Playing Jazz in the Office

[Van Basten II]

I rarely play music at my office, i do remember once listening to a two hour jazz show on the french CBC while i was nearly alone, i worked the night shift, and they played Keith Jarrett Koln Concert.

One female superior who was working late that night, came to my desk told me the music was beautiful and asked me if that was music that i brought because it was not something we generally hear at the office.

And then we made passionate love on my desk...

just kidding, actually the woman was a snobbish twat who barely bothered talking to lowlife subbordinates like me, so for her it was a breakthrough just aknowledging me

Edited May 17, 2007 by Van Basten II

[B. Clugston]

One of my co-workers was once explaining to another about how I listen to "weird" music, such as Anthony Braxton, and wondered what weird stuff I was playing at the moment. I turned up the volume for them to hear a nice sax-guitar quartet playing a standard. They liked it, but were shocked to learn it was...Anthony Braxton off of 23 Standards.

[JSngry]

I like to sit at my desk with my hair mussed, my shirt wrinkled, butter-rum Live Savers on my breath, my fly open, & Lockjaw Davis blaring from the PC. People leave me alone when I do that.

Mission accomplished.

[Peter Johnson]

Man, you guys are working in the wrong law firms! I've got the tunes cranked all day, every day, unless I'm having trouble concentrating (or on the phone with a client!). I've slowly been converting folks who stop by the office to the music by doling out the usual suspects--KOB, Blue Train, etc. Maybe I'm lucky!

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?!?

[pasta]

JSngry has the right idea.

[zen archer]

I have a 2,000 sq. foot studio space and when i do photo shoots i play jazz and my clients learn

to appreciate it cause in their minds I'm an artist and they are hiring me for my artistic

sensibilities to begin with. It's a win win situation for all concerned !

[Jim Alfredson]

Maybe this is the place to recount a funny story about music in the workplace:

When I was a student at Michigan State University, I worked at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Lab to help pay my way through school. But I didn't work with the egg-heads up front, I worked with the machinists, welders, mechanics, electricians, etc. in the back part of the buildling (the actual lab area, where they build shit). All those guys were very blue collar, funny guys. But of course most of them really disliked my music. There was one welder in particular that used to make the most hilarious face whenever he'd pass by my workstation. It was that face someone might get after smelling a raunchy fart. He was always telling me to turn my radio down, too (even though he was usually just passing by, not actually working by me) and would complain to my boss all the time.

Anyway, every now and then the Cyclotron would get a bunch of money from the NSA for a new project and they'd have to hire temporary grunters to handle the load. One time they hired this welder, who was a real pyscho. He thought he was a ladies man and was always hitting on my older sister who worked there at the time, which really wasn't a good idea because she a) hated him and b) is a black belt and c) doesn't take any shit from anyone. That led to some funny confrontations.

Suffice to say he didn't like me. And he hated the music I listened to (and I used to listen to a lot of stuff; jazz, oldies (singing along at the top of my lung's to the Four Seasons, just for laughs), blues, Zappa, prog classic rock, rap, etc.)

So one day I go to lunch, leaving my radio on this big-ass pile of bricks that we're working on (they build the test chambers out of these really heavy concrete bricks with lead shot in them (to help block radiation) and we were moving some walls to open one up). When I come back my radio doesn't work anymore. I finish the day and after my shift is done I take the radio apart and every single wire in the thing is cut. Suffice to say, I knew who did it, but had no proof.

So I went to my electrician buddies there and got a close-circuit camera, brought in an old VCR from home, and hid the camera in the room I was working in to try and catch the guy in the act. Unfortunately he got fired a few days later for being a dick to management. Oh well.

[Shawn]

At the moment I'm working a night-shift job by myself, I'm the only one in the building...

Right now I have Wayne Shorter's ETC. cranked up loud enough to drown out all the white noise from hundreds of servers.

It's a blissful thing compared to my last job where I couldn't play music at all.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

If someone doesn't like Jazz, leave 'em alone. In my own experience, changing listening habits is gradual. Just because the person walking by didn't like Tal Farlow, and he's not my favorite, maybe he'll dig Art Blakey tomorrow.

One day soon, someone will stick their head into your cubicle and ask, "What is this music", with a genuine interest. That's the person to talk to. I've lead many people in my office down the path to being a Jazz fan. A few mp3s on their PC, a few dupe CDs from my trade pile, and the next thing you know, they're telling me who's playing at the Regattabar next month.

You want to know the easiest way to sneak up on someone with Jazz? If they're Christian and listen to Christmas music, play Christmas Jazz. Works like a charm. At Christmas time, I play Charlie Brown's Christmas all the time. People dig it. After the season ends, I play Guaraldi's "Charlie Brown" CD. Sometimes people catch the comparison, sometimes they don't.

Kevin

[Claude]

I frequently use my MP3 player with earbuds at work (1-2 hours per day). My boss doesn't mind, and I only occasionally receive visits from customers in my office. Of course it's not so loud to cover the phone ring, or a knock at the door. That way I can listen to everything without disturbing anyone.

I have no illusions about somebody at my office hearing my music and liking it.

[Dan Gould]

Well I can only say that my last office job was the pinnacle of musical contentment. That was where I was conducting my old "A to Z" project, and my office was right next to the boss, with the doors open. Never heard a word of complaint.

[Claude]

I bet you skipped Ayler

[connoisseur series500]

I have never had a job yet where I was able to listen to any kind of music. Perhaps that will change one day.

[paul secor]

If you're not playing the music too loudly, and your supervisor doesn't have a problem with you listening to music, who cares what anyone else thinks? There are a lot more important things in life than worrying about other people's opinions of your musical tastes.

[Hot Ptah]

If you're not playing the music too loudly, and your supervisor doesn't have a problem with you listening to music, who cares what anyone else thinks? There are a lot more important things in life than worrying about other people's opinions of your musical tastes.

Some work places are not like that, though. My law firm isn't. It would be quite literally unbearable to have this group of people talking about my musical taste all the time. Trust me--no one would want to be the constant topic of ignorant conversation by a group of attorneys, paralegals and legal secretaries. There is something uniquely corrosive about legal people, something that sucks the soul out of you if you get too close. And I like most of these people! My wife has commented on the same thing, that law firm parties are like visiting a ring of hell. They can't help it.

[paul secor]

If you're not playing the music too loudly, and your supervisor doesn't have a problem with you listening to music, who cares what anyone else thinks? There are a lot more important things in life than worrying about other people's opinions of your musical tastes.

Some work places are not like that, though. My law firm isn't. It would be quite literally unbearable to have this group of people talking about my musical taste all the time. Trust me--no one would want to be the constant topic of ignorant conversation by a group of attorneys, paralegals and legal secretaries. There is something uniquely corrosive about legal people, something that sucks the soul out of you if you get too close. And I like most of these people! My wife has commented on the same thing, that law firm parties are like visiting a ring of hell. They can't help it.

Glad I don't hang with lawyers.

[relyles]

If you're not playing the music too loudly, and your supervisor doesn't have a problem with you listening to music, who cares what anyone else thinks? There are a lot more important things in life than worrying about other people's opinions of your musical tastes.

Some work places are not like that, though. My law firm isn't. It would be quite literally unbearable to have this group of people talking about my musical taste all the time. Trust me--no one would want to be the constant topic of ignorant conversation by a group of attorneys, paralegals and legal secretaries. There is something uniquely corrosive about legal people, something that sucks the soul out of you if you get too close. And I like most of these people! My wife has commented on the same thing, that law firm parties are like visiting a ring of hell. They can't help it.

Glad I don't hang with lawyers.

I worked in large law firms for a few years and for the past five years I have worked in house in a corporate law department. I have listened to music every day, all day. The only time I turn the music off in my office is when I am on the phone, or someone is in my office. I have gotten to be known as the attorney that listens to jazz all the time and occassionally I will get some weird comments, but I have also been able to turn a few people onto some music that I think they might not have checked out otherwise. So, it can go both ways. Of course it helps that I have my own office and unless you come in my office you really do not have to hear anything.

Edited May 18, 2007 by relyles

[7/4]

I work at home, so I listen to what ever I want. But I do have to visit customers occasionally and I wear head phones now. I'm sick of people offering their opinion on music in the workplace...as if I really care.

[Soul Stream]

In this day and age of ipods and headphones, there's really not much excuse to have music on in the workplace. No matter someone's musical tastes are, they usually think either "who wouldn't like what I like?" or "I'm gonna educate everyone about (jazz)(heavy metal)(70's soft rock)(classical)(country)...ect". You get the idea. Thank god for the ipod and earphones!

[ValerieB]

If you're not playing the music too loudly, and your supervisor doesn't have a problem with you listening to music, who cares what anyone else thinks? There are a lot more important things in life than worrying about other people's opinions of your musical tastes.

Some work places are not like that, though. My law firm isn't. It would be quite literally unbearable to have this group of people talking about my musical taste all the time. Trust me--no one would want to be the constant topic of ignorant conversation by a group of attorneys, paralegals and legal secretaries. There is something uniquely corrosive about legal people, something that sucks the soul out of you if you get too close. And I like most of these people! My wife has commented on the same thing, that law firm parties are like visiting a ring of hell. They can't help it.

so sorry to admit that i know just what you're talking about!!

[BruceH]

In this day and age of ipods and headphones, there's really not much excuse to have music on in the workplace. No matter someone's musical tastes are, they usually think either "who wouldn't like what I like?" or "I'm gonna educate everyone about (jazz)(heavy metal)(70's soft rock)(classical)(country)...ect". You get the idea. Thank god for the ipod and earphones!

Huh?--What did you say?

[BruceH]

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.

Are you going to open up a branch here?

[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.

Are you going to open up a branch here?

We've been out there for years. I've worked out of the SF office before (located on a high floor in the BofA building on Market Street) - really beautiful views.

[relyles]

In this day and age of ipods and headphones, there's really not much excuse to have music on in the workplace. No matter someone's musical tastes are, they usually think either "who wouldn't like what I like?" or "I'm gonna educate everyone about (jazz)(heavy metal)(70's soft rock)(classical)(country)...ect". You get the idea. Thank god for the ipod and earphones!

My bosses do not mind me sitting in my office with music playing, but I do not think this is the kind of environment that it would be okay for me to sit in my office with head phones on. Does not convey the "professional" image I am supposed to portray.

[Van Basten II]

That was enough that i was the weirdo who took holidays during the jazz festival, if i had to explain why i enjoy certain kinds of music, it be enough to drove me off the cliff. I changed places a few years ago and i make sure that nobody knows what i do during my holidays and i try as much as possible to stay away from the subject of music with my co-workers.

I know it's the week against homophobia how about the week against jazzophobia.