| Jazz
Insight has developed the first comprehensive approach to teaching the
art of jazz listening. Our mission is to show people: a) why jazz is valuable
b) what to listen for in the music and c) how to apply jazz listening skills
toward enriching other aspects of their lives. Jazz Insight's teachers are
all master jazz musicians who are also master educators. Our services include
live performances, workshops, recordings, books and videos.
Jazz is fun. It feels good. Every element of life
is also in jazz: imagination, compassion, daring, invention, humor, subtlety,
beauty. Jazz lifts the spirit and broadens the mind. Jazz is America's original
fine art. The U.S. Congress has declared jazz to be a "national treasure,"
and so it is. But it is a buried treasure for most Americans. Our mission
is to help people find and enjoy the treasure.
Today, as from the time it was born, jazz is about
freedom. Not freedom from outside interference, but freedom from within,
a freedom borne of self-awareness and inner strength. Jazz Insight believes
that jazz is a spiritual art which can elevate a person's awareness. When
approached with reverence, jazz is a sacred activity, imbued with great
power to heal and inspire. When used as a model, jazz can inform our lives
towards living in the moment, connecting with the spirit within, and expressing
ourselves creatively.
Jazz is not a frill. It is one of the most fundamentally
practical, useful activities in human history. Our mission is to connect
people with jazz by helping them hear and feel what makes it so valuable.
Like all treasure, jazz can only be of practical value when it is: desired,
sought, discovered, and spent wisely. Jazz Insight provides the map to the
treasure and the key to the treasure chest. All the listener needs to do
is to "dig!"
Most jazz appreciation focuses on jazz history.
History brings the listener to the gate. Jazz Insight's pioneering approach
to jazz appreciation goes through the gate, right into the listening landscape.
Like any skill, the art of listening requires attention and guidance to
be done successfully. Would it be possible to enjoy a ball game, or build
a garden without knowing the elements and steps involved?
Listening is a wonderfully subtle, fully alive
activity. It isn't an automatic response of the nervous system! Jazz is
a prolific fine art - combining skill in composition, improvisation and
performance with a knowledge of folk and classical elements from throughout
history and around the world. To fully appreciate this scope, jazz insight
is essential. Fortunately, the art of jazz listening is as much fun to learn
as it is to put into practice. |