Prologue : A Reel Jazz Survey

• The present volume seeks to tackle jazz as to its interaction with the film from three vantage points: the formulation of alternative theoretical approaches, the close examination of exemplary case studies, and the survey of the use of jazz in different national cinemas. The latter, in particular, is one of the central concerns, that is to examine how jazz is used outside Hollywood. Because of both Hollywood’s long-time pre-eminent position on the world market and for the fact that jazz and Hollywood hail from the same country, the relationship of jazz with Hollywood cinema has often occupied a preponderant share in the literature. Yet, for these same reasons of exposure and co-nationality, an account of non-Hollywood cinemas should nevertheless have Hollywood as a reference point. Hollywood cinema has been since the late silent era the stylistic and narrative model for any other cinema, a reference point either to be imitated and conformed to, or to be challenged and subverted. Therefore it seems appropriate to open this volume with a brief introduction to jazz and Hollywood.In order to delineate how Hollywood has been using jazz as a cinematic device – that is, how this type of music was used in films as a stylistic, narrative, and thematic element in conjunction and cooperation with all the other devices (dialogue, camerawork, editing, set design, acting…) – it is useful to isolate a handful of recurrent ‘representational categories’. These offer a concise and sample-based survey of how the presentation of jazz (in its many incarnations) has changed in Hollywood cinema through the years, what connotations have been attached to this type of music, and how jazz and its practitioners have been depicted.

Ämnesord

HUMANIORA  -- Konst -- Musikvetenskap (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Arts -- Musicology (hsv//eng)

HUMANIORA  -- Konst -- Filmvetenskap (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Arts -- Studies on Film (hsv//eng)

HUMANIORA  -- Annan humaniora -- Kulturstudier (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Other Humanities -- Cultural Studies (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

jazz; film music; international cinema; Hollywood; representation

Film Studies

Filmvetenskap

Musikvetenskap

Musicology

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