A Phenomenological Analysis Of Musical Engagement When Recording, Performing and Rehearsing With The James Taylor Quartet

This paper proposes to explore the creative listening roles employed when working with the ‘Acid Jazz’ ensemble The James Taylor Quartet (JTQ) during the years 1989 – 1990. During this time the band recorded their 2nd album Get Organized (Polydor Records 1989) in addition to undertaking several European tours, releasing two mini albums, a promotional video and a single. It is proposed that my dual role today as both an ex band member and academic enables a unique opportunity to analyse factors such as the impact of creative listening on the progressive development of songs, arrangements, productions and performance paradigms. Gioia’s (1988) comment that ‘jazz musicians cannot look ahead at what [they are] going to play, but can look behind at what [they] have just done’ is pertinent, and this paper will apply this philosophy by including my own and others reflections on the creative listening process. As noted by Keith Sawyer (2007), ‘all innovations result from a collaborate web’, and the epistemological paradigms through which listening is an essential aspect in the group creative process will be discussed, drawing on personal reflection and interviews with James Taylor himself. After contextualising my role in JTQ, the paper will be constructed to progressively examine research questions that have particular relevance for performing musicians and composers as follows: