Experience and meaning in music performance
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Experience and meaning in music performance |
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Dr Mark Doffman
Mark is currently employed as a Research Associate at the Open University, working on the interdisciplinary project, ‘What is Black British Jazz? Routes,Ownership, Performance’, funded by the AHRC within their ‘Beyond Text’ programme. This 2½ year study combines sociological and (ethno)musicological approaches to the study of the black British jazz scene; the project asks questions about cultural ownership, historical development and performance style within the genre, and examines its part in formations of black identity in Britain. On completion of an MA in music psychology at University of Sheffield (2005), Mark joined the ‘Experience and Meaning in Music Performance’ team in 2005, completing his doctorate in October 2008. The thesis, entitled ‘Feeling the groove: shared time and its meanings for three jazz trios’ focused on temporal intersubjectivity in jazz performance, addressed through the notion of ‘groove’. Examining the nature of musical entrainment, one of the central research topics within the EMMP project, this study combined explanatory and interpretive approaches to the understanding of the ways in which this shared temporal phenomenon holds importance for musicians. Methodologically, the project brought together quantitative and qualitative approaches with its analysis of timing data from live performances and in-depth interviews with the performers, thus developing a rich account of the dynamic nature of groove. Mark’s background lies in jazz performance; as a drummer, he has worked with many of the country’s leading jazz artists and continues to perform at venues round the country. Current performance projects include a longstanding residency at The Spin Jazz Club in Oxford (a club that he co-promotes) and concert/festival work with the operatic bass, Sir Willard White.
Mark Doffman
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