ABSTRACT
Notions of aesthetic ‘purity’, tradition, nostalgia and identity are at the core of how traditionalists ascribe identity and authenticity in jazz guitar. To talk about the development of the electric guitar without discussing distortion is impossible, and yet discourse rarely places emphasis on the developing use of effects and technology in jazz guitar cultures. Although often met with disdain from traditionalists, the use of distortion is one of many cultural developments which extend the creative possibilities for jazz guitarists. This chapter will explore the changing landscape of jazz guitar as viewed through the prism of distortion, production and the emergence of a post-modern jazz guitarscape more aligned with the progressive, which embraces technology (and by extension, distortion) as part of its identity. The case studies used build a narrative across the development of jazz guitar to demonstrate the many ways distortion has been used both as an aesthetic effect and as a creative tool in and of itself, how creatives may adopt such practices, why jazz guitarists may have adopted distortion, and finally how embracing a modernist approach is crucial in enabling the progressive and developmental elements which define jazz guitar culture.
