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.