J
MAUD MEIJER
A z z 2:18 A.M . I look at the empty coffee cups that have started to pile up behind my laptop screen. I am starting to feel a bit like a zombie, after having stared at a screen all day working on a plan that doesn’t seem to have changed a lot in the last couple of hours. The deadline is set for tomorrow, so it seems I still have a long night of work ahead of me. I feel sleepy, but too stressed to go to bed. The design won’t make itself! I decide it is time for a small break.. More coffee? No, I am in need of something more calming. I look at the LP player in the corner of my room. Yes, when nothing else works maybe it is time for some jazz... As the soothing sound of Chet Baker’s trumpet slowly fills the room, I doze off a little bit... Architecture... Jazz... It does seem there are some connections to be made between the two. Or am I getting to philosophical? Possibly. Jazz is a music genre where the music is ever changing and never the same, but it’s always possible to dissect it to a basic composition of chords. As long as basic agreements between the musicians are made, the music itself comes along as the musicians improvise to create a unique piece. Just like a jazz musician, an architect has to come up with a design that fits the client’s requirements, working with a basic set of tools and materials. Just like jazz music, the design is moulded into shape by the architect finding out what works and what doesn’t. What aspect or material creates the atmosphere and the nuance the architect was looking for, to finally come to a carefully created composition.. with a rhythm and maybe some unexpected tones? Hm.. Yes it is getting late. Time to get back to my design. Yes, it does look different to me now! It is not just a piece of paper filled with lines and numbers, no, it is a carefully made composition of space and rhythm. It might still be a bit out of tune and it certainly needs a lot of adjusting, but with some more improvisation and experimentation it should turn into something interesting! Anyways: here are some Jazzy recommendations for when you are experiencing deadline stress and are in need of some relaxing tunes to help you through the night!// Chet Baker; Chet Baker Sings Dave Brubeck quartet; On time Coleman Hawkins; At Ease with Coleman Hawkins Stan Getz; The Bossa Nova album Nina Simone; Little Girl Blue Oscar Pettiford; Day After Day Ella Fitzgerald; Lullabies of Birdland Shai Maestro; the Dream Thief
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