Disclaimer: I love John Coltrane, Billie Holliday, and Count Basie. Great jazz, to me, ranks right up there with Einstein’s theory of relativity and Newton’s laws of motion in terms of insightful genius. Smooth jazz with a glass of wine and a roaring fire can be the catalyst for a special evening guaranteed to yield a next-morning smile. But…

I had done my microphone and slide deck check and walked the large stage—all rituals a keynote speaker performs before the meeting planner lets participants enter the ballroom to begin a conference. I was to be their opening act. The guy on the soundboard was searching for the right song for the walk-in music. His colleague suggested a jazz piece. 

“Hell, no,” soundboard guy exclaimed, like a temperamental artist who was overdue a cup of strong coffee. “This is not a moment for mellow. It’s way too early for jazz. We need get-up-and-go music!” Then he inserted his final I-am-the-boss command: “Besides, I just saw this guy’s slides about innovative service. We need inspiration, not sedation.”

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