Journal of Jazz Studies

The Victoria Spivey Collection

Lawrence Davies — 2023-11-06

This "From the Archives" essay offers a critical contextualisation of the IJS's Victoria Spivey Collection, together with a supplementary bibliography of the singer's jazz criticism in the magazine Record Research and other jazz journals.

Book Review

Emma Beachy — 2023-11-06

“Hard” or “Soft”

Eirik Jacobsen — 2023-11-06

Recent research has shown that the shape, timbre, and intensity of a sound influence the perception of its timing at the micro level of rhythm. In this case study of contemporary Norwegian jazz, we investigate to what extent jazz musicians intentionally use sonic features to shape the micro level of rhythm in their performances. First, we provide an overview of existing research into microrhythm in jazz and auditory perception studies. Then we present results from interviews with five expert jazz musicians about how playing techniques and sound qualities of specific instruments are utilized to influence the perception of timing. We also analyze two selected performances by the musicians to explore the effects of interaction between sonic features and timing in a musical context. The article concludes by discussing the results in the context of findings from empirical research into microlevel auditory perception regarding the perceptual center of sounds (P-center) and auditory stream segregation. The study demonstrates the need to move related research beyond the temporal domain, and to cultivate a more holistic approach to what constitutes groove in jazz and related genres.

Keywords: timing, microrhythm, intensity, timbre, sound shape, P-center, stream segregation

Lonnie Liston Smith

Scott Douglass — 2023-11-06

Lonnie Liston Smith is an American pianist and keyboard player from Richmond, Virginia, born in 1940. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Music Education and an honorary doctorate from Morgan State University and has performed with Betty Carter, Art Blakey, and Miles Davis. His original music with the Cosmic Echoes has influenced the genres of smooth jazz, jazz funk, acid jazz, and hip hop. Scott Gray Douglass is a bassist and teacher also from Richmond, born in 1984. He is writing a book based on the oral histories of Richmond’s jazz musician educators. The two spoke by telephone in September of 2021. The following conversation is edited for clarity. Footnotes are provided by the co-author for context.