In Crossing Bar Lines: The Politics and Practices of Black Musical Space
James Gordon Williams reframes the nature and purpose of jazz
improvisation to illuminate the cultural work being done by five
creative musicians between 2005 and 2019. The political thought of five
African American improvisers―trumpeters Terence Blanchard and Ambrose
Akinmusire, drummers Billy Higgins and Terri Lyne Carrington, and
pianist Andrew Hill―is documented through insightful, multilayered case
studies that make explicit how these musicians articulate their
positionality in broader society.
Informed by Black feminist
thought, these case studies unite around the theory of Black musical
space that comes from the lived experiences of African Americans as they
improvise through daily life. The central argument builds upon the idea
of space-making and the geographic imagination in Black Geographies
theory. Williams considers how these musicians interface with
contemporary social movements like Black Lives Matter, build alternative
institutional models that challenge gender imbalance in improvisation
culture, and practice improvisation as joyful affirmation of Black value
and mobility. Both Terence Blanchard and Ambrose Akinmusire innovate
musical strategies to address systemic violence. Billy Higgins’s
performance is discussed through the framework of breath to understand
his politics of inclusive space. Terri Lyne Carrington confronts
patriarchy in jazz culture through her Social Science music project. The
work of Andrew Hill is examined through the context of his street
theory, revealing his political stance on performance and pedagogy. All
readers will be elevated by this innovative and timely book that speaks
to issues that continue to shape the lives of African Americans today.
James Gordon Williams (Author),
Robin D. G. Kelley (Contributor)
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