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Michael P. Roth
and Sukey Garcetti
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My method of understanding that process of discourse merging and development has been to focus on the jazz scene in New York City, where I conducted fieldwork continuously between July of 1994 and December of 1995 and more sporadically from 1997 to 2001. Some aspects of my fieldwork were informed by the research I did between January and July of 1992, also in New York City, for a master’s thesis (Jackson 1992). The contacts I made with musicians for the earlier project allowed me to begin understanding and mapping the jazz scene and to see it and the performances that take place on it as the most appropriate unit of investigation (rather than an era, an individual musician, or a body of recordings). Through following some of those musicians in the time between my first fieldwork period and my second, I gained access to and an understanding of the larger network of individuals, venues, record labels, educational institutions, and media that comprise the scene that I describe in chapters 3 and 4.
In the summer of 1994 I began contacting some of the musicians I had met previously, such as guitarist Peter Bernstein, saxophonist Antonio Hart, and drummer Gregory Hutchinson, to interest them in my new project. I explained to them that I was interested in observing their performances and recording sessions to gain a better understanding of the workings of the scene and their place in it. In addition, I told them that I would welcome suggestions for other musicians whose perspectives they thought I should seek. I also reestablished the few relationships I had with recording industry personnel, most notably Sharon Blynn, then at Verve Records. In addition, to acquaint myself with what was happening on the New York scene and beyond, I started systematically reading the national and local jazz periodicals (Down Beat, JazzTimes, and Cadence) as well as jazz-related articles in newspapers such as the New York Times and the Village Voice. I focused not only on feature articles and short news items but also on reviews of recordings and advertisements. In the process I familiarized myself with a number of performers, producers, and recording industry personnel of whom I had not previously been aware; learned something of the current activities of ones about whom I already was aware; and gained greater understanding of their backgrounds and relationships to one another and the scene. Through these different forms of inquiry, I started to develop a picture of the variety of jazz activity occurring in the city. Each individual with whom I was personally acquainted led or introduced me to others. They also kept me apprised of performances, recordings, recording sessions, and other information about the functioning of the scene.
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