Theodor adorno and eric hobsbawm on jazz

Abstract

The article draws a parallel between the ideas of Theodor Adorno and Eric Hobsbawm of jazz and attempts to critique the arguments involved in the authors' aesthetic conceptions of this musical genre. In Adorno's work, it discusses the scope of the concept of culture industry and his considerations on fetishism and regression of hearing, which result in appreciations that emphasize jazz's ideological character and conformist traits. The counterpoint found in the writings of Hobsbawm emphasizes jazz's expanding of the borders of the field of popular music, intertwined with its popular origins, and the aesthetic elevation of its listeners.