studies? I will argue that the differences that appear from this comparison show that some ethnomusicological studies of jazz performance are themselves a type of performance that serve particular musical agendas. With examples from my fieldwork, I will suggest ways to move forward with jazz ethnomusicology

Bio:
Michael Allemana is a Ph.D. student in Ethnomusicology at the University of Chicago and a professional jazz guitarist. His research focuses on the oral histories of elder African American musicians and other individuals who participate in the jazz scene on the South Side of Chicago. His interests include participant relations to urban space and the experiential aspects of live performance. Since the mid-1990s he has been an active musician in Chicago, a career that includes a fifteen-year run in the quartet of the late Chicago saxophonist Von Freeman. Currently, he performs with Freeman’s younger brother, ninety-year-old guitarist George Freeman, in a quartet that features drumming legend Bernard Purdie. Michael is also a volunteer member of the Chicago Jazz Festival Planning Committee in the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events..

Light refreshments will be served.

(Please note: There is no pre-circulated paper for this session)

Persons needing accommodations to participate fully should contact the coordinator at sharvarisastry@uchicago.edu