Performing with Technology: Lessons Learned from the GenJam Project

Abstract

The author has been performing with GenJam, the Genetic Jammer, for nearly 20 years and has accumulated a wealth of experiences in performing live jazz with technology. This paper presents a discussion of the use of technology in jazz, both from the performer’s and from the audience’s perspective, and it proposes a classification scheme for live performance that is geared to mainstream performing situations.