Gabriel Solis

Gabriel Solis is a Research Professor in the School of Music at the University of Illinois. His research focuses on African American music, Indigenous musics of the Southwestern Pacific, and the intersection of music with historical memory and transnational media. He holds a B.A. in Musicology from the University of Wisconsin and a Ph.D. in Musicology/Ethnomusicology from Washington University in St. Louis.

His work explores jazz improvisation, Indigenous musical practices in Papua New Guinea and Australia, and the role of music in decolonization. Key research areas include the Black Pacific framework, transnational musical circulation, and the sociocultural dimensions of jazz historiography. His interdisciplinary approach combines ethnographic fieldwork with historical analysis.

Recent publications include "The Jazz Ontology" (2022), "The Black Pacific" (2015), and numerous articles on jazz improvisation, Indigenous music revival, and music's role in social justice movements. He has received awards including the NEH Fellowship (2015) and Jaap Kunst Prize (2013).

Solís has held leadership roles in academic committees such as the Humanities Taskforce Implementation Committee (2014-15) and contributed to editorial and scholarly activities. His teaching emphasizes critical historiography in jazz studies and ethnomusicology.