The Tasmanian Jazz Identity theme is used as the overarching framework for this research, which identifies unique factors in Tasmania’s jazz history compared with other Australian states. Identity, in its broad sense, is a product of geography and history. Australia has a continent-wide jazz regionalism and identity separate from the US; however, there is also much that is distinctive about Australia’s regional jazz scenes. Regional jazz scenes have not been extensively examined in the written histories of Australian jazz. Tasmania is one of the most unique as its isolation has resulted in differences from other jazz sites on Australia’s mainland. Therefore, Tasmania’s jazz scene needs to be understood in its own context; nowhere else in Australia are boundaries so formidable and fixed as Tasmania’s, with the Bass Strait and the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Despite its small population Tasmania has a high degree of autonomy. The individualism of Tasmania’s jazz scene and identities therein are linked to the broader Australian jazz style, but because of the conditions, geography and circumstances in which they evolved, Tasmania developed a distinct, localised, Australian jazz vernacular. The importance of this research is in bridging the gap in the existing literature on Australian jazz history by presenting a sequential, chronological account of Tasmania’s jazz scene from 1917 to 1989, and the musicians who created it. Accordingly, this research focuses on seminal musicians, bands, and identities who contributed to establishing and maintaining jazz activity in Tasmania. This is presented as detailed biographical accounts of individuals or ensembles and their principal contributions, together with a comprehensive investigation into the main musicians, bands, major events, locations, and organisations that developed the jazz scene. This primary research contributes to, and builds upon, the current knowledge and understanding of jazz developments in Australia. It moves beyond the standardised ideas of the Australian jazz identity, by focusing on the broader cultural landscape in order to better understand the role of jazz in the social history of Australia. It provides this information as a foundation for education and a better understanding of Australia’s rich jazz culture and presents a case for the acknowledgment of Tasmania’s important and unique contribution to Australian jazz.