Jazz in Zimmermann's works: polystilism or utopia of freedom?
The article summarizes knowledge about the usage of jazz music in works of B. A. Zimmermann and exposes the reasons of composer's interest to this phenomenon. The history of relationship of Zimmermann to jazz is examined in a broad context, from his first experiments in the area of entertainment music and to the large-scale projects with the professional freejazz team - Manfred Schoof Quintet. The analysis of the series of works enables to classify Zimmermann's jazz idioms, to define meaningful context that characterizes their emergence. The usage of jazz elements is presented in connection with the idea of Zimmermann's pluralistic method (kindred to polystilism), however special position of jazz music in outlook and artistic practice of the composer is stated. In his texts about music alongside with musical works (which by tradition contain lots of literary allusions), Zimmermann conceived jazz improvisation as one of the brightest manifestations of the freedom in contemporary art. Improvisation of jazzmen, getting over the determinism of composition structures, often becomes a sign of human's free choice, including the freedom to part his life - an action that is considered to be the only true manifestation of freedom in the Zimmermann's last years' compositions.