Editor’s Note

Abstract

The jazz scene, as is the case with so many aspects of our lives, is facing unprecedented challenges. There has been – and will continue to be – intense discussion about what jazz might look and sound like in the post COVID world. So too have scholarly pathways been impacted, with conferences and meetings canceled, archives closed, and research agendas disrupted. I am confident, however, that jazz, and the scholarship associated with it, will prove to be resilient in the face of these challenges. It is my hope that Jazz Perspectives can, in some modest way, contribute to these efforts. It will be a time of transition, both for jazz at large, and for this journal. More information will be forthcoming in the final issue of this volume (expected in late 2020). In this issue, we present four articles. Leading off this issue is Justin Williams, whose article examines the early 1970s work of Chick Corea, with an eye towards disrupting the conventional “commercial” interpretations of fusion recordings. Williams positions these efforts as reflecting an “intertextual” approach, engaging with other forms across traditionally-recognized boundaries of genre, such as the resonances between jazz fusion and progressive rock. Following this, Charles (Chuck) Hersch contributes a study of the “aural history” which characterizes recordings by Charlie Haden and John Zorn. The invocation of the past, Hersch argues, is often the result of what are often regarded as postmodern techniques; yet they do not necessarily reflect postmodernism’s seeming rejection of historical narrative. Drawing on the work of Mikhail Bakhtin, Hersch shines a light on the ways that Haden and Zorn enact the past within the context of contemporary composition and performance. Our third article comes to us from Noam Lemish, whose study centers the work of his musical collaborator, guitarist and oudist Amos Hoffman, and drawing on his own identity as a transnational artist (Israel, the U.S., Canada), Lemish leads us towards a “postnational” understanding of jazz, which stands in contrast to typical nation-defined jazz narratives. The music of Hoffman (and Lemish), which draws on approaches and forms from many different (and often seemingly opposed) cultures leads us to hear jazz as a product of “multi-localities.” Finally, Don Armstrong brings us a deeply researched and detailed account of renowned jazz and pop critic Ralph Gleason. Specifically, Armstrong focuses on Gleason’s early development, including his burgeoning interest in jazz as a teenager, and his early involvement in jazz journalism while a student at Columbia. Drawing on an exhaustive and meticulous review of Gleason’s contemporary writings, Armstrong presents us with a portrait of a jazz writing in formation, trying to make sense out of the newly emerging jazz scene. This issue also features a review essay by Steven Lewis, who examines the films Miles Ahead and Born to Be Blue. Please enjoy this issue, and as always, we welcome your contributions to our ongoing conversation.