Alberto Orte

The day Miles Davis had enough, and finally put down his trumpet, he left behind an astonishing 48 studio records. Not to mention live recordings, rarities and remixes. Mr. Davis was one of these chosen individuals who helped shape the meaning of the word ‘artist’. His work simply constitutes a monument to music, with a size and stature that seems out of reach to any contemporary artist.

I know it’s completely impossible, but I’d love to be like Miles.

Hold on a second. I thought this was an article about advertising? How’s Miles Davis even related to the pseudoscience of selling stuff? Here’s my theory, a bit outlandish, like almost any other, but a theory nevertheless. Every time I try to make sense of the big changes in any creative discipline over the last decade, I always end up reflecting on the same metaphor, the massive impact of the jazz band in modern music.

Let me just sound like an old man for a second. When I started in advertising, agencies had a sort of classic orchestra aura to them. For instance, every person was responsible for only one task. Music was played according to a plan and to an unbreakable hierarchy. There was a very clear idea of what the final product was - a spot, a print ad, a radio ad. And the creative process was exhaustive and detailed-driven, in other words, painfully slow.

And then the world was turned upside down. I know what you’re thinking. Here we go, another story on the digital revolution, the World Wide Web, and the Silicon Valley pioneers. Not at all. Because TED talks aside, what really changed in the world was something much more pedestrian than any of that. Speed. Raging speed. If a process used to take around six months, now it was four, then two, and finally, when things could barely get any faster, it was time to cut the budgets. In only a few years, the advertising orchestra became too big, too slow, and too predictable.

Good news. It was time for jazz.

Every day I walk into my office and I find myself trying to navigate through the new morning category-five shit storm, I come back to Miles. Firstly, it’s a very simple trick to not lose my mind. I don’t know about you, but picturing myself as one of the most elegant and magnetic artists of all time is something I find very relaxing. Secondly, there’s a practical sense behind my delirium. Because if you understand the reasons behind Miles’ ginormous-ly prolific career, you can find a few very useful lessons to survive this thing called the modern world.

Let’s do this.

ONE. Miles said: “I'll play it first and tell you what it is later.” Growing up we were told that improvisation is a character flaw, when in reality, it’s the main engine behind any creative process. We’d like to think that the more we plan something, the better the outcome, but the truth is that a person who makes a plan is simply a person who improvises in advance. And here lies the paradox, when we finally put our plan into practice, it’s very likely that the initial problem has changed, or that someone else has executed our idea before us.

If you have a problem, do just like Miles. Start playing. And if you don’t like the way you sound, just change it until you do. Rationalizing your impulses is only going to lead you to walk in circles.

TWO. The power of jazz lies on the idea that harmony is a product of dissonance. Miles once said, “The thing to judge in any jazz artist is, does the man project and does he have ideas.” In the same way, our first impulse when we want to create something is searching for people who we have an affinity with, or who agree with our original plan. As the 45th President would say… Wrong!!! Dissonance is the fastest way to land on a great idea. It might be confusing, frustrating and infuriating at times, but best results always come from the interaction between people with opposite views.

So when you’re forming your band, don’t look for people with an ability to create interesting structures. Look for people who write good verses. Great music will always find a way to structure itself, if we have some juicy raw elements.

THREE. There’s no good system to make a good record. Miles said: "Don't play what's there, play what's not there." And in the search of what’s not there, there are no shortcuts or brilliant strategies. A good jazz musician needs to leave behind the illusion of control and trusting that the song will rise up in one way or another. There’s no better methodology than trial and error. We all walk in complete darkness after all. The solution doesn’t lie on the method, but in the pace.

The sooner you hit the road and play, the bigger the chances you make enough mistakes until you find your path.

FOUR. Miles also said, "When you're creating your own shit, even the sky ain't the limit." Whatever the discipline, no matter if you work in the fine arts, or in the service industry, never engage in projects that don’t interest you in a personal level. If you don’t like what you’re making, odds are nobody ever will. But if you do like it, it’s always possible to find a common ground where your idea can be enjoyed by others. Motivation is the key metric behind any good performer. And for a creator, motivation relies on how much of yourself you can infuse into your work.

This is not a call to turn deaf ears to critics or refusing to see reality, but to involve yourself emotionally in everything you do, even if it sometimes hurts. If you don’t treat your ideas like a part of yourself, your project will stall and die, in your hands, or on someone’s shelf.

In short, Miles was a freakin’ genius. I’m not. And odds are neither are you.

So it’s likely that this article will never make us one of the most prolific artists of all time. But at least life gives us a fighting chance. And if at the end of the day, I have to throw myself into the ring and fight a few rounds, I’d rather do it with Miles in my corner.

And if it actually works, and this article inspires you to create 48 studio records - live recordings, remixes and rarities aside - please shoot me an email and I’ll buy you a drink.

Alberto Orte

Richmond, Virginia, United States 9K followers 500+ connections

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About

Experience

The Martin Agency

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Education

Universitat Ramon Llull

Volunteer Experience

Communication Intern

Amnesty International Spain

Languages

Spanish

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English

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