A story about making musical lemonade
It was a beautiful evening. A gentle breeze cooled the heat of the day. We sat in the small park looking forward to listening to a jazz concert under the sky.
People flocked from everywhere, some chose to use the seats offered by the organizers, others brought their own chairs. People sat in groups, chatting joylessly, waiting for the music to start.
The Jazz quartet got on the stage, and after a short introduction they started to play. They were led by a pianist and included a drummer, a guitarist, and a trumpeter. They played together, they played solos, they demonstrated great virtuosity, and the crowd was delighted and applauded at every transition in the music.
Then it was pianist time to play his solo part. He did a great job, mesmerizing the crowd with variations on the theme they played.
As he was playing, a sudden car alarm started wailing in staccato from an adjacent street with strength that overshadowed the piano music, destroying the beautiful atmosphere with a harsh sound.
The pianist continued for a moment longer probably hoping it would stop soon. But the alarm kept on. People started shifting uncomfortably in their chairs, murmuring their outrage, looking in the direction of the sound, peeking behind trying to identify the inconsiderate driver who left the alarm horn blaring.
We all felt bad for the pianist. It was clear that if the alarm continued, the pianist would lose his concentration and mess up the music. He had to decide – continue in spite the annoying interruption or stop and destroy the continuity of the concert.
Only the pianist had a different solution. Without losing his cool, he starts improvising with the car alarm, matching the beat and introducing variations of the music. He performed so smoothly that for a moment the alarm seemed to be part of the music.
At once the audience erupted with applause. The pianist nodded in appreciation and continued playing with the car alarm. Now, we were concerned. What would happen to the music when the alarm stops.
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