Covert and Overt Expression: Understanding Jazz Through Individual and Communal Values

Author

• Jalen F. Grandchamps, CUNY Hunter CollegeFollow

Date of Award

Spring 5-1-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Music

First Advisor

Farzad Amoozegar-Fassaie

Second Advisor

Leah Batstone

Academic Program Adviser

Yayoi Everett

Abstract

This thesis argues that jazz— particularly the Free Jazz movement of the 1960s–70s—can be understood through the lens of covert and overt expression, a framework tracing its lineage to earlier Black musical forms like Spirituals and Blues. Covert expression, defined here as coded or survivalist communication (e.g., Spirituals’ biblical allegories for liberation), emerges under conditions of violent oppression; overt expression, by contrast, reflects unfettered artistic agency and direct protest (e.g., Mingus’s "Fables of Faubus").

Recommended Citation

Grandchamps, Jalen F., "Covert and Overt Expression: Understanding Jazz Through Individual and Communal Values" (2026). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/hc_sas_etds/1540