Designers have much to learn from jazz. I have portraits of three great jazz musicians in my office and they inspire me everyday. (I found these portraits in a corner of the room that stores the 3M art collection)
- Miles Davis, represents innovation and the ability to disrupt and reinvent oneself. He revolutionised his own music, not once, but several times.
- Sarah Vaughan is one of the best storytellers of our time.
- Art Blakey is all about getting the timing right.
Improvisation on a base melody, is central to jazz and that’s another important takeaway for designers.
My recommendation is this:
Listen to and appreciate jazz. It will enrich your life and work
Here’s a playlist of my favourite albums to get you started
- Esperanza Spalding – Junjo
- Gary Burton – Reunion
- Metheny Mehldau – Quartet
- Biréli Lagrène – Electric Side
- Metro – Live at the A-Trane
