The ‘Black British jazz’ project (BBJ) explores the emergence of a distinct tradition within British music. BBJ melds reggae, hiphop, African music and US jazz into a rich, and constantly developing set of sounds. In documenting this musical hybrid, the project touches on important issues for the study of music – the transmission of cultural values, the social context of musical forms, and frameworks of ownership that impact on musical communities.

The project traces the historical and geographical routes along which BBJ has developed and examines the role of memory and cultural transmission in the emergence of new musical forms. It also investigates ownership of BBJ in relation to entrepreneurship, creativity and cultural policy and analyses aesthetics, embodied practice and participation in BBJ performance.

In terms of audience the project reaches out beyond academia to a broad constituency through film, a radio series/podcast, an end-of- project concert and more.