Presentation: Adorno On Jazz

Today for the presentation, Melissa Justin and Keaton will ask why Adorno hates Jazz? We will focus primarily on "On Jazz" beginning with how Adorno hears jazz, what jazz claims to do, how jazz became a commodity, and whether or not our identifying with jazz is a mere illusion.

In my section I will talk about jazz itself and what Adorno says he hears in jazz. The topics will include: syncopation, improvisation, the rigorous metre, harmonic/melodic structure, and the break.

Please consider the following parts of On Jazz: pg 119-120, pg 155 on the hot parts, pg's 132-33 where he talks about ideology of jazz, pg 147.

Questions to consider: What is the relationship between the subjective and objective elements of jazz? How legitimate does Adorno think the improvisation is, as self expression? What elements of jazz might Adorno overlook? How is jazz considered a commodity? Because it is a commodity, and even if we agree overall with Adorno's arguments about jazz's relationship to capitalism, can we still find value in listening to jazz beyond bourgeois pleasure?