I like the connection Daisy (https://morrison.sunygeneseoenglish.org/2016/10/19/jazz-and-listening/) makes between the reactions based on listening made between musicians on this bandstand and between the characters in Jazz. Harris highlights that this conversation between artists on a bandstand sometimes stems from what some people perceive as “mistakes”. He asserts that “the only mistake is if… each individual musician is not aware and accepting enough of his fellow band member. If we don’t allow for creativity”. This creativity results from individuals’ ability to listen and react to people they are with. Violet’s decision to stay with Joe is, in part, a response to a (violent, harmful) mistake he made. Through her interactions with Alice, she gains awareness and accepts her fellow band member, Joe, resulting in the creativity in their relationship that the reader sees at the end of the book. I wonder what other meaning we can make if we see Jazz and Jazz as a conversation between musicians (lovers?) which invites creativity.
During the last small-group discussion I was part of, the group I was in discussed Jazz and Jazz. Rachel brought up that Jazz music is classified by syncopation which is the unexpected variation of rhythms which catches the listener off guard. (Please correct me if I’m remembering wrong) She noted that the drum line which Alice notices at the parade is syncopated. It is a through-line in the narrative which shows up with variation and catches the reader off guard. Additionally, this syncopation is alive in the narrative structure which gives the reader bits of information at unexpected times. The variation of insight into characters lives left me, as a reader, unexpectedly facing biases and scripts about humans which caught me off guard.
Lastly, I want to explore Jazz, Jazz, and love. Through the TED Talk Daisy posted it became apparent that in a well-functioning, creative Jazz band there is a high level of trust and respect between musicians. The artists are also in conversation with each other which is a result of patience and active listening. These ways of interacting strike me as acts of love comparable to the different types of love in Jazz.