In the world of the jazz standard, improvisation is a very specific thing: it’s a way of embellishing or even re-inventing a melody, using the structure of a song as a basis. Sara Fishko tried to get jazz improvisers to tell her about how they do it and she found that the true definition of improvisation depends on whom you talk to.
The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.