Born in the late 19th century, jazz gained mainstream popularity during a volatile period of racial segregation and gender inequality. It was in these adverse conditions that jazz performers discovered the power of dress as a visual tool used to defy mainstream societal constructs, shaping a new fashion and style aesthetic as a subversive representation.
Drawing on fashion studies and cultural theory, it is possible to do an in-depth analysis of the social and political entanglements of jazz and dress, exploring key themes such as race, class and gender.
Dressing the mind is indeed powerful. In this post I’m going to focus in displaying some of the hats Spiritual Jazz choosed to dress its ideological journey, most of them variations of Funktopia’s kufi hats that you can find here.
- Sun Ra
- Hamid Drake
- Michael White
- Roscoe Mitchell
- Carlos Garnett
- Marshall Allen
- Don Cherry
- Malachai Favors Maghostus
- Dr. Lonnie Smith
- Horace Tapscott
- Archie Shepp
- Wadada Leo Smith
- Sun Ra
- Sun Ra
- Joseph Jarman
- Sun Ra
- Phil Cohran
- June Tyson
- Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre
- Pharoah Sanders
- Brother Ah
- Pharoah Sanders
- Sun Ra
- Sun Ra