Sonic ecologies : a journey through music, space and sensations in jazz live performances

Music has become a dominant and popularised form of culture in the modern world, produced and reproduced by the masses. It seems that the idea of continuous separation of the ‘human’ with the ‘nonhuman’ created a deep gap regarding the conceptualization of organic and harmonious practices for sustainable development of the world’s economic, cultural and social spheres. With this individualistic perspective, the idea of community and the connection between the outside world and humans have fallen into oblivion. Music culture and the music industries, powered by a massive technological and globalised process, have allowed an international travelling of sound with traits and characteristics of different cultures, rituals and ways of making music. Music is a way of connecting with the world. Specifically, the jazz musical genre approaches change in musical and performative practices while preserving its connection to its roots, tradition and rituals. It distinguishes itself from other musical genres through its instrumental characteristics, musical dialogues, and intrinsic traits that refer to its history and sociocultural influence. Aiming to reconcile the environment and civilisation, together with the intersection of the nonhuman and human world, the physical and the cultural spheres all mediated by sound composition, this dissertation explores the musical genre of jazz and its live performances in a given surrounding. Following an extensive literature review, this work delves into the fundamental aspects of sound, music, audience, performance and performativity. It travels through sensations and relationships integrated into the ecological performative system. To question the way the spirit and sensation of a place, through an ecological approach affects the performance of a cultural product such as live jazz, and how this influences the performance/performers and audiences, the work approaches three main blocks: the social cooperation in music and its instrumental relationship, the intersection between actor ...