Today’s newsletter, “Human Resources,” is about what we can learn in art, business, and family life from how Duke Ellington ran his band, as detailed in Ted Gioia’s How To Listen To Jazz:
“Almost every important piece Ellington ever composed was written to showcase the key skills he heard in his band members. Music almost became a platform for Ellington’s management of human resources… Ellington’s executive skills could be compared to Benny Goodman’s, and the contrast was striking. Goodman was a perfectionist who was rarely pleased with the musicians he hired, and they burnt out on his intensity, many leaving the band after only a short stint. Ellington’s orchestra thrived, in contrast, because the boss didn’t demand perfection, and instead built everything in the ensemble’s repertoire on the demonstrated strengths of his personnel. I suspect that this approach to leadership could work in any environment…”
Many readers mentioned how much they liked the drawings, which pleased me, as they’re all over a decade old, many from when I was drawing a lot at Austin City Limits tapings.
