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Jazz Leadership

Written by: Mike Bell

Article Overview: “I used to think that running an organization was equivalent to conducting a symphony orchestra. But I don't think that's quite it; it's more like jazz. There is more improvisation.” - Warren Bennis Jazz is a great metaphor for leadership so I thought it would be interesting to explore how running an organisation might be more like improvisation. Here are some jazz improv tips and I’ve added my thoughts about how they apply to leadership, together with quotes from some of the jazz greats that seem to tell the same story.

Jazz Leadership

Jazz Leadership

“I used to think that running an organization was equivalent to conducting a
symphony orchestra. But I don't think that's quite it; it's more like jazz.
There is more improvisation.” - Warren Bennis


Jazz is a great metaphor for leadership so I thought it would be interesting to explore how running an organisation might be more like improvisation. Here are some jazz improv tips and I’ve added my thoughts about how they apply to leadership, together with quotes from some of the jazz greats that seem to tell the same story.


Introduction
You don't have to sound like Charlie Parker but every serious jazz musician needs to be able to improvise. I have just begun to seriously practice improvising and my goal here is to share tips that have helped me. I do not plan to go in depth on the theory involved; you can research that for yourself.

Maybe we’re not all going to be a Jack Welch, Mary Robinson or Richard Branson. But if we’re going to develop our talent for leadership then we sure need to practice.

“Some people try to get very philosophical and cerebral about what they're trying to say with jazz. You don't need any prologues, you just play. If you have something to say of any worth then people will listen to you.” - Oscar Peterson

Listen
I can't stress this enough. Go out and buy/copy all the jazz music you can and really listen to it.

Walk around your office, department or organisation and listen; listen to what your people are telling you about what’s working well and not so well.

“The most important thing I look for in a musician is whether he knows how to listen.” - Duke Ellington

Sing
Sing instrumental parts along with recorded music and absorb the different patterns into your memory. Sing a phrase you hear or of your own and then try to play it on your horn.

‘Sing’ your own vision. Create a 10 word ‘song’ that expresses the meaning and the future potential of your organisation and repeat it as often as you can.

"Well, if you find a note tonight that sounds good, play the same damn note every night." Count Basie

Make It Groovy
You can play all the "right" notes and not sound good. Or, you can play "wrong" notes and sound great. It isn't about the notes. It is about making whatever notes you play groovy. What makes your playing groovy. I can't tell you. You have to find it for yourself because it is whatever works for you. To quote a popular cliche, "It's not what you say, it's how you say it". Experiment till you find your grooviness.

We all respond well to sincerity and to passion. We have amazingly powerful ‘sincerity monitors’. You can say all the right words but people know if you are being sincere or not. If you are sincere and passionate about what you are saying, it does not matter if you are ‘word perfect’. Take the risk of making mistakes. Let people see you are human.

“As it enters the ear, does it come in like broken glass, or does it come in like honey?”
- Eddie Condon

Familiarize Yourself with Theory
You don't have to become a professor of theory to sound good, but it might help. At least memorize basic chords and the blues scales for popular keys. But remember, theory doesn't tell you what will sound right or wrong. It only attempts to explain why it sounds right or wrong. So, use theory as a foundation to build upon with your own ideas.

Maybe you are a natural intuitive leader and that’s great. For the rest of us it helps to have some understanding of what seems to work or not work when leading others. There is value in knowing how motivation, commitment, trust, integrity etc are developed.

“It's like a language. You learn the alphabet, which are the scales. You learn sentences, which are the chords. And then you talk extemporaneously with the horn. It's a wonderful thing to speak extemporaneously, which is something I've never gotten the hang of. But musically I love to talk just off the top of my head. And that's what jazz music is all about.” - Stan Getz

The ½ Step Rule
A general rule of thumb is that you are always ½ a step away from the "right" note. If you don't like the note, lower or raise it a half step quickly and it sounds great because you are creating suspense then resolving it.

When you’re improvising it’s not about being word perfect. But if your heart is in it, you’ll be close enough and the message will get across.

“One of the things I like about jazz, kid, is I don't know what's going to happen next. Do you?” - Bix Beiderbecke

Break the Rules
Once you know the rules, break them. You'll be called a genius. However, there are few rules if any that have remained unbroken thanks to previous geniuses so you better hurry.

You can’t be a great leader and do it by the book. Go with a maverick idea for a while. Trust your instincts. It does not have to make sense in the moment.

“When people believe in boundaries, they become part of them.” ~ Don Cherry

Use Rests
A lot of times I hear people solo and it sounds like they are trying to fill up every measure with as many notes as they can get in. The best solos, though, often contain a lot of rests. State what you want to state, rest a beat or two, then go on. It gives the audience time to absorb what you just played, tells the audience that what was just played was important, leaves them listening for more, and gives you a moment to breathe and think about what you want to play next.

I can’t add to this!

“It's taken me all my life to learn what not to play.” - Dizzy Gillespie

Quoting
Musically quoting another song in the middle of your solo can be a real crowd pleaser if you don't over do it. Play a couple bars from "Pop Goes the Weasel", "Mary Had a Little Lamb", "The Pink Panther Theme", or any other catchy tune.

Have you got a selection of insightful quotes from leaders that people respect?

“I'm very glad to have met you. I like your playing very much.” - Charlie Parker to Jean-Paul Sartre

Restate the Melody
Go ahead and play a familiar lick from the head (melody) of the song. Then, play it again with a different rhythm or change a few notes. For instance, take the highest note and raise it by a half step.

Tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them you’ve told them!

“This is my dilemma. I'm a guy who makes things up as I go along so nothing is ever finished - there are so many layers. So when you solo, yeah, you might get into one thing, but then, hey, everything has implications! You can hear the next level. And that's how I feel about improvising - there's always another level.” - Sonny Rollins

Rhythmic Diversity
If you are stuck on a few notes and don't know what to do with them, have fun with rhythm. Play eight note or quarter note triplets. Play different rhythms containing sixteenth notes.

Ask people what they think. Take their ideas and don’t criticise or judge them, just improvise with them.

“Jazz is like a great void, it waits patiently until a brave musician takes control of space and time.”- Chris Griffin

Dynamics
Too many beginners play all their solos the same dynamic - fff. Playing soft will actually grab an audience's attention. Try adding shape to your phrases by playing louder as you play upward runs and softer as you play lower.

Use your voice to add effect. When everyone in the room it talking loudly, then talk quietly and they will soon shut up so they can hear you. If you want to raise your voice to get a message across don’t be afraid to do so. But beware strong emotions like anger that might drive you to shout at someone. Be clear that you are choosing how you respond.

“But you listen to Coltrane and that's something human, something that's about elevation. It's like making love to a woman. It's about something of value, it's not just loud. It doesn't have that violent connotation to it. I wanted to be a jazz musician so bad, but I really couldn't. There was no way I could figure out to learn how to play.”
- Wynton Marsalis

Emotion
Before you start playing your solo, decide what feeling you want to express. In practice, brainstorm a list of feelings and adjectives and try to play each one. For starters, try playing gloomy, excited, nervous, gentle, and cautious.

How do you want to come across – creative and imaginative, or trusting and calm, or caring and nurturing, or clear and decisive? You choose depending upon the situation you find yourself in.

“Every note Roy (Eldridge) played had meaning and life...his feelings pushed the valves down, not his fingers.”- Don Ferrara

Tricks
By learning how to growl, bend notes, play altissimo, and play multiphonics, you expand the tools you can use to express yourself. Go ahead and use anything you can. However, use it with a purpose (not just to use it) and use it sparingly or else everyone may get tired of it and it no longer seems like something special.

Think about how you can demonstrate in some way the point you are trying to make. What people see and hear will be remembered and talked about.

“Don't threaten me with love, baby; let's just go walking in the rain.” - Billie Holiday

Tell a Story
Always have a beginning, middle, an end and some sort of transition between them.

A good story can cut right through the intellectual blockage and get to the heart of the matter. We are all storytellers and we love stories because they communicate at a deeper level that a powerpoint presentation ever will.

“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity.” - Charles Mingus


Relax
Forget about the crowd and just play for yourself. You don't owe them anything. Don't dwell on whether or not you could have done better. In music there is no such thing as perfect so don't freak out if your last solo wasn't.

If you’ve ever been stuck for what to say, or worse, utter gibberish has come out of your mouth, this is because you were anxious. The body has an interesting way of detaching our pre-frontal cortex when we are stressed. This area holds the executive function with to abilities to differentiate among conflicting thoughts, determine good and bad, better and best, same and different, future consequences of current activities, etc.

So learn to breathe properly and relax and you will always have access to your deeper knowing and wisdom.

“Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn.” - Charlie Parker

Mike Bell
The Wisdom Meme
© 2008

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Article Tags: charlie parker, duke ellington, fi, improvisation, jazz greats, jazz improv, jazz leadership, jazz music, jazz musician, mary robinson, metaphor, oscar peterson, phrase, prologues, quotes, richard branson, story introduction, symphony orchestra, warren bennis, word song



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