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Abstract
This dissertation explores questions of influence, individualism, style, and innovation in jazz and their stakes through the music of Vernice “Bunky” Green. Green is an American saxophonist who, I argue, has made a significant impact on the present-day jazz landscape, if not directly, then through the work of other prominent saxophonists like Steve Coleman and Greg Osby. In addition to exploring Green’s musical development and legacies, I discuss the stakes for his approach, which broke away from the dominant paradigm of alto performance established by Charlie Parker. Despite his many new contributions to saxophone soloing, Green was not embraced as an innovator in the eyes of many of his contemporaries, critics, or audiences. To better understand Green’s seemingly contradictory place in jazz history, I discuss his difficulties in getting support from record companies as well as other factors that would have contributed to his relative obscurity. I suggest that Green’s “inside/outside” concept of playing, placing him somewhere between bebop and free jazz, may have been one reason his music was difficult to market to a wide audience.
In addition to discussing these concepts in a general manner, this dissertation provides commentary from Coleman, Osby, and others that point towards the too often overlooked importance of Green’s work and its influence on particular, but nevertheless, notable performers within today’s jazz community. Although Green has received some recognition from his collaborations with some of these performers, his work continues to be relatively unknown outside of a handful of jazz musicians and enthusiasts. My dissertation therefore contributes to a more complete picture of saxophone performance practices and history by looking at the work of a creative musician who has been overlooked by many musicians and most scholars and critics. Moreover, it points to the importance of engaging with the music and perspectives of jazz saxophonists who have been excluded from the canon of jazz writing and music. Beyond its importance for jazz historians, such attention to other jazz histories offers vast possibilities for young jazz musicians to diversify their musical practice and engender new directions in jazz.
