a failed experiment
The man was trying something new.
He was creating a different kind of music album.
He brought six of the best musicians in the world to the studio.
He didn’t send them the music ahead of time.
Shoot, he didn’t even write the music ahead of time.
He gave them “sketches” of the music.
A very simple chord that he wanted each musician to build off of.
They held no rehearsals.
He didn’t want them rehearsing.
He wanted spontaneity.
He wanted improvisation.
It was jazz, after all.
They spent 9 total hours recording.
Some songs they even did in one take.
The album was complete.
The man left the recording.
He was devastated.
He said that it was “a failed experiment”
The man was Miles Davis.
He had just made one of the best albums in music history.
And he had no idea.
~
Kind of Blue is the best-selling jazz album of all time.
Critically acclaimed as one of the best music albums ever.
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But when Miles Davis finished the recording he said it was a “failed experiment”.
Why?
It didn’t represent what he heard in his head prior to the recording.
~
We fall in love with the ideas in our head.
And we bring people together to work on those ideas.
We ask them to improvise.
Then the idea doesn’t look like our idea anymore.
And we kind of hate that.
We become blind to the new idea.
It feels like a failure.
But the new idea is much better than what we could have ever imagined.
~
Miles Davis said:
“If you put a musician in a place where he has to do something different from what he does all the time ... that’s where great art and music happens,”
Take six of your best people. Put them in a room. Push them out of their comfort zones.
Make them improvise.
You might make something remarkable.
Or at worst, you have a failed experiment.
Those can be hits too.
- Ian
p.s. if you like this story check out CaspianStudios.com/remarkable
Physician | MD, MBA
8mo“If you know what you want to do and you do it, that’s the work of a craftsman. If you begin with a question and use it to guide an adventure of discovery, that’s the work of the artist.” ― Rick Rubin, The Creative Act: A Way of Being
Business leaders call me to build credible businesses (strategy, ops, finance, exec team effectiveness) in the middle of great change | Ex Target & SAP | Consultant and fractional startup COO
8moA beautiful and insightful story, thank you for sharing it! Thinking we "know the answer" is such a common issue for grownups. In fact, many people think they'd BETTER know the answer, or else they must be failures. But letting go of the answer and embracing the problem or opportunity really made the difference for Miles Davis it seems.
🎙 Founder of Crossfire Consulting | Finding the Right Podcasts for Guests & the Right Guests for Podcasts 💥
8moMy favorite jazz album of all time 🎶
Seasoned Marketing & CX Leader with expertise in: Strategy Development in Acquisition, Retention, Growth, and Engagement | Journey Mapping | Persona Development | Product Innovation | Team Leadership & Development
8moI kinda love both points of view in this story--Miles' and the world's. Thanks for the reminder to step back and appreciate the creative output.
Senior Director, Content Marketing at Varicent
8moWow, you go Ian Faison! What a great takeaway. Was a total blast chatting with you about this.