First of all, to introduce myself, my name is Cody Cunningham. I am a jazz bassist in college, and am pretty new to this forum. I am looking forward to interacting more here and learning from everyone!

I am currently doing a college project for my Global Musics course, and am researching how Jazz music plays a role in community building. As part of my research, I would love to hear about your experiences regarding this topic! I know for me, some of my best memories are of my early experiences at jam sessions. Of course, every jam can be different, but in my experiences I was always met by incredibly positive and supportive atmospheres. I was able to meet and network with other musicians that I am still in contact today. We have been able to help each other musically, and form engaging bonds based on a love for the music itself.

Here's some questions that, if anyone would like to touch on, would help me out! I appreciate all your time, and am looking forward to hearing some of your responses. This topic is deeply personal and exciting to me.

1) Have you been able to form friendships and bonds with others through jazz music? Doesn't have to be playing, this could even be just bonds formed because of the music itself.

2) Are there any particular styles of jazz that have played a role in forming relationships with others? (Bebop, cool jazz, fusion, etc.)

3) How have jazz ensembles you've played in formed a sense of camaraderie through pub-outings and non-gigs, if they do at all?

4) Are there any particular recordings you would say have played a special role in community building for you?

Again, thank you all! I am excited to heard some of your responses, and interact with others on this forum.

Cody 

I will try to answer your questions in a bit, but i wanted to point out that community building around jazz probably differs greatly depending on where you live. Places like Brooklyn, Manhattan and London have large communities built around jazz, but here in Memphis for example, there just isn't enough jazz to build a community around. I know a few jazz musicians, but we are all pretty much on our own. There are communities here based around bar band music, particularly blues, RnB and classic rock.

To answer your questions:

!. Yes, many of my friends are people I met while playing jazz music.

2. Being from the 70s, I met a lot of people playing fusion, but i have probably dabbled in almost any style of modern jazz you could list.

3. I think any style of music promotes socializing outside of the gig. Partying together after the gig or rehearsal is pretty much a universal thing.

4. Once again, being from the 70s, I think Miles' fusion albums had a big influence. Being a beginner musician I wasn't ready to play standards and post bop, my skill set was not there on a pro level, but when you heard Miles and others playing free form jams around well known RnB and rock riffs, that seemed like something i could do and I used to organize jam sessions with those ideas in mind.

Thanks for your reply. I live in southern CA near Redlands and San Bernardino.

Thank you for pointing this out! When I initially came up with this topic, I didn't consider right away the effect that different living environments would have on this.

Also, thank you for taking the time to answer these questions, your responses are super insightful. I love that you have brought up the topic of fusion and how that impacted what you played, especially in your earlier days. I have yet to dabble much into fusion, my ear seems to gravitate towards the post bop and bebop eras. With that being said, I'm always looking to expand my ear. Are there any recordings you recommend?

Thank you so much!

Since you like post bop, you might like modern acoustic fusion. In today's jazz world, the difference between post bop and acoustic fusion is not that much.

Acoustic fusion with Juan Emilio Cucchiarelli:

Listen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vPqHzVukHQ&list=OLAK5uy_nZoVoIQOlFHgRICfvbtnJd3go2OoOfH7k" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vPqHzVukHQ&list=OLAK5uy_nZoVoIQOlFHgRICfvbtnJd3go2OoOfH7k