Playing Jazz in the Office

[pasta]

working in a small office environment. playing an online streaming jazz station, very quietly thru small speakers. about five minutes ago, tal farlow was on, not sure of the tune. anyway, guy who works here walks by, leans in, and asks "is that you playing the ELEVATOR MUSIC." this from a guy who listens to such awesome musical giants as boyz2men, etc. unreal.

Edited May 17, 2007 by pasta

[Dan Gould]

So, unless he is your supervisor or a higher up, tell him what you think of his musical taste in comparison to the so-called "elevator music".

[BruceH]

If you're going to be a jazz fan, you can't be quite so thin-skinned.

(Still, the guy's an idiot.)

[relyles]

What is wrong with boys 2 men?

[pasta]

dan- why waste the breath?

bruceh- i'm not.

relyles-

[Joe G]

What is wrong with boys 2 men?

If they're still boys after all these years, there's something amiss.

[pasta]

okay, here goes. i think this guy falls into 2 categories at once:

1) people with giant balls who feel they can say whatever they want whenever they want to

2) people who show their ignorance without even knowing it

so there.

[pasta]

funny part of it is, i have some extremely diverse musical tastes.........guess i'm in the minority. when this guy is playing, i dunno, the latest product from christina stefani lavigne aguilera, i don't make any snide remarks. i think them, yes, but never verbalize. whatever, his loss.

[Hot Ptah]

In my experience jazz played in an office is bound to generate negative, unknowing remarks. To be surprised or hurt by them is naive.

On the other hand, if I overheard someone in an office playing traditional Scottish music, commercialized redneck country, or hard core thrash at a clearly audible volume, would I go up to them and say "oh, what good taste you have! I must compliment you on your non-traditional, and intriguing, music! How refreshing to hear it during the work day!"

[pasta]

"Playing Jazz in the Office, Could have predicted this..............."

[jazzbo]

Try playing some twenties Pops, Duke, Bix, etc. . . .

My favorite remark was "what cartoon is that music from?"

Of course this was from a guy who likes "both kinds of music. . .country AND western."

[J Larsen]

There are a bunch of jazz fans in my office, including the head honcho who saw Miles' electric band many times and has Blue Trane as his ringtone.

I've run into coworkers or gone with them to shows many times - offhand I'd say there are about 10 jazz people here that I know of.

[pasta]

TRUE STORY:

playing fat albert rotunda in another office years ago, got the cartoon music question.........answered "fat albert"

[sal]

A few times, I've gone the incorrect route of verbally decimating a person's musical taste when they say something bad about my jazz (and its only the people who like bad music who open their mouths) at the office. Its had mixed consequences, but I'm still here, still work hard, and still get good performancce evaluations, so I don't care about much else.

[sal]

There are a bunch of jazz fans in my office, including the head honcho who saw Miles' electric band many times and has Blue Trane as his ringtone.

I've run into coworkers or gone with them to shows many times - offhand I'd say there are about 10 jazz people here that I know of.

Ahhh...to live in NYC! Someday maybe.

[Hot Ptah]

There are a bunch of jazz fans in my office, including the head honcho who saw Miles' electric band many times and has Blue Trane as his ringtone.

I've run into coworkers or gone with them to shows many times - offhand I'd say there are about 10 jazz people here that I know of.

Wow! Where do you work? I have never heard of anything remotely like that.

[J Larsen]

There are a bunch of jazz fans in my office, including the head honcho who saw Miles' electric band many times and has Blue Trane as his ringtone.

I've run into coworkers or gone with them to shows many times - offhand I'd say there are about 10 jazz people here that I know of.

Wow! Where do you work? I have never heard of anything remotely like that.

I work for a mid-size consulting firm; the NYC office mostly specializes in financial economics. You wouldn't expect it to be a hip environment. Life is surprising sometimes.

[ValerieB]

i think all of you are quite fortunate to be able to play music in your office space! i work in a law firm and the only music i've ever heard here is just barely audible.

[Noj]

I'm lucky enough to be able to play all types of music in the office, but I usually try to keep it as universal as possible. I don't overdo it with jazz. One time I played about an hour of Brazilian music and a co-worker asked me, "Dude, what are you doing to us?"

[Hot Ptah]

i think all of you are quite fortunate to be able to play music in your office space! i work in a law firm and the only music i've ever heard here is just barely audible.

I also work in a law firm and music, while not specifically forbidden in a written policy, would never be played here. A few people over the years have liked jazz, not many. One tried to convert others to jazz and was always met with awkward, embarassing silence and inappropriate comments.

One of the clients talks often of his love of Duke Ellington and this is often cited as evidence of his unbelievably weird nature by people who work here.

Best to keep it to yourself, in a law firm--and that applies not just to a love of jazz.

Edited May 17, 2007 by Hot Ptah

[GregK]

I've gotten similar comments. I had NPR (local jazz station WEMU) on and someone asked who likes the "E-Z listening" music! Someone else even asked what those show tunes were when I had Kind of Blue playing! And there is always the guy who plays "air trumpet" whenever they hear a horn. Always gets big laughs from his buddies.

[ValerieB]

i think all of you are quite fortunate to be able to play music in your office space! i work in a law firm and the only music i've ever heard here is just barely audible.

I also work in a law firm and music, while not specifically forbidden in a written policy, would never be played here. A few people over the years have liked jazz, not many. One tried to convert others to jazz and was always met with awkward, embarassing silence and inappropriate comments.

One of the clients talks often of his love of Duke Ellington and this is often cited as evidence of his unbelievably weird nature by people who work here.

Best to keep it to yourself, in a law firm--and that applies not just to a love of jazz.

are you, by any chance, down the hall from me?!?

[Jim Alfredson]

My favorite are the people that have obviously never really listened to jazz trying to be funny by snapping their fingers like a hipster... on the wrong side of the beat.

Yeah, haven't seen that one before, buddy. Real funny.

[Uncle Skid]

Since I work mostly out of my home office, I get to listen to whatever I want...

But, I do have to occasionally venture out into the cold, cruel world, and I have a client that has music playing all day long throughout their offices. Sometimes it's classical, but most of the time, it's jazz.

Smooooooth jazz, baby. XM 71 -- "Watercolors". The aural equivalent of a Thomas Kinkade painting.

Let's just say I never make the trip without my iPod and headphones!

[jazzypaul]

I'd get into trouble if I wasn't listening to jazz at work...