Letter from the Editor

Abstract

Surveying the pages of past issues of Jazz Perspectives provides a very instructive portrait of the nature of jazz studies. In this first issue of our 10th volume, we present four original articles which speak to the broad and diverse stylistic identities of jazz, and to the vastly different approaches that are employed in its study. Since its inception a decade ago, Jazz Perspectives has consistently attempted to reflect a fundamentally interdisciplinary approach to the study of jazz. This is natural, of course, given the variety of approaches to jazz itself during its now century-long history. Whether through musical analysis, biographical study, cultural criticism, or the employment of allied fields in the humanities and social sciences, there is hardly an aspect of jazz that has gone unexamined in this journal. And yet, jazz scholars continue to find new perspectives, and to find fresh ways of engaging with this music. As jazz moves into its second “official” century, jazz scholarship moves with it. Jazz Perspectives is, as always, proud to be part of this endeavor. To begin this issue, Sean Sonderegger contributes an article which focuses on the work of composer and percussionist Adam Rudolph. Sonderegger focuses on Rudolph’s Go: Organic Orchestra, and in particular, on Rudolph’s “conducted improvisation,” a performative space in which composition, improvisation, and conducting overlap. As both a scholar and a collaborator with Rudolph, Sonderegger is uniquely positioned to provide us with a thorough, penetrating, and personal perspective. Following this, Norman Meehan’s analytical study of Wayne Shorter’s creative process juxtaposes his “quest for newness” against his use of existing ideas from across the saxophonist’s career. Meehan’s study illustrates that Shorter has been, and remains, a master craftsman who is particularly adept at finding new ways to re-interpret musical ideas, making them sound fresh and original, and contributing heavily to Shorter’s simultaneous grounding in the jazz tradition and his continuing sense of originality. Frederic Döhl then presents us with an overview of the work of Andre Previn, examining a particularly fascinating moment in his career, and in the history of jazz. Döhl sets his sights on Previn’s recordings (along with bassist Leroy Vinnegar and drummer Shelley Manne) on jazz adaptions of Broadway “book musicals,”musical theater works in which songs are integrated more deeply into the narrative of the play. Through this study, Döhl both documents a unique moment in the history of recorded jazz, as well as providing a framework for examining the intersections of song, stage, and narrative. Finally, Vic Hobson’s study of Louis Armstrong is derived from his extensive and pioneering work on the early practices of New Orleans jazz. Hobson’s book Creating Jazz Counterpoint suggests that barbershop harmony played a particularly important role in the formative days of the music. The present article focuses this discussion on Louis Armstrong, combining historically based study (establishing the importance of barbershop in Armstrong’s early musical life) with analyses of selected Armstrong solos.