ABSTRACT
Jazz has long been associated with hetero-normative masculinity. Despite a gradual shift towards diversity in recent decades, artists, educators, and researchers continue to bemoan the overall gender inequity. Rather recently, critical perspectives in historical research and related advocacy initiatives have aimed to pave the way for a more diverse future of jazz. However, the reiteration of male-dominated narratives in jazz has continued. In absence of site-specific historical role models, some jazz places have struggled to implement sustainable measures to ensure diversity. Based on a case study of male-dominated jazz in the Austrian city of Graz, this chapter outlines an alternate historical narrative with the aim of creating a solution scenario. Drawing from the results of a detailed historical investigation of the local jazz scene and its pioneering impact on the development of jazz education in Europe throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the study discusses indicatory historical moments at the intersections of musicological research, utopian imagination, and artistic research.
Author’s statement
I am writing from the perspective of a White, middleclass, cisgender, heterosexual male, which has allowed me to partake in jazz education and subsequent professional life as a jazz pianist and educator without experiencing any disadvantages related to gender. However, as I witnessed several incidents of discrimination towards colleagues during my student years—sadly without fully realizing my personal potential as a catalyst for change—this chapter is dedicated to all advocates for diversity and equality in jazz. I also write from the perspective of my current teaching, research, and quality assurance responsibilities in higher education, which represent my genuine interest and obligation to develop feasible strategies for increasing diversity and inclusion in jazz.
