“Bring Your Identity With You”: Recent Feminist Interventions in Jazz Ecologies

Abstract

In response to the historical domination of patriarchy of those overlapping and mutually constituting spaces of education, performance, and sociality that I call “jazz ecologies," a multitude of voices demanding reform continues to grow. Multiple movements animated by the relational logic of Black Feminism have been initiated to better represent and create opportunities for women, non-binary, and queer people in jazz. This short piece outlines some recent work being done by three such groups creating feminist-informed interventions: the Berklee Center for Jazz and Gender Justice (JGJ), the Women in Jazz Organization (WIJO), and This Is A Movement (TIAM). In various ways these organizations offer support through material, educational, and performance opportunities rooted in identity-based values that specifically serve persons and communities with underrepresented subject positions. Historical context and insights from recent interviews with leadership from these organizations offers a window into the values, actions, and outcomes of ongoing feminist movements in jazz ecologies.