Musical Ethnography

Introduction

In this paper I seek to discuss the local music culture of jazz music in the Dallas metroplex. Since the jazz music culture, even just in Dallas, can vary so much, I sought out a very specific music culture to examine. Within the confines of the larger jazz music culture in Dallas, I sought to examine the larger jazz ensembles (usually containing anywhere from 10 – 20 people). These larger jazz ensembles are typically found in schools and universities due to the sheer size of them, yet still embody most of the ideological principles of the larger jazz music culture.

Methodology

To begin my research I first had to understand the history of the larger jazz music culture, and how the Dallas music culture evolved from the larger history of jazz. I searched through both the library’s books and online resources in order to try to understand how this particular music-culture came to be. Once I had a basic grasp on the background of the music-culture I was studying, I could then hone in on the elements that make this music-culture distinct.

After I had obtained all I could about this music culture from the library and on the web, I began to examine the music culture firsthand. In order to get a taste of this music-culture, I went to a performance of a jazz ensemble in Dallas, Lyle Mays and the UNT one o’clock lab band. After the concert, I wrapped up my research through a telephone interview with one of my friends who participates in this music culture, and was able to ask any questions I had left.

Ideas about Music

The localized Dallas jazz music culture is unique in the way that it defines music to be very individualistic and almost something that can be only truly captured live in a live performance (Although CD’s are indeed sold, most followers of this music culture would agree a CD is nothing compared to a live performance) (Katz). This inherent belief of individuality allows the bands a great amount of flexibility to make the music their own. Utilizing one of the most fundamental aspects of jazz music, improvisation, each band makes not only their music uniquely their own, but also each performance.

Many of the ideals of this present day music culture are rooted in its rich history. Most scholars trace the fundamentals of jazz all the way back to the traditions of African music (Gioia, 9). Then, to make a long history short, the melodic history of the African jazz music made its way to black Creole musicians in New Orleans, the place that has been considered the place that really drove jazz as a prominent music culture (Gioia, 36). Through the 1900s, this jazz music eventually evolved into a big band form that gave a very similar instrumentation to the music-culture I am examining (Meeder, 62). However, although the instrumentation is the same as the swing era, the ideals of this current localized music-culture have evolved much from the original ideals that mark its past.

For instance, although the actual value that this music culture places on the music itself has not changed from the past (where the music always played a prominent role within the music culture), the time and energy that the players are able to invest in their music is not nearly as much as their predecessors. This doesn’t mean they view what they do as any less important; it merely means that the ideals have changed. For example, this music culture’s ideal concerning the amount of expected performances has dwindled from having a performance every weekend, to having a performance every couple of months (Katz).

Activities Involving Music

Although each ensemble typically makes their music distinctly unique from one another, the activities of the music culture typically remain the same throughout. As mentioned before, live performances are highly valued within this music culture. The performances of this particular music culture typically occur in large performance halls, usually at the school where the ensemble is from. Although this differs from other sects of the larger music culture, many aspects of the performance remain the same. For example, The lighting is usually still dim and mood colored, which is meant to put the audience in a relaxed mood (Katz). However, in contrast to some of the predecessor jazz cultures, audience dancing is usually not involved in the performance. For the most part, the audience stays put in their chairs and shows their participation by clapping after well performed solos, or slightly moving their heads to the beat of the song (Lyle Mays Performance).

Unlike some other music cultures in the world, there is virtually no boundary or limitation on who can participate in the local jazz culture. People from nearly every race, ethnicity, and religion participate in this music culture both in the audience and the ensemble. Although, in terms of gender, the local music culture mostly contains male performers (with the exception of female vocalists), the music-culture is still open and inviting to female performers as well.

Repertoires of Music

The diversity of this music culture enables the culture to embody a wide variety of music within their repertoire. Although the repertoire of this music culture is similar enough to all fit under the general jazz musical genre, it is still vast enough to not be able fit into a specific style of jazz. Both in the concert I went to in order to observe this music-culture and my interview, I discovered that these jazz ensembles play a variety of music including latin jazz music, smooth jazz music, jazz ballads, and even swing tunes.

Despite the wide repertoire, nearly all of the pieces played by these jazz ensembles are entirely instrumental. However, occasionally a piece may ask for a vocalist, in which case a vocalist (typically female) is brought into the ensemble. Even when a vocalist is called for in the piece, it is interesting to note that more times than not she is singing in a method called scat singing, in which she imitates the sound of the instruments through nonsensical syllables, and the improvisation often associated with the music.

As mentioned before, most bands in this local music culture do not have the same time and energy as their predecessors. This change in ideology is typically reflected within the repertoire in which the difficulty of the repertoire generally reflects the amount of time an ensemble has to put into the music. Another factor contributing to the difficulty of the repertoire concerns the length of time the players have played their instruments and the talent within the group (This is why often times college jazz repertoires contain more difficult music than high school jazz ensembles).

Material Culture of Music

This local music culture also has a material culture associated with it. The material culture of this music culture begins with the actual instruments. As mentioned before, the instrumentation of this music culture is almost exactly that of ensembles during the swing era, that is “a rhythm section with bass, drums, piano or guitar, multiple trumpets, trombones, reeds, and a vocalist” (Meeder, 62). However, the material culture of this music culture embodies so much more than just the instruments.

Most of the material culture associated with this music culture is associated with the performances in some shape or form. For example, nearly every ensemble I explored within the local music culture adheres to formal or at least semi-formal dress during a performance. This material aspect of this music culture is more seen in the performers, as opposed to the audience. According to Alex Katz, the formal dress allows the performances (or at least the performers) to maintain the idea that this music culture is a classy music culture.

Secondly, although as mentioned before, live performances are valued so much within this music culture, CD’s are still sold of the ensembles. The CD’s allow people who are big fans of the music use the CD’s as a way to hear their favorite ensembles between performances, as well as give people who can’t make a live performance the opportunity to get a taste of this music culture. However, it is important to note, that other merchandise that may be associated with popular bands, such as t-shirts, posters, etc., is not apparent within this music culture (Lyle Mays Perfomance).

Conclusion

The local jazz music culture I studied in Dallas uniquely creates a localized music culture that is similar, yet distinct from the larger jazz music culture in the world. This music culture is open and inviting to people from every type of background to participate as both a performer and an audience member, and this allows the repertoire to be quite diverse. Most importantly, the heart of this music culture lies in their performances and the production as a whole, from the lighting, to the improvisation, each performance for this music culture is a unique and different experience from the performance before.

Works Cited

Gioia, Ted. The History of Jazz. New York: Oxford Press, 1998. Print.

Katz, Alex. Telephone interview. 7 Mar. 2010.

Lyle Mays and the One O'Clock Lab Band. Murchison Performing Arts Center, Denton. 25 Feb. 2010. Performance.

Meeder, Christopher. The Basics: Jazz. New York: Routledge, 2008. Print.