Bill Evans Plays The Creative Process

In this wonderful video entitled "The Creative Process and Self-Teaching", included in 99U's "10 (More) Amazing Videos About the Creative Process" article (by the Behance Team, 99U, www.99u.com), Bill Evans, one of the greatest and most creative pianists of all times (and one of my favorite musicians ever), tells us how he approaches the creative process and how important is to "be real", enjoy the process and take small steps in order to succeed creatively.

He uses "I Like New York in June, How About You" to explain how different people would approach the song, from a vague and indirect approach, to a more simple and controlled direction, in which you know what you are doing and you can develop from there, instead of "building on confusion" and overplaying. As he goes over his explanation, I can't help noticing how swollen up his hands were... probably a sign of his big problem with heroine that took his life so early.

I think that jazz is a perfect frame to talk about the creative process, because jazz is actually the creative process. Different from other genres of music, Jazz is being created as it is played. Even if it has some basic melodies and structures, the main purpose of jazz is to create and exchange ideas between musicians and with the audience, on the spot.

Link to article: http://99u.com/articles/7225/10-%28More%29-Amazing-Videos-About-the-Creative-Process