Improvised Music in Wales

This chapter looks at improvisation in Wales. In doing so it examines a body of music that spans genres such as jazz, folk, rock and classical; but while improvisation has been present at various times in all four, it is only in jazz that it has always been a key, central skill. So I want to examine how jazz and improvised music have fared – and are currently thriving – in Wales. I also want to explore what Welsh improvisers, in jazz and beyond, have created that is distinctly Welsh and distinguishes their music not just from other jazz but also from other jazz made in Britain. The jazz diaspora has noticeably dispersed via large cities. Wales has no large cities on a global scale and is a predominantly rural country (geographically rather than in population terms). So here I hope to shed some light on the role of jazz and improvised music in a smaller nation.