Place and imagined community in jazz

Abstract

This article investigates the concept of imagined community amongst the professional jazz musicians; more closely the way that this imagined community functions within the scene. Through the focusing on the imagined community, the article extends the examination into the performance venues, the movement between venues and the meanings attached to them, revealing the reasons why an imagined community is beneficial for the musician. The research data is composed of ethnographic fieldwork was conducted in jazz circles in the United Kingdom between 2006 and 2012. Through the exploration of the places occupied by the musicians, the article reveals how the community becomes concrete through the musicians’ movements. The article examines what added value it might hold for them. All in all, the investigation makes sense of the social conditions that create the need for such a community.