Friday, March 26, 2010

Creativity Part II


Tonight was like a continuation of last night’s discussion of creativity.  This one focused exclusively on music, and on jazz in particular.

“Are You Blue?” was billed as interactive compositions for piano solo by Jerzy Sapieyevski, a professor at AU.  He happens also to be a close friend of my piano teacher.

I was sitting among many of his students in the next to the last row of the Katzen Arts Center.  They all seemed to adore him, not so common among today’s students.  The fact that they would come to his concert on a Friday night says a lot.

As I was flipping through the program, this chart on the creative process jumped out at me.



Jerzy gave us a lot of very different examples of jazz, including variations on Beethoven and a piece dedicated to the people of a small town in his native Poland which was totally eradicated by the Soviets during WWII.

The second half of the concert was actually a panel discussion, including two of his colleagues from the Music Department at AU.  They talked about the origins of jazz, its universality, how it contrasts to classical music, why it is mostly written in the minor keys, and how it is so connected to various emotions.  

It was a fascinating evening that left me in awe of someone who can play jazz.  Even more in awe of someone who can play standing up at a piano!

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sounds like another totally inspiring evening, Barbara! Have these recent infusions on creativity affected your dreams at all?

In addition to the things you mentioned, for me the playing of jazz is also akin to meditation-in-action, involving awareness, presence, using what I "know" without limiting myself to that, faith, willingness, mindful expression (trying to mean what I say musically and not just babble), letting go, attempting to act "beyond" ego (whether that's manifesting as fear or arrogance or whatever), and PLAYfulness...whew!! No wonder it's not easy for me!

F.

2:43 PM  
Blogger Barbara said...

Anon -- Lately I think I've been too tired to dream! Maybe just too tired to remember what I dream.

You know where I would be studying jazz if you didn't live so far away. I wish I had the opportunity to try out all those things you mentioned. And then the last line of your comment which reminds me you are as human as I am!

10:08 PM  

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