A JAM SESSION ENQUANTO OBJECTO DE ESTUDO

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to discuss the main approaches on the jam session in jazz literature. Starting from bibliographical research carried out at the Institute of Jazz Studies - Rutgers University, and from fieldwork conducted between 2004 and 2005 in jazz clubs in Manhattan, I argue that most of the literature on jam sessions reflect poor and decontextualized perspectives concerning a performance practice that is crucial for the development of the creative process, learning, and the construction of networks among jazz musicians.

The scarce literature on jam sessions, in spite of contributing to the discussion of some important issues, is insufficient to provide a fully comprehensive view of this practice in its musical, social and cultural aspects, namely in terms of its functioning and role in jazz. The musicians’ discourse and viewpoints are often neglected in most academic literature on jam sessions.