Any jazz aficionado knows the musical virtues of jazz, whether they are a musician, a jazz writer, or simply a committed jazz listener. In classical Western thought (that is, in the musings of cats like Aristotle and Plato) a virtue is a kind of excellence in performance that flows from a settled habit. One who plays the flute as it ought to be played—the proper tone, pitch, and timing—displays a virtue or sharp skill in that musical instrument. One may be virtuous with respect to any endeavor worth doing, since anything worth doing is worth doing well. One who masters a worthwhile skill is a virtuoso.

The four virtues of jazz that translate to other areas of life:

1. Tradition
2. Collaboration
3. Improvisation
4. Transcendence

For more, see Douglas Groothuis’s articles on jazz at www.AllAboutJazz.com and Ted Gioia, The Imperfect Art. 

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