I am reading Herbie Hancock’s new biography Possibilities. For the uninitiated, Herbie is one of the most influential Jazz pianists. In his first chapter he recounts a story of his debut as a very young but talented Jazz musician. He had been invited to join the band of the famous band leader and trumpet player Miles Davis. On stage with four other players they are gearing up to accompany one of Miles’ peak solos. The whole audience is on the edge of their seats. And then Herbie plays a chord that is totally wrong and out of place and harmony. He is devastated. Miles stops for a very brief moment, the tension grows, and then he plays a series of notes that somehow, miraculously turn the wrong chord into beautiful music. Miles was able to run with the “wrong” chord, take a chance and integrate it into an improvised new piece of music.
For Herbie this experience became one of his most important Jazz and life lessons. He learned that Jazz was about being in the moment, trusting yourself and others, taking a chance with what is being shared with you and to improvise and respond on the fly. Jazz and life from then on became a continuous journey of exploration and learning.
Leonard Cohen sings in Anthem: “Ring the bells that still can ring, forget your perfect offering, there is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” A “wrong” note or chord or a crack in life can be a relationship conflict, a body symptom or illness, or other difficult experiences. Like Herbie we all need mentors that help us reinvent ourselves and turn our challenges into music. Our natural tendency is to take the safe route, avoid or prevent wrong notes and when they happen to get rid of them. In Jazz and when we follow the dreaming of our body we learn a new approach, which is to stop, evaluate the situation, forget our perfections and find the notes that allow us to recreate ourselves and follow the new music.