Jam Sessions

In this essay, we consider what musical improvisation can offer humanists interested in interdisciplinary cultural study. We begin by exploring our shared backgrounds as jazz-informed percussionists and our coincidental meeting in the same interdisciplinary graduate program. In the process, we identify key homologies between our musical and scholarly practices: namely, careful and constant practice; a deep commitment to listening; and an openness to conceptual translations across a variety of contexts. As we unpack these ideas, we draw on a wide range of artistic-theoretical texts, years of after-hours conversations, and occasional music collaboration; ultimately, we articulate, for each other and potential readers, that the dynamic, collaborative ethic required for successful improvisation nurtures scholarly interdisciplinary practice by valuing individual efforts as part of communal strivings.