All Play and No Work: An Ontology of Jazz

Jazz and Musical Works: Hypnotized by the Wrong Model

“…Since in classical music the relevant artwork in a performance is the musical work, this leads to the general claim that to be a musical work a musical ‘object’ must be a work of art. Depending on how we are to understand the concept of an artwork, this requirement appears simply to change the ordinary meaning of “musical work.” But it would be wrong, he claims, to think that this move depends upon appealing to an evaluative sense of “artwork.” He says “The sense of ‘work of art’ that we are concerned with is not an evaluative one” (, 398).…”

“…It is tempting to understand this according to the reductive pattern of a jazz ‘standard’ melody straightforwardly instantiated at the beginning and plainly reprised at the end of the performance, while the heart of a performance is a sequence of improvisatory solos that define it as a jazz performance. Here is how Kania introduces this notion: “I take as my primary target ‘standard form’ jazz, where a paradigmatic performance consists of a number of solo choruses framed by a pair of statements of the head” (, 392). If this description is reductively understood in the way I've just suggested, the work (song) itself can come to seem of little importance compared to the solos.…”

“…… Since performances are different kinds of things from works of art, yet are the primary focus of critical attention in jazz, I conclude that jazz is a tradition without works. (, 400)…”

“…As Kernfeld notes, “Historical, musical, and financial considerations as well have traditionally undercut the status of jazz composers” (, 116). Kania attempts to mitigate the negative implications of his analysis this way: “The sense of ‘work of art’ that we are concerned with is not an evaluative one, thus it would not be a slur on jazz to claim that there were no jazz works in this sense” (, 398).…”

“…Kania adds, “But what I say should apply to almost all jazz, including free improvisation and performances of highly detailed jazz scores” (, 392). If true, this is not because almost all jazz performances conform to a reductive notion of ‘standard’ form.…”