I love music. All kinds. Well, almost all kinds…
Last night and into today, I’m in a jazz mood. On the way home from two funeral homes last night, I was listening to the local jazz station and they featured some Jim Pearce and Rene Marie. So I went hunting this morning, and found that Rene Marie has an “artist radio channel” on Musicmatch. (I’m listening to her rendition of “A Foggy Day” right now!) And I found Jim Pearce’s cd samples as well.
Why jazz? I don’t know. Maybe it’s the uniquely American music. Maybe it’s like Donald Miller said, “It doesn’t resolve.” Maybe it’s the treatment of the standards, the “great American songbook.” Who knows?
I think perhaps when all is said and done, it’s the way that good jazz musicians interact with one another and the music. They improvise. They have give-and-take. Sometimes they lead. Sometimes they follow. Sometimes they push their way to the front to make their contribution. Sometimes they fall into the background to accompany the current leader. Sometimes they play off of what the others are doing. Sometimes they do their own thing together. They color inside and outside the lines while staying within the boundaries of the melody or the chord progression. Sometimes they head out, a little past the boundaries, stubbornly beckoning the others to come along for the ride, exploring new territory.
Maybe the reason I like jazz is because it is – because of all those reasons and more – a great metaphor for life and leadership, especially in these “different” times in which we find ourselves.
