I love jazz and listen to it frequently while I’m working. My husband and I recently went down to Brattleboro to attended a concert by the Bobby Broom Trio at the Vermont Jazz Center.  The music was outstanding, and since the venue was relatively intimate, we were near to the musicians despite being seated toward the middle of the room.  I found it fascinating to watch as they eyed each other closely, constantly communicating nonverbally. There was magic in the weaving of each musician’s independent voice / ideas in tandem with the others’, so that the weight of individual performances flowed between taking precedence, falling back to support another, or melding as a group in equally weighted measure. The powerful sense of the communication and generosity between them added appreciably to the concert and I left thinking about the strength of collaboration and the delicacy of managing its balance.

Dennis Carrol, bass; Bobby Broom, guitar; Makaya McCraven, drums       bobbybroom.com

The next morning, at the Brattleboro Museum, I was pleased to discover another stellar instance of collaboration, this time visual. In the exhibition “Recovering the Body” two large canvases and a third smaller one created by Jon McAuliffe and Craig Stockwell exemplify seamless cooperation, joining disparate approaches (McAuliffe paints representationally while Stockwell’s imagery is abstract) in a way that broadens the resulting work, each voice adding to and enriching the other. A brief explanation of the interesting way they navigated this blending process can be read by following the above link to the exhibit .

Recovering the Body #2, Oil on Canvas 74″ x 58″ ©Jon McAuliffe and Craig Stockwell

Two other sets of accomplished collaborators that I have admired for some time are

Igor and Marina, who masterfully bring together image, surface, space and pattern. A visit to the ‘Process’ section of their website contains wonderful images of preparatory drawings.

Why Bother with Shoes, Diptych,  Oil on Canvas, 75/48″ (191/122 CM)  © Igor & Marina

and Gayle Fraas and Duncan Slade, who have worked together creating beautifully painted and stitched pieces for more than 30 years. (My email request for permission to display their images bounced back. Please go to their website to explore their stunning work.)

Listening to the riffs of various musicians in my studio will remind me of the importance of a shared dialogue with other artists and the wealth that may result, regardless of whether or not it involves actually working on the same piece. And that prompts the question, what means of collaboration can we each find that will push our practices forward?

Once again, the value of community and the reward of trading ideas is underlined. And while the concept of collaboration and group improvisation may not entirely explain what it is about jazz that I find so compelling, it certainly adds to the allure.

*A special thank you to Igor + Marina, Jon McAuliffe and Craig Stockwell for allowing me to use their images in this post.