Switching Up the Rhythm

Something special happens when you get a bunch of bright and wildly different minds in the same room. On a recent Wednesday night in Tribeca, we gathered such a group to play with ideas provoked by a distinctly American art form: jazz. 

This was the inaugural kyu Circle: a new experimental series that invites leaders across the world to step into extraordinary and unfamiliar worlds, creating rare opportunities to learn from people at the height of their craft. 

At The Django, a club nestled beneath Tribeca’s Roxy Hotel, we spent an evening in the company of The Emmet Cohen Trio: Cohen on piano, with Joey Ranieri on bass, and a bop legend, Joe Farnsworth, on drums. They helped us go beyond the experience of a regular concert, and gave our guests the chance to step inside the music through conversation, demonstration, performance, and more.

Exploring what it’s like to be a world-class jazz musician sparked a fresh kind of reflection for the executive leaders in the room: how to prepare; how to improvise and collaborate; how to lead and form a unit; and how to develop your own identity and path, even as you honor what’s come before you. 

kyu Circle is a live, unrepeatable experience. Everything happens there and then. Just know the night ended with the trio morphing into a 50+ ensemble for a riotous rendition of Dizzy Gillespie’s ​“A Night in Tunisia.”

It was, said one guest, an ​“unexpected and delightful experience that sparked deep reflections on self and music, as well as trust and human connection.” Here’s our playback of the night:

Track 1: Playing as one

The band kicked off their set with Ray Brown’s ​“Buhaina Buhaina.” It was a moment of sonic synergy. ​“This music is quite democratic in nature,” Emmet explained after. ​“You have three people onstage with their own opinions, their own way of feeling the music, their own perspectives, and the idea is to become one, and to work as a team, and really listen to what else is going on onstage.” An element of unpredictability heightened the stakes for both band and listeners.

Track 2: Changing the mood

Playing the same song again and again sounds like a recipe for monotony. Instead, the band shows how a familiar foundation creates room for reinvention. The audience challenged them to replay ​“My Favorite Things,” expressing a different emotion each time, and they reworked the tempo and tone to match. Ample preparation — understanding the source material — allowed the musicians to act in the moment. ​“It wasn’t a specific game plan,” Emmet said. ​“More of a spiritual game plan.” 

Track 3: Listen and respond 

It was never certain where the music would land. Trills of notes piled up on the keys while the bass kept a steady thrum. Every so often, the drums give a jolt, beckoning the others to follow suit. ​“I can really force some things to go certain ways,” Joe admitted. Emmet quipped: ​“He’s like my CFO.” It was a practice in listening and reacting in the moment, and above all, trusting that everyone had the bigger picture in mind.

Track 4: Staying true

Between them, Emmet, Joe, and Joey have collectively played with the who’s who of the jazz world — legends like Ron Carter, George Coleman, Christian McBride, and Pharaoh Sanders. ​“The greatest musicians” Emmet said, ​“aren’t afraid to be themselves and do the thing they do completely their way.” They consider history, tradition, and convention, but they aren’t afraid to throw all that context aside to express their core essence.

Track 5: Come together

Maracas, claves, and woodblocks passed through hands across the space for the grand finale as the entire room joined in. In the moment, it was impossible not to follow the beat. That was the whole point. ​“It’s really hard for us to get in the present tense,” Emmet said. ​“This is our best tool for how to do that.” 

That’s what you can expect from kyu Circle. Maybe we’ll see you at the next one…