The constrained position of young musicians in the Yogyakarta jazz community

This article gives a critical account of the development of the jazz scene in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, since the 1980s. It looks specifically at the question of why young jazz musicians did not take the initiative in creating new kinds of jazz composition and playing, unlike their age peers in other nonmainstream music genres. In other words, why was there so little DIY (do it yourself) ethos in the Yogyakarta jazz scene? The interpretation of relevant phenomena offered in this article uses Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of practice. Data were generated through in-depth interviews and participant observation. The transformation of Indonesian jazz both in national and local scope, the masterbased pedagogic model, and economic pressures of the jazz musicians in every day life are the main reasons why there was little DIY ethos in the Yogyakarta jazz scene.