I heard a great story of triumph over adversity on the radio this week. The jazz pianist Keith Jarrett was invited to perform a solo concert in Cologne in January 1975.
The concert was in a famous location, the Opera House, but was organised by a 17 year old prompter Vera Brandes. The preparations did not go well. Keith Jarrett arrived late after a long journey, suffering from back pain.
Then the concert hall staff made a mistake and provided a rehearsal baby grand piano instead of a concert grand which was in a very poor state and even after tuning had pedals that stuck and the upper registers and bass didn’t sound very good.
Keith Jarrett wanted to cancel the sell out concert but Vera Brandes persuaded him to continue. He did, but had of necessity to adapt his playing and changed his style concentrating on notes in the middle of the keyboard. The result was an acclaimed concert and his most popular recording which continues to sell well. See this link for the full story.
This is a classic example of what to do when things go wrong, turning adversity into triumph. Another great jazz musician Duke Ellington said:
A problem is a chance for you to do your best.
And it wasn’t so much that Keith Jarrett welcomed this opportunity to triumph over problems – his first inclination was to quit. But when he turned his mind to it he not only got by but gave one of his greatest performances.
So it is in the professional world. Difficult clients, intractable problems, even broken equipment. They happen anyway but not only can these problems be overcome, it may be they represent an opportunity to do things even better. Disruption may at first sight look like a disaster, but with the right mind-set and approach can be turned into a creative triumph.
The concert was in a famous location, the Opera House, but was organised by a 17 year old prompter Vera Brandes. The preparations did not go well. Keith Jarrett arrived late after a long journey, suffering from back pain.
Then the concert hall staff made a mistake and provided a rehearsal baby grand piano instead of a concert grand which was in a very poor state and even after tuning had pedals that stuck and the upper registers and bass didn’t sound very good.
Keith Jarrett wanted to cancel the sell out concert but Vera Brandes persuaded him to continue. He did, but had of necessity to adapt his playing and changed his style concentrating on notes in the middle of the keyboard. The result was an acclaimed concert and his most popular recording which continues to sell well. See this link for the full story.
This is a classic example of what to do when things go wrong, turning adversity into triumph. Another great jazz musician Duke Ellington said:
A problem is a chance for you to do your best.
And it wasn’t so much that Keith Jarrett welcomed this opportunity to triumph over problems – his first inclination was to quit. But when he turned his mind to it he not only got by but gave one of his greatest performances.
So it is in the professional world. Difficult clients, intractable problems, even broken equipment. They happen anyway but not only can these problems be overcome, it may be they represent an opportunity to do things even better. Disruption may at first sight look like a disaster, but with the right mind-set and approach can be turned into a creative triumph.
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