Jazz in Taiwan: On the Cusp of Becoming

This ethnography explores the ever-changing, ever-becoming local jazz scene in Taiwan. It centralises Kay Shelemay’s notion that communities in flux are “always existing on the cusp of becoming,” and analyses how jazz musicians, venues, and communities engage with Taiwanese identities constantly in flux. Despite Taiwan’s vibrant jazz scene, it has been largely absent from global jazz scholarship, particularly within English-language literature. This ethnography addresses a relative absence of research into Taiwan’s jazz culture in ethnomusicology and jazz studies. Drawing on fifteen weeks of ethnographic fieldwork, this research assesses the dynamics of identity formation within Taiwan’s jazz scene, particularly in a country with a complex history of colonial rule and ongoing struggles to define its local identity. By examining the intersections of musics, geographies, and identities, this ethnography contributes to the understanding of how jazz, as a global form, is adapted and transformed within local contexts in Taiwan.