Artistic Research In Jazz A Case Study And Potential Developments

CHAPTER ELEVEN
ARTISTIC RESEARCH IN JAZZ:
A CASE STUDY AND POTENTIAL
DEVELOPMENTS
MICHAEL KAHR
Artistic research (AR) involves the creation, processing and
communication of particular forms of knowledge, in which theory and
practice are intrinsically interrelated. 1
In Europe, art theorists and
practitioners have engaged in a controversial debate around the academic
acknowledgment of AR for the last 20 years, which has resulted in the
formation of artistic doctoral programs and specialized institutions such as
the Orpheus Research Center in Music (ORCiM) in Ghent, Belgium; the
creation of special funding schemes such as the PEEK program at the
Austrian Science Fund FWF; and the emergence of publication platforms,
particularly the Journal for Artistic Research (JAR), which offers
alternative scholarly formats for the presentation and dissemination of
AR.2
Despite or perhaps due to the academic establishment of AR, the
1
Some generic definitions of AR are proposed by the artistic doctoral school at the
University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz. See Borgdorff (2007) and
Dombois (2006). In Great Britain, AR has been largely known as practice-as-
research or even practice-led, practice-based research.
2
For a detailed overview of the current state and development of AR in higher
education, refer to Wilson and van Ruiten (2014) and the Association Européene
des Conservatoires, Académies de Musique et Musikhochschulen (AEC) White
Paper (2015); Tomasi and Vanmaele (2007) discuss developments in artistic music
research in doctoral programs across Europe; information on ORCiM is available
at: <http://www.orpheusinstituut.be>; for information on the PEEK program see
<http://www.fwf.ac.at>; JAR is accessible via <http://www.jar-online.net>; and the
dissemination of AR is addressed in Schwab and Borgdorff (2014). All websites
referenced in this article have been accessed in July 2018.

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debates around its ontological, epistemic and artistic nature, as well as its
position within academic conventions are ongoing.
In the mid-1960s, the study of jazz and popular music was introduced
into European academic institutions in a similarly pioneering effort. 3
Aiming to expand the scope of musicology and artistic programs, early
academic jazz artists and scholars challenged the institutional order of
their time. It is now widely accepted that young generations of jazz
musicians should be educated through a mixture of theoretical and
artistically informed approaches at universities. While the oral tradition
still plays a crucial role in academic jazz programs, analytical and
pedagogical jazz theories, which emerged sporadically during the 1950s
and flourished since the late 1960s, now also play an indispensable role in
this context. Academic jazz research, with its first regular publication
series dating back to the 1960s, has traditionally appeared as an inter-
disciplinary field, drawing from, adapting and expanding upon the
methodologies of traditional musicology as well as artistic experience;
indeed, some of the leading early jazz researchers in Europe were
practicing musicians.
Despite the widely accepted academic status of jazz, it is still under-
represented in the prospering field of AR. The aim of this chapter is to
investigate existing and new fields of AR in jazz. It emphasizes the close
interrelation of theory and practice in various forms of artistic and
research-led activities in jazz, and argues that AR in jazz will not only
expand our understanding of the nature of current artistic practice in jazz,
but also the relationship of this practice with theory. The text builds on a
case study of AR in jazz that I published in JAR 3 (Kahr 2013). I first
summarize this study and evaluate the comments by the peer reviewers,
which are published alongside the original publication.4
The discussion
highlights the nature of AR in jazz as well as the difficulties involved in its
assessment. I then explore historic and current publications and
publication formats in jazz research, which involve various forms and
3
The academic implementation of jazz at the Institute for Jazz, the Academy of
Music in Graz, Austria (now University of Music and Performing Arts) in 1965
and the foundation of the Institute for Jazz Research at the same institution in 1971
have been regarded as pioneering activities in the establishment of jazz as an
academic discipline in Europe. See Kahr (2016).
4
Contrary to most publication formats, JAR publishes peer reviewer comments
alongside the publications they refer to. This practice is based on the view that
research is an ongoing process, enriched by the public exposure of reviews as well
as by the possibility for any registered users to publish their own comments. For
more information, see <http://www.jar-online.net>.

Artistic Research in Jazz: A Case Study and Potential Developments 185
modes of AR. I conclude with an investigation of potential developments
including a model for the assessment of AR in jazz. Contemporary jazz
composers and improvisers increasingly stretch the traditional boundaries
of jazz music by interacting with the wider area of sonic arts. By
emphasizing this trend in the discussion of future developments of AR in
jazz, this chapter provides an additional perspective not only on the
interrelation of theory and practice but also on the relevance of sonic arts
for AR in jazz.
A case study of AR in jazz
The AR project Upper Styrian Big Band Folk was situated within the
larger project Jazz & the City: Identity of a Capital of Jazz, conducted at
the Jazz and Jazz Research Institutes at the University of Music and
Performing Arts in Graz from 2011 to 2013 and funded by the Austrian
Science Fund FWF as part of its special AR funding scheme PEEK.5
A
resulting publication titled “Upper Styrian Big Band Folk–Exploring Local
Authenticity and Identity in Jazz”, published in JAR 3, explores local
identity, authenticity and meaning as interrelated with and manifested in
jazz composition and performance. The publication outlines the artistic
choices and decisions in relation to a specific AR project carried out in a
distinct local community in the Austrian Alps, discusses the underlying
aesthetic values, and presents a critical reflection on the creative process
and outcomes. The project involved the creation of a series of
compositions for a large jazz orchestra combined with a local folk group
with the aim of attaining a collaboratively derived musical expression that
appears authentic and meaningful with regard to the identity and rich
cultural traditions of the local community. While the main artistic direction
was developed collaboratively through community-based discussions,
which impacted the compositional process, artistic decisions had to be
made by myself as the composer, commissioned by the community to
prepare the score. Central to the publication are two videos, which
represent the main outcomes of this project. The footage shows the
musical scores and audio recordings of two selected works from a series of
compositions for large jazz orchestra and folk music ensemble. Score
pages turn in synchrony with the music, which was released on CD in
5
FWF project number AR 86 G 21; project website, see
<http://www.jazzandthecity.org>.

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2011.6
The first of three text-based parts of the publication display detailed
discussions of the concepts of identity, authenticity and meaning as
understood and employed by members of the community (including the
composer) and partially informed by musicological and philosophical
concepts. The second part offers a hermeneutic reading of the music with
more detail regarding the contextual background for the two selected
works, as well as a discussion of aesthetic matters and their impact upon
the compositional process. This analysis reveals the most prominent
artistic decisions made during the compositional process regarding
melodic, harmonic, rhythmic, timbral, formal and other aspects—including
the choice of soloists and the conceptualization of improvisation in these
particular pieces. The third part discusses the project outcomes through
various processes of signification. For a full understanding of the
following discussion, the reader is encouraged to read, watch and listen to
the contents of the publication in JAR 3 (Kahr 2013).
Peer reviews
The final publication appeared after substantial revisions following a peer
review process. According to the publication policy of JAR, commentaries
by three reviewers have been published alongside the original publication.
The commentaries depict encouraging as well as critical views, which
question the scientific substance of my approach. Although JAR
undertakes the publication of a submission exclusively upon peer reviewer
recommendations, negative critique is not necessarily regarded as an
indicator of quality: “Disagreement is a distinct possibility when practice
is exposed as research, since readers may approach what they see
differently” (Schwab 2013). The journal’s chief editor Michael Schwab
acknowledges the possibility of displaying divergent commentaries on
publications in JAR as a useful tool regarding the extension of debate in
the area under discussion and the provision of further pathways towards
new insights and knowledge from various viewpoints. While some of the
critical points and the suggestions made in connection with the publication
under review proved useful, others appear questionable. This section
provides an overview of the commentaries, their relevance for the future
development of the project and of AR in jazz, and a discussion of
debatable views.
6
High Styria Big Band, Upper Styrian Big Band Folk, Manus (2011). The CD is
distributed via the website <http://www.highstyriabigband.at>.

One reviewer has remained anonymous. Reviewer Monika Herzig is a
pianist, composer and arranger, teaching classes on music industry,
community arts organizations, and creative thinking techniques at Indiana
University, USA. She writes articles on women in jazz, serves on the
board of the Jazz Education Network (JEN), and has published books on
jazz pedagogue David Baker and pianist Chick Corea. Reviewer Patrick
Schenkius is a jazz guitarist and arranger, and teaches jazz theory at the
Amsterdam Conservatory of Music and the Royal Conservatory in The
Hague. His research has been published in the Dutch Journal of Music
Theory. Of the three commentaries, Schenkius’ involves the most
complimentary tone and appears positive throughout. Herzig
acknowledges the value of the research topic and the resulting music, but
expresses her concerns regarding some of the terminology used and her
interest in
a follow-up project that collects comments/reflections from all personnel
involved, the audiences at initial performances, buyers of the CD, as well
as statistics on ticket and CD sales and promotional efforts for the project.7
As opposed to Schenkius and Herzig, the anonymous reviewer displays a
highly critical position throughout. The last paragraph of his/her detailed
commentary provides the following summary:
That leaves us with a project of which the theoretical framework is deeply
problematic, and since the theoretical framework seems to be the rationale
behind the project, i.e. to create something that musically expresses local
identity and authenticity, the research part of the project is flawed. […]
This is an interesting and engaging artistic project, but the research
perspective is seriously underdeveloped. The theoretical framework is
problematic, there is insufficient substantiation of many of the claims, and
there is not enough critical reflection on both the process and its resultant
outcomes. Finally, it is not clear to what artistic problem this project
provides an answer.8
7
All commentaries can be accessed via Kahr (2013).
8
Ibid.

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The assessment and presentation of AR and general
misconceptions
While AR is increasingly becoming established as a valid field of research,
the assessment of AR projects appears as an evolving field as expressed in
JAR’s policy on the peer-review process, for instance:
We continue to debate what peer review entails in the context of JAR. We
believe that research can be assessed, while at the same time we recognize
that artistic research work is, by its nature, an open undertaking, resisting
overly rigid regulations. […] The emerging community of artistic
researchers will learn and define through practice what it means to expose
artistic research.9
While JAR leaves the development of assessing AR to the research
community, AR doctoral programs are based on various assessment
regulations (Wilson and van Ruiten 2014). There is, nevertheless, a
common view that AR differs from conventional research by focussing on
the production of knowledge about, for, in and through artistic practice;
and elaborate reports of international networks and working groups, JAR
editorials and publications, as well as frequently cited articles by authors
such as Henk Borgdorff, Florian Dombois and Julian Klein provide more
details in this regard (Polifonia Research Working Group 2010; Tomasi
and Vanmaele 2007; Wilson and van Ruiten 2014; see also footnotes 1 and
2). In light of such an agreed framework, some of the critical comments of
the anonymous reviewer represent fundamental misconceptions, which
will be discussed in this section. The comments strongly suggest that they
have been developed from a conventional perspective rooted in scientific
method rather than a consideration of AR as it is outlined by the JAR
editorials and publications, and how its nature has been theorized in other
recent literature. The reviewer’s comments reveal three major
misconceptions with regard to AR, namely (1) a bias towards relying on
language rather than a consideration of intrinsic artistic processes and
expressions; (2) assuming the primacy of the linear methodological
approach as in conventional science, as opposed to the fluid and multi-
dimensional emergence and development of AR; and (3) the separation
between object, and subject, which dissolves in AR.
The critical comments by the anonymous reviewer almost exclusively
refer to the textual reflective component of the original publication, as if
the music has only a decorative function. Hardly any comment refers to
9
The JAR review process, available at: <http://www.jar-online.net>.

the artistic aspect of the work. Rather than reflecting an engagement with
the way the musical output developed during this particular artistic
research project, the reviewer asks for further substantiation of the
research through language, which many do not regard as essential for AR.
For instance, Henk Borgdorff notes that:
Discursive expressions may accompany the research, but they can never
take the place of the artistic “reasoning”. At best, they can “imitate”,
suggest, or allude to what is being ventured in the artistic research, or can
be employed in a post hoc reconstruction of the research process. (2012:
69)
However, not regarding textual discussions in a piece of AR as
“imitations”, “suggestions”, “allusions” or “post hoc reconstructions” of
research processes appears as an understandable position, given the solid
academic tradition of representing scientific research through discursive
reasoning. The diverse backgrounds of the readers and reviewers and the
non-homogeneous assessment procedures and presentation formats of AR
provide further obstacles regarding the communication of AR. It is
interesting to note that as Schenkenius and Herzig have revealed their
identities, the fact that their commentaries display an awareness of the
music and its role in this AR project can be seen as resulting from their
own background in artistic practice.
While conventional scientific methods are designed to proceed in a
linear way from problem identification, via hypothesis formulation,
experiment and observation to conclusions, AR may oscillate between
these various stages and is not necessarily characterized by the rigid
implementation of a pre-defined experiment followed by a concluding
discussion of research results. In the particular work under discussion, the
initial research question was formulated vaguely and the theoretical
discussion, which was perceived by the reviewer as the “rationale behind
the project”, was in fact the result of various stages of reflection about and
as part of the creative process.
Such procedures may be seen as methodological inconsistencies from
the perspective of conventional musicological frameworks but in fact
result from the fusion of research object and subject in AR. General
misconceptions derive from the distinction between object and subject as it
occurs in conventional scientific settings. This methodological distinction

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is challenged by methods of knowledge production in AR, as Julian Klein
points out in his often cited article “What is AR?”:10
Artistic experience is an active, constructive and aisthetic process, in which
mode and substance are fused inseparably. This differs from other implicit
knowledge, which generally can be considered and described separately
from its acquisition. (2010)
The fluidity between subject, research object and method involves an
artistically informed, sensual logic in the research process as opposed to
the cognitive, objective and systematic approach as seen in conventional
science. The misconception in the assessment of AR projects can be seen
as a warning call for artistic researchers to think of more appropriate
models of presenting their work. Similar conclusions were drawn in a
discussion session at the European Forum for Research in Art and Design
conference in 2013 (Wilson and van Ruiten 2014: 233-237). While JAR
represents one distinct possibility, there is certainly more work to be done
in order to develop alternative modes of AR presentations in order to
communicate the research appropriately to readers from various
backgrounds.
The follow-up project
Both the anonymous reviewer and Herzig expressed their interest in
additional materials related to the compositional process such as
transcripts and videos of community discussions, the relevance of which
could not be foreseen at the start of the project. Herzig also called for a
follow-on project, which was subsequently carried out between September
2013 and February 2014. It involved four public performances of the
complete composition cycle, organized in collaboration with local
institutions and supported by a follow-on arts grant. The audience
attendance was moderate in the first two performances and high in the
later concerts. At the second performance the audience was encouraged to
provide comments on blank sheets. During the last two concerts,
questionnaires were circulated among the audience, referring to personal
musical preferences, assessments of the concert and connotations of
authenticity and identity, and encouraged free comments. In total, 34
10
It is worth reminding here that even in the conventional sciences, some of the
most impressive findings such as X-ray, Saccharin and several drugs were
discovered by accident or as unplanned by-products of scientific projects.

questionnaires and 8 free comments were returned. 15 attendants
expressed their preference for jazz, 8 preferred folk music and 11 liked
both types. Many comments acknowledged the lively performance and the
creative fusion of styles. Some participants stated their need to adjust to
the music before experiencing joy during the concert. The performances of
the folk group were acknowledged as authentic throughout. Authenticity
was perceived by some to arise from the participation of local musicians
and/or the combination of local folk and jazz. However, some criticized
the sonic diversity between the intimate sound of the folk group and the
louder jazz big band. Occasional comments expressed dislike for the
musical styles of either the jazz big band or the folk group. Some free
comments referred to connotations of rural landscapes and industrial areas.
One participant submitted a drawing of three different faces, with the
differing features of the first two faces mapped upon the third. Throughout
all concerts, many of the participating musicians expressed their joy in
playing the program, recognized their progress as an ensemble in
performing at a higher level than at the start of the project, and their hope
for future performances. The latter has proved difficult, as regional concert
promoters experienced a decline in arts funding and the ensemble itself
was not successful in securing a third arts grant. During the total lifetime
of the project, approximately 600 CDs were sold and 200 additional copies
were sent out to concert promoters. The follow-on project has certainly
contributed to the wider communication of the project aims. The
invitations by local concert promoters and the governmental funding
reflect the acceptance of the project as part of the local contemporary arts
scene. The project has contributed to extending the core jazz audience by
drawing the interest of traditional folk music fans; and the engagement of
audience and performer opinions has enhanced the potential of the project
to represent the local community.
Literature of AR in jazz
Publications on jazz-related topics in JAR are rare. Besides the publication
just discussed, the journal has published only one other article on a jazz-
related theme so far, which deals with the phenomenon of “groove”
(Meelberg 2011). The author, Vincent Meelberg, an improvising double
bassist and researcher, explores “groove” as a bodily experience as it
affects and influences the performer during a musical performance.
Meelberg introduces a compositional and improvisational process as AR
and places it in the context of a theoretical framework, which is
acknowledged in the two public commentaries. Meelberg made use of the

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journal’s protocol that allows authors to reply to the commentaries by
clarifying some issues. JAR uses the Research Catalogue (RC) as the
backbone database for its own publications.12
RC also serves as a database
for other journals and hosts a growing number of independent AR works
and academic theses. For instance, the Royal Conservatory of The Hague
in the Netherlands uses RC for publications of academic theses in AR,
some of which were written to obtain academic degrees in jazz.
Besides the publications of jazz-related works in JAR and RC and the
growing output of academic degree-related AR, professional jazz artists’
reflections upon creative processes take place in various modes, forms and
publication formats and is certainly not a new concept. From about the
1950s, there has been a growing body of educational textbooks on jazz.
Such instructional works are mainly written by practicing jazz musicians
based on their own musical experience as well as theoretical and linguistic
skills to formulate pedagogical and theoretical concepts. Beyond their
pedagogical and/or theoretical aims, these publications provide valuable
insight in artistic processes in jazz and represent aspects of the
interrelation of theoretical and practice-based knowledge in this genre.
George Russell’s The Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization
for Improvisation is regarded as the first milestone in jazz theory and John
Mehegan’s four volumes of Jazz Improvisation became highly influential
in jazz pedagogy.13
Subsequent books by authors such as David Baker,
Jerry Coker, Jamey Aebersold, Bill Dobbins, Mark Levine, Dave Liebman
and others involve arts-based reflection in the formulation of analytical,
speculative and pedagogical concepts in a similar way. Besides those
authors who relate knowledge derived from artistic practice to educational
aims, scholars in the field of ethnomusicology who are interested in jazz,
such as Paul F. Berliner and Ingrid Monson, have drawn some of the
musical knowledge displayed in their scholarly works from their own
artistic expertise rather than exclusively from the outside observer’s
perspective.14
Most jazz artists, however, seem to prefer the idea that
music speaks for itself and refrain from publishing formal articles or books
on aspects of their creative strategies and processes. And yet, jazz artists
frequently engage in reflections on creative processes if they are asked to
do so, such as in artistic workshops, lectures, interviews and teaching
situations. Such activities often serve educational or journalistic purposes.
Reflections on jazz practice also take place among groups of musicians in
12
URL: <https://www.researchcatalogue.net>.
13
For an overview of works in jazz theory see Martin (1996) and Kahr (2008).
14
See Berliner (1994) and Monson (1996).

order to develop distinct musical ideas in rehearsal situations and informal
discussions. Some of the more eloquent jazz artists use internet blogs,
videos, texts in CD-booklets and informally published texts to convey their
own thoughts on the music and its making. Needless to say, such texts
frequently challenge the conventional scientific research method by fusing
research questions, theoretical context, experimental design, methodical
structure and artistic conceptions. A few selected examples are provided in
the following paragraph.
Pianist Ethan Iverson displays critical thoughts on his own and other
musicians’ artistic practice in his popular internet blog “Dothemath”, now
accessible on his personal website.15
His writings and interviews with
other jazz artists put forward critical arguments on various aspects of jazz,
and his comments on musical transcriptions provide insight into his
personal musical perception. A number of successful jazz artists such as
Maria Schneider, Kevin Eubanks, Chris Potter and Billy Childs offer
insights into the creative processes behind their work via “Artistshare”, a
platform developed exclusively for jazz with the aim of connecting
“creative artists with fans in order to share the creative process and ensure
the creation of new artistic works”.16
The project distributes information
on the creative processes mainly by videos from rehearsals, analytical
lectures on the artists’ own work and written commentary, but also
through personal encounters between artists and selected audience
members. However, the clear commercial intent of “Artistshare” needs to
be considered. Pianist Brad Mehldau is known for his elaborate CD
booklet texts, which discuss aspects of his artistic approach. Pianist Vijay
Iyer, who holds an interdisciplinary PhD in music cognition and serves as
professor at Harvard University, has published various scholarly articles
and gives academic lectures on jazz alongside his artistic practice.
Trumpeters Miles Davis and Herbert Joos are known for their paintings
and drawings, which may be seen as alternative expressions of their
artistic practice in jazz. On a more experimental front, the integration of
visual, sonic and performance-based artworks has fed into the artistic
practice of musicians such as Esbjörn Svensson, Jason Moran and Sun Ra.
Potential developments of AR in jazz
Some of the examples above seem to challenge the perception of AR as an
academic undertaking. In the perception of Michael Schwab, the editor of
15
URL: <https://ethaniverson.com>.
16
URL: <http://www.artistshare.com>.

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JAR, AR is a distinct concept, “not just another word for practice”, and
yet, “it is a term that has been, and still is, suspended in its definition.”
Schwab also acknowledges “artistic research’s transdisciplinary character,
which makes it difficult to predict where and under what circumstances
such activity might be located” (Schwab 2011). According to this, AR may
appear in indefinite forms, modes and representations as long as the
knowledge embedded in AR unfolds in “the doubling it entails, which
creates distance within practice through which understanding can operate”
(ibid.). Arguably, all of such properties can be found in the examples
provided above. Schwab’s definition refers to all fields of arts-based
inquiry, some of which have already established solid traditions in AR and
its discourses. Arts-based research in music is still developing and given
the sparsity of formal representations of AR in jazz, it seems viable to start
the discussion of possible future developments from a variety of current
representations of reflective practices in jazz. Even if most of the
aforementioned works are commonly perceived as emphasizing other aims
than the production of knowledge in the academic sense of AR, their
conceptual approaches can be further exploited in more formal works of
AR.17
The following paragraph drafts some ideas in this direction.
All of the examples discussed earlier provide insights into their
authors’ own conception of jazz theory and practice. Some involve more
or less clearly formulated pedagogical aims ranging from basic to more
speculative levels. 18
By their reliance on or negligence of previous
concepts in jazz education, which may be presented more or less
explicitly, these works reveal the authors’ critical stance towards
alternative approaches in the field. Iverson’s blog in particular displays
critical approaches of various kinds and uncovers not only his musical
preferences but emphasizes various modes of his artistic thinking. The
inclusion of critical perspectives may be particularly valuable in AR in
jazz, considering that most of the critical works on jazz were written by
journalists or scholars from backgrounds other than jazz performance. The
approach by Berliner, Monson and Iyer represents artistic knowledge in
more conventional forms of musicology, focusing on the author’s own
artistic work (Iyer), or proves to be helpful in the assessment of external
works (Berliner and Monson). As these examples illustrate, AR in jazz
may be more or less informed by musicological research methodologies
17
In the editorial of JAR 5, Michael Schwab provides some thoughts about the
journal’s demand to present AR as formal publications, even though JAR does not
provide any formal regulations in this respect.
18
Regarding the categorization of musician-based pedagogical and speculative jazz
theory, see Martin (1996) and Kahr (2008).

while emphasizing the author’s own experience in artistic practices to
various degrees. Given the ability of JAR to present AR in multimedia
formats, artistic researchers in jazz may engage experimentally with
multimedia art, painting, poetry, performance art, lighting design and so
on.
However, the more experimental AR in jazz becomes, the greater the
risk of pitfalls in the assessment thereof, as discussed earlier in this text. I
propose to assess AR in jazz according to its main mode of representation,
which is in most cases sonic, but may also be performative, visual or
discursive. Reflection in artistic practices may take place verbally—verbal
reflection has become a requirement for the identification of AR in many
funding programs and academic degree courses and its importance for the
dissemination of knowledge in and outside the arts is undisputed—but it is
often, if not always, an inherent aspect of the artistic process. For instance,
the score of a big band composition in its final form inherits multiple
stages of reflection which took place in the course of its creation. Even if
these are explicated in the published outcome of any given AR project
through various means, it is still the score which manifests the main
component of AR, a fact which must be taken into consideration in any
assessment. There may be cases when text becomes part of a composition
or improvisation, for instance, when jazz artists work with lyrics or poetry.
Other forms of human expressions may also become an integral aspect of
jazz practice such as in the development of sonic manifestations of visual
arts, film and dance. However, I maintain that any assessment of AR in
jazz must be based on and manifest artistic sensibility and competence in
the field as well as an understanding of current debates in the developing
field of AR. Any reviewer should be able to put forward his/her own
understanding of the reflective practice embedded within the sonic
outcome of any given AR project, the interrelation of practice and theory
in the publication and the suitability of the project’s representation in the
chosen format, such as JAR or other models. Similar sensibility is required
in the assessment of methodical rigor and contextual awareness, which
emerges from the fusion of research object and subject in AR.
In light of the intangible nature of AR, it seems difficult to predict its
future. However, recent publications and conference discussions have led
to the identification of future scenarios, some of which may be rewarding
for AR in jazz (Wilson and van Ruiten 2014). As current AR is commonly
pursued in isolation, future endeavors may involve collaborative projects
or collective works, which seem particularly relevant and promising in jazz

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given its collaborative-collective improvisatory practices.19
Interdisciplinary
teamwork may be important in this regard. Artistic researchers in jazz may
also want to engage more directly with current “big research questions”
such as globalization, north south divide, environment and climate change,
new technology, age, health and the public sphere. Finally understanding
jazz as sonic art—by thinking of music as sound rather than as structured
pitch collections, and by consciously integrating sonic elements such as
background noise and electronic soundscapes into the artistic practice—
might open up innovative approaches in the future development of AR in
jazz. For instance, the various approaches to free improvised music can be
explored by reference to such issues. The musical sound conceptions of a
diverse range of musicians such as Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, John
Coltrane, Peter Brötzmann, Tony Oxley, Han Bennink and Irène
Schweizer come to mind here. New projects of AR may be based on
analyses of historical recordings, on collaborative projects between “living
legends” and young musicians, and on encounters between university-
trained musicians and amateurs, visual and performance artists or even
non-musicians, children and audience members. In order to maintain a
high level of intersubjectivity in such interdisciplinary projects,
approaching jazz practice as sonic art, rather than relying on the wealth of
jazz-specific theories which have developed in academia over the past
decades, may prove fruitful. The integration of electronics in projects of
AR may involve considering computers as musical instruments and sound
engineers as creative agents in the process of producing recordings and
live performances in jazz. AR projects may open up new perspectives of
producing and discussing improvised jazz as sound. As such, those
projects could represent new views on current jazz as well as sonic art,
which can present alternatives to the established academic discourses.
Conclusion
AR is a recent but rapidly developing academic phenomenon, based on an
inclusive view regarding practice and theory. Works formally published as
AR in jazz are rare, and yet works based on reflections on artistic
processes can be found across a variety of publication formats. A
reasonable assessment of such works must be based on an understanding
of the intrinsic nature of AR and its surrounding debates, as well as artistic
practices in jazz and the theories produced by jazz practitioners. Given the
current diversity of AR assessment criteria, applications of academic
19
For discussions of various jazz collectives, see Whyton and Tackley (2011).

research conventions, based primarily on third-person perspectives, must
be balanced with the subjective positions in AR and addressed collectively
by academic jazz theorists and artists within their institutional environment
in order to develop appropriate and feasible assessment guides. The
academic field of AR appears as an exciting opportunity to explore the
phenomenon of jazz from within its own complex artistic field and
promises to emphasize and enhance the tradition of interrelating theory
and practice in academic jazz. AR leaves room for experimentation and
risk taking, which lies at the heart of the creative jazz practice. One of the
greatest promises of the academic advancement of AR in jazz lies in the
possibility of producing art-based theories that reflect what jazz is and can
become.
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