Abstract
‘Artistic jazz research’, the currently leading type of jazz research, is largely modelled after artistic research in classical music, which itself is modelled after research methods in the sciences and in philosophy. Where music theory once reigned supreme, now ‘artistic jazz research’ has taken its place.
Is ‘artistic jazz research’ the right format for jazz in the 21st Century? The price paid for fitting into academia is adapting to traditional musicological approaches, to dutifully follow scientific research methods, and to subordinate to an outdated peer-review system.
For many in the jazz world, it is not offering the needed framework for jazz research. The direct link is missing to the practice of jazz, to the applicability of the outcome of the research in jazz performance and education. Jazz performance is real time, applied jazz theory. In ‘artistic research’ the link to music theory is seldom made.[1]
‘Applied jazz research’ offers an alternative to ‘artistic jazz research’:
Research that is fed by, and that is feeding jazz performance and jazz education.
Applied jazz research links to:
- Jazz performance;
- The direction of jazz as artform;
- New applicable insights in music education, including music theory;
- The use of modern technology in the teaching of music theory.
Instead of the outdated ‘blind peer review’ system, the ‘dynamic review system,’ is chosen. The world-wide jazz community is the forum to respond to, elaborate on, and evaluate the outcomes of applied jazz research.
The platform for ‘applied jazz research’ is the online ‘IASJ Journal’[2], published by Grand Valley State University Libraries.
Panel topics:
- Clarifying the terminology: artistic jazz research, applied jazz research, practice-based research, (ethno)musicology, popular music studies, etc.;
- The old review policy versus ‘dynamic peer review;
- Grand Valley State University Library and the IASJ, the Research Catalogue, music theory publishers, online/new media courses and applied jazz research;
- The differences between various types of jazz research in academies, conservatories, and universities;
- How to connect the current jazz research and jazz theory initiatives.
./.
[1] See ‘Journal for artistic jazz research’ published by Routledge; see the Research Catalogue
[2] See: https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/iasj_journal/