Writing
The Routledge Companion to Jazz and Gender identifies, defines, and interrogates the construct of gender in all forms of jazz, jazz culture, and education, shaping and transforming the conversation in response to changing cultural and societal norms across the globe. Such interrogation requires consideration of gender from multiple viewpoints, from scholars and artists at various points in their careers. This edited collection of 38 essays gathers the diverse perspectives of contributors from four continents, exploring the nuanced (and at times controversial) construct of gender as it relates to jazz music, in the past and present, in four parts:
Historical Perspectives
Identity and Culture
Society and Education
Policy and Advocacy
Acknowledging the art form’s troubled relationship with gender, contributors seek to define the construct to include all possible definitions—not only female and male—without binary limitations, contextualizing gender and jazz in both place and time. As gender identity becomes an increasingly important consideration in both education and scholarship, The Routledge Companion to Jazz and Gender provides a broad and inclusive resource of research for the academic community, addressing an urgent need to reconcile the construct of gender in jazz in all its forms.
Chapter 10: The Rise of Queermisia in Jazz: Medicalization, Legislation, and Its Effects (Chloe Resler)
Over the Garden Wall, a television miniseries that aired in 2014 on Cartoon Network, is a distinctly American fantasy in the young adult genre. It is comprised of ten episodes, each set in a different historical period. The music of the series was written and performed by The Blasting Company and drew from a variety of historical influences, including Sacred Harp singing, ragtime, early jazz, Stephen Foster, Balkan folk music, and classic cartoons. The music serves several purposes throughout the miniseries: it helps set each episode in its respective historical period, aids in character development, and moves the narrative forward. Additionally, the consistent musical referencing of classic cartoons generates a feeling of familiarity for the teenage audience, and assists in transmitting the lessons of Over the Garden Wall. Ultimately, the miniseries contains many valuable themes for people of all ages, including the facing of mortality and the importance of family.