Jazz Improvisation as Conversation: A Pragmatics Approach to Jazz Studies

Abstract

The central aim of this thesis is to propose a novel approach to studying jazz music that acknowledges jazz improvisation as a collaborative endeavour. Traditional examinations of jazz improvisation tend to concentrate solely on the individual soloist, with little or no attention given to the accompanying musicians with whom the soloist interacts. To explore this collective and conversational aspect of jazz improvisation, I intend to utilize analytical methodologies from pragmatics, a subfield of linguistics, in conjunction with music theory to analyze improvisation in the context of jazz. Music theory provides essential insight into the harmonic, melodic, rhythmic, and formal conventions of jazz music, which a linguist might refer to as its "syntax." Establishing the syntax of the jazz "language" will allow for a pragmatic analysis, which will investigate how syntactical meanings are modified in the practical application of that language within a collaborative context. By examining the interactions among all members of an ensemble during an improvised jazz performance, this approach will elucidate how the jazz language functions pragmatically to generate a coherent discourse for both jazz musicians and audiences. To illustrate this approach, I will apply it to "So What," the opening track of Miles Davis's landmark 1959 album, Kind of Blue.