Bunting and blues: A critical history of Glasgow International Jazz Festival, 1987-2015

Eales, Alison Caroline (2017) Bunting and blues: A critical history of Glasgow International Jazz Festival, 1987-2015. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

Glasgow International Jazz Festival first took place in 1987 and has run every year
since, making it the city's longest-running cultural event. One of the company's
stated aims at its inception was to 'establish [Glasgow] as a major European jazz
centre' (Williams, 1986b).

Through a single, historical case study, the thesis attempts first to ascertain the
extent to which this aim has been achieved, and second to determine the enabling
and limiting factors acting upon the Festival in its attempts to effect change in its
host city. The thesis finds that urban music festivals can, under the right
circumstances, contribute to positive and lasting changes to the environment in
which they exist. In the case of Glasgow Jazz Festival, this is evident in terms of
both the physical infrastructure and educational opportunities which would be
unlikely to exist today had the Festival not been their champion. A festival's ability
to effect such change, however, can be severely curtailed by fluctuating levels of
commitment from local and national authorities.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Subjects: M Music and Books on Music > M Music
• Colleges/Schools: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Culture and Creative Arts > Music
• Funder's Name: Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
• Supervisor's Name: Cloonan, Professor Martin, Heile, Dr. Björn and Rodger, Mrs. Jill
• Date of Award: 2017
• Depositing User: Alison Eales
• Unique ID: glathesis:2017-8026
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 05 May 2017 11:51
• Last Modified: 30 May 2017 07:42
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/8026

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