By Ronald B. Weber, MD

Jazz enthusiasts’ brains share this trait: a particular swinging vibe to certain music produces intense pleasure. I will make no effort to define jazz or explain this phenomenon at a neurochemical or neurophysiological level – at least not here, and not now. It is merely a truism.

What next attracted me to jazz after the good feeling was its essential “freedom within limits.” Having started my music education on the piano with classical repertoire (limits) and later classical percussion (even more limits), the improvisational escape from the written notes in jazz represented another great thrill. Hey, this is where the fun really starts when playing or listening to jazz! Only a special brain understands the structure of a tune and then permits its owner to improvise creatively within this structure.  Jazz musicians do this, but even the most skilled classical players generally cannot. Have you ever heard Itzhak Perlman try to play jazz? Improvisation aside, I do not believe that listeners spend enough time listening to and thinking about the compositions and arrangements that make up the foundation or framework of the jazz performance.

Throughout the history of jazz, there have been great composers and improvisers – usually not the same people. Charles Mingus was a wonderful bassist and composer; Dave Brubeck, similarly has his devotees and many of his tunes are jazz classics. Duke Ellington, a good pianist, was renowned for his spectacular writing. Sonny Rollins has written some marvelous jazz tunes, but forever will be known as perhaps the greatest improviser of all time. Now with Thelonious Monk there was a unity or continuum between his quirky compositions and his angular improvisations. He was continuously negotiating the act of composition with improvisational exploration of the piano. Much the same can be said of saxophonist Wayne Shorter, whose compositions and improvisations are seamless, particularly at this stage of his career.

What makes composition different than improvisation, of course, is the element of time. A writer might take months to pen a passage to get it just right, possibly incorporating something heard on the bandstand at another time. But in a live performance, he or she must battle the elements of emotions and most importantly, risk-taking during the solos. Improvisation essentially is a fast-forward composition. Improvisation is where great things - or train wrecks - happen in jazz. It is the part we invariably like the most. However, the framework has been laid down by the composer/arranger and then the soloist uses this as a reference for personal interpretation of the music. Talent and craft kick in at that point. Everything that has come before and after, however, is still critically important. I encourage you to listen carefully to all of the music if you want really understand the musical process and increase your enjoyment of this unique art form.