Abstract

This autoethnographic study examines the notions of identity, belonging, and community formation within the Black Anglophone community in Montreal. For my research, I understand Jazz as more than a genre that encompasses Hip-Hop, Blues, R&B, and other related styles, to develop an inclusive and holistic understanding of the musical and educational subcultures formed under the umbrella of Jazz. I employ music as a form of data collection, analysis, and discovery, by engaging in narrative discourse mixed with the visual and qualitative methodology of photography, field notes and music memoing and narrative vignettes. I used thematic analysis to explain themes that emerged throughout the research. The main findings of the study offer critical insights into how Jazz can transcend space, how self-exploration as a Black Anglophone provides a lens to understand belonging within the community, and how the improvisational nature of Jazz is connected to resilience, which has helped build and maintain the Black Anglophone community in Montreal.