Agency, Social Organization, and the Musical Practices of Jazz Bass Players in Australia

Abstract

The democratic and agentic social meanings of jazz and improvisation have been widely understood in relation to US history; however, performing jazz musicians’ everyday experiences cannot necessarily be understood in the same way. Performing in jazz ensembles is a complicated experience, one in which musical roles are negotiated, restricted, or liberated, sometimes in the course of performance as a form of improvisation and at other times in the rehearsal work that surrounds such events. As such, the everyday experience of a musician’s career can significantly affect the social encoding of appropriate musical performance practices associated with the instrument and its role in the ensemble. Drawing on ethnographic research conducted with jazz double bass players in Australia, this article uses this global location as a case study to explore the social expectations that affect the musical practices of bass players when working as accompanists. The article examines this side-person role, its benefits, pitfalls, and practical realities, suggesting that the relationship between the musical practices, ensemble hierarchies, and social meanings of jazz and improvisation is contingent on context. I argue that what governs the way the bass players in this case study perform is a duality of economic imperative and creative desire.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 This research project received Ethics approval from UNSW Human Research Ethics Committee No. HC15283. The research for this ethnographic project provided the basis for my PhD dissertation, and parts of the interview and fieldwork interactions discussed here draw on this work (Phipps 2018).

2 Ted Gioia (1989) explores the use of primitivism to explain the skill of African American musicians performing jazz and their representation by historians and the media.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by The Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship.

Notes on contributors

Benjamin Phipps

Benjamin Phipps is a passionate tertiary music educator who utilizes ethnomusicological methods to influence both his teaching and his research. He completed his PhD in Ethnomusicology with a particular focus on local jazz scenes, the development of improvisation in these scenes, and the way the adoption of jazz and hybrid music-making practices leads to the formation of new identities. Ben currently works at UNSW Sydney, Australia, designing and delivering programmes for teaching staff professional development.