Jazz music has long embraced diversity, bringing together musicians of different races and cultures. This openness to diverse influences has allowed jazz to continuously evolve and innovate over the past 100 years. Jazz musicians seek out diversity by learning from musicians of other genres, cultures, and parts of the world. Absorbing these diverse influences helps jazz musicians develop their own unique styles and sounds. The open and collaborative culture of jazz can provide lessons for how other organizations can successfully incorporate diversity.

1. Jazz: Ame rica’s Original
Diversity Success Story
Written by: Jeff Perry
Minneapolis-based jazz guitarist
Published: April 5, 2004
Long before the Civil Rights Act, long before as now, Jazz possesses a culture that thrives,
Brown vs. The Board of Education, and long indeed benefits, from diversity. Jazz is America’s
before President Truman’s integration of the original diversity success story.
armed forces, black and white jazz musicians
For almost 100 years, jazz has led white to black,
were breaking social taboos in order to share
and learn from each other. In the 1920s white
black to white, Western to Eastern, American to Also available from
European, Northern to Southern, visceral to
musicians in Chicago would head down to the www.allaboutjazz.com
cerebral. In Jazz, working with, and learning
south side after their gigs for after hours jam
from people of diverse cultures is a core value www.diversitysuccess.com
sessions with black musicians. In the 1930s
What led these musicians to embrace diversity
Benny Goodman, perhaps the most popular www.hr.com
decades before it became the concept that we
band leader of the time, added black musicians www.lilakelly.com
know today? How has that embrace led to jazz’s
to his all-white big band — a revolutionary step
evolution, strength, and constant change and
for diversity in the workplace. In the 1950s Stan
innovation? And, what can the rest of us learn
Getz collaborated with Brazilian musicians to
from the Jazz example?
create a new musical style — Bossa Nova. Then
How a New Music Was Born
Completely new forms of music are unlike traditions a new music was born. Broadway, Gospel, country, Indian, Jewish
rare throughout history. So how did klezmer, and Arabic music. In a brilliant
Perhaps through this fusion jazz
this new form, this uniquely American display of acculturation, jazz in the late
acquired one of its significant traits —
form, of music come 1960s and 70s even borrowed from the
a c c ul tu ra ti o n .
into being? We can offspring it gave birth to — Rock and Roll
T h a t i s ,
look to America’s — and created jazz-rock fusion.
adopting and
“melting pot” tradition di verse: absorbing This trait — this culture — of borrowing
for the answer. The
(2) composed of distinct or characteristics from virtually any other kind of music, has
creation of jazz was
from the music led individual jazz musicians to not only
due to a melting pot of unlike elements or qualities o f other accept diversity, not only embrace it, but
sorts. Put simply, jazz
c u l t u r e s . to proactively seek it out. Just like those
was allowed by the
Because of this white musicians in Chicago sought out
coming together of
trait, rather that remaining stagnant, jazz their south side counter parts, just as black
European musical tradition and African
has been extremely innovative and has jazz musicians in 1940s and 50s looked to
musical tradition. European music
created many distinct sub styles since Stravinsky, Dvorak, and Debussy, today
featured advanced harmonic and
the original Dixieland music that came this trend continues. For example, the last
melodic elements while African music
out of New Orleans in the early 1900s. record Miles Davis made before he died
was very advanced rhythmically and
In its growth it has looked to all kinds of (in the early 1990s) mixed jazz with hip-
had other unique properties that
European music, as well as Cuban and hop music. In the jazz tradition, Miles was
European tradition didn’t. By
Brazilian music, marching music, blues, always looking for new sources of
combining elements of these two

2. Published: April 5, 2004 Page 2
WHY SEEK DIVERSITY?
diversity. herself. Given that there are only twelve
The motivation for jazz musicians to seek notes in the Western scale, this may sound
To understand the need to diversify, the
out diversity is simple – because it makes like an insurmountable task.
demands on jazz musicians must be
them better. It enhances their ability to
understood. Jazz musicians are not only From my experience it is extremely difficult
express themselves, differentiate them-
expected to try to find their own unique to find these new required depths. To
selves, and find a unique voice. This last
style – to sound unlike everyone else - succeed musicians have to combine emo-
point – achieving a recognizable, unique
they are supposed to continually find new tion, knowledge, technique, experience,
voice – is perhaps the vanguard of jazz
depths, avoid repetition, and frequently spirit, and risk taking. They have to have a
accomplishment. And it is no easy task.
reinvent themselves. The nature of jazz “well” within. To draw from this well, there
The primary way for a player to develop a
improvisation is not to play a scripted part, has to be a lot of water to tap. The more
distinct sound is to blend as many influ-
not even to play a predictable part, but to variety of techniques you have available
ences as possible and find a personal
break new ground – to surprise the audi- (which come from diverse influences), the
combination that no one else has. Clearly
ence and the even the player him or more you can vary your expression and
it is in musician’s self-interest to seek out
H OW TO P ROAC T I V E LY S E E K DI V E RS I T Y
As established, jazz musicians are part of However, Little didn’t need to travel out- in Europe and brought their ideas back
a culture that proactively seeks diversity. side our borders to find cross-cultural polli- with them. Jazz musicians continued to
They seek influence from other cultures nation. He recalls time he spent playing look across the Atlantic as the new music
by listening to records, learning songs, with African-American blues singer Big developed and today Classical music still
reading about musicians from other Walter Smith, “I learned that the blues has provides a vast source for ideas.
cultures, and by seeking to hear, meet, its own set of values that are different
Pianist Mary Louise Knutson studied
and learn from a broad range of fellow from jazz. Blues is all about the feel and
classical music before becoming an
musicians. the sound. Playing a lot of notes, like you
accomplished jazz improviser. The
might in jazz, is usually not appropriate. I
Minneapolis-based Saxophonist Doug European approach has affected her in
remember Big Walter would say ‘don’t
Little gives us two great examples of two ways. “First, my Classical training influ-
play so many notes, just play me the
proactively seeking diversity. He recently ences how I hear music. I listen with a
melody.’” Thus, Little’s musicianship, his
spent time in Cuba and has been study- large scope – focusing on dynamics,
approach, his sound, has been shaped by
ing Cuban music and looking to find new articulation, orchestration, and interac-
the influence of Big Walter and the blues.
ideas from it. So what is he finding? tion.”
For jazz musicians, European Classical
“While the greatest challenges in jazz “In addition, people often comment on my
music has always been a hugely important
involve melody and harmony,” Little says, touch. Classical taught me to use a wide
source for harmonic and melodic ideas as
“Cuban and Latin music challenge you range of articulation that adds diversity to
well as for instrumentation. Classical tech-
rhythmically. The rhythm provides the my playing. I use a range of attack,
nique has also been influential as virtuos-
interest and excitement. As you might dynamics, and speed which are tech-
ity is often associated with the great jazz
imagine, I’m focusing a lot more on rhyth- niques, values, I learned from the
improvisers. Some of the important early
mic development now than I was before.” European tradition.”
innovators of jazz were classically trained
D I V E R S I T Y I n Ac t i o n
Jazz musicians approach learning with cultures all over the world, yet it remains, Jazz has been successfully practicing
“open ears.” They study, emulate, and above all, uniquely American. diversity for nearly a hundred years. It is
ultimately incorporate techniques and clear how it has impacted and benefited
While the issue of diversity is now visible
sensibilities from other cultures, mix that the development of the music, provided
on the radar of human resources manage-
with their own strong individuality, the music with innovative vigor, and
ment, it is in its infancy in much of corpo-
strengths, and primary culture. Without benefited countless individual jazz
rate America. In many professional and
this approach the music of jazz would musicians (not to mention the listeners!).
business magazines there is talk of what
have stagnated eighty years ago. Perhaps it’s time for the business world to
diversity means, what its implications are,
Because of it, the music has been blessed ask – what is there in the jazz diversity
how to implement diversity programs.
with a thriving, passionate, evolving model that we can learn from?
Proving the business case for diversity is
force. In jazz you can find influence from
another hot topic.
AUTHOR
Jeff Perry is a Minneapolis-based jazz guitarist and Recruitment Account Executive at StarTribune. He has studied at
Minneapolis- .
Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA and has a B.A. in Jazz Studies from the American Conservatory in Chicago, IL..
Contact jperry@startribune.com. Visit www.jeffperryjazz.com