I Never Thought Of It That Way Before ... or Cognitive Dissonance Ain’t An Illness

May
31
2009

A couple of weeks ago, the musicians of Getting in the Groove and I had a 9:30 AM downbeat in Bracebridge to do a workshop for the management team of a client organization. Because Bracebridge is a 2-plus hour drive north of Toronto and we had to allow for pits stops for coffee, loading in, sound checks, and, of course, the possibility that the conference centre might not be exactly where it was supposed to be, we were on the road by 6:30 AM - an early hour for most and an unconscionably early one for jazzers.

We made it, but I, at least, was in neither the mood nor the condition to play anything complex at a killer tempo. (It is only on rare occasions that I ever am, but these conditions absolutely precluded the possibility.) Because it was a beautiful, harbinger-of-summer kind of day, I chose George Gershwin's "Summertime" as the tune that the participants were to observe and comment on.

A discussion among the managers and the musicians about the Summertime musical "conversation" followed its performance. People noticed that, as in all good conversations, there was an organizing theme - as the great jazz bassist Charlie Mingus once said, "You can't improvise on nothin', man. You gotta improvise on somethin'."; there was the dynamic interplay among the musicians and the listening that makes it possible; leadership moved around the group, but was, itself, influenced by those accompanying the soloist leader.

While these are the sort of observations we’ve come to expect when people pay attention to an improvised performance, every once in a while people comment on things that surprise us. And it happened that day.

Perhaps one of the best-known versions of this great Gershwin tune was recorded by Ella Fitzgerald. In fact, for one of the workshop participants, Ella’s performance was the defining version. And so, when I announced that we were about to play it, it was Ella’s voice she heard and which, she reported, shaped her expectations of our performance. Our version, as you might expect, was different.

In a subsequent e-mail exchange with her, here’s how she described her response.

When you first said your group was going to play Summertime, immediately Ella's version sprang to mind. When the music started, I was a little shocked....this wasn't my Summertime! For almost half of the song, I found myself struggling to find recognizable notes, and had an a-ha moment whenever I recognized a segment. Then I just let myself sit back and enjoy the show. It may not have been what I was expecting, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. I suppose that's a bit of a testament to the ruts we get into at work...we do things the same way, day in and day out, and when things don't go according to plan, we're thrown for a loop. Eventually we realize that change can be good.

Change is good - generally, of course, if it's happening to others! But, as it happened, I, too, was in for a surprise.

Although I have my own preference for playing Summertime (kind of funky groove), I decided to ask Kevin (guitar) and Chris (bass) to play the first chorus and establish how we ought to play it. At the very last moment, Kevin delegated the lead to Chris who began playing the melody at a dead slow tempo with Kevin providing a marvellous ethereal accompaniment. It was bloody gorgeous and worth the price of admission. It was such an unexpected interpretive take on the tune that Glenn (drummer) and I were taken completely by surprise. (Given that Kevin and Chris have been known to kick butt, we were readying ourselves for something more muscular.) When it came time for me to solo, I played Summertime in a way that I’d never played it before. By entering into Chris and Kevin's interpretive take on the tune, it was like I was meeting the tune for the first time.

Enter cognitive dissonance. (Look it up - Google has approximately 825,000 entries for you to choose from.) For both my Bracebridge correspondent and I, the ground of our expectations had been shifted by Chris and Kevin - and to the benefit of both of us. As I reflected on this experience, it occurred to me that creating cognitive dissonsance is a pretty effective way to get people to see some familiar thing in a new way. In an earlier "Random Riff," I reflected on the vulnerability of organizations that looked at the world exclusively through the lens of a dominant profession or function. "No Cognitive Dissonance Allowed" is the sign over the portals that lead into these institutions.

Here's my question for you: Are there Chrises and Kevins in your organization who might have a different take on the tune you're playing but whose voices aren't being heard? You might try listening and, in doing so, you might find a better way to play whatever your Summertime is.

A little postscript ...

I e-mailed Chris, Kevin and Glenn to thank them for their contribution to the Bracebridge workshop with a special thank you to Chris and Kevin for making Summertime memorable. Here's what I got back from Chris. Cognitive dissonance reigns!

Brian, did you have that dream too? Where we were all playing music in some strange little town, and it was really early and the lights were bright? I remember waking up around 1pm (as usual!) thinking, "Boy, what did I eat last night to have such a strange dream?" And then I realized I was in my black suit and there were cookie crumbs in my pocket and a strange date on my hand that said "june 19"!!!! [insert shrieking violins here]- freakin da vinci code $#!+, I tell ya. Anyhow, a pleasure as usual - look forward to the next time!

This is why I hire him!