Animating the “Outside”: a Tripartite Model of Analysing 1960s Jazz

Abstract

The revolutionary change in jazz improvisation of the 1960s featured a sudden increase in the degree and duration of departure from pre-composed forms. This practice, commonly known as “outside” playing, has generally been interpreted in musicology and music theory through the lens of “dissonance.” Black radical scholars claim a different, Afrological ontology of dissonance, distinct from the Eurological ontology and philosophy that underpins most mainstream music theory. In this thesis, I argue that a music-theoretical focus on outside playing’s technical dimension has produced a Eurological attunement in discussions of 1960s jazz, neglecting its interactive dimension and cultural practice. Benjamin Givan’s alternative conception of “apart” playing foregrounds interactivity through layers of relationships between musicians working in a group dialogue with composed materials (the “referent”). Black radical discourse more strongly foregrounds the cooperative togetherness that “apart” playing requires, and resists the necessity for resolution and unity. I adopt Fred Moten’s use of “appositional” playing to reflect both these dimensions of improvisational practice and its cultural resonances. I develop new animated music-theoretical tools that innovatively redeploy the Neo-Riemannian Tonnetz to illuminate the dynamic nature of “appositional” playing outlined above. My rationale is anchored in Eric Isaacson’s argument for advantages of animation over still images in engaging temporal relationships. Two case studies investigate strategies within John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman’s ensembles for problematising the referent, developing evidence supporting the sonic phenomena listeners have regularly identified as “transcendence” and “freedom” in their music. These case studies demonstrate the unique advantage of animated tools for investigating the technical and interactive layers of “appositional” playing, and for tying this evidence to the music’s socio-cultural moment.