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Tag Archives: improvisation

BODY, MIND AND SOUL – COOKS ARE IN IT TO WIN IT

23 Friday Aug 2019

Posted by culinarycuesblog in Uncategorized

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chefs, Cooking from the heart, cooks, creativity, culinary, improvisation, line cooks, Miles Davis, Soul cooking

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It was 1959 when the late great Miles Davis released “Kind of Blue” one of the great jazz albums of all time. Over his creative career – many of the most accomplished musicians of a generation got their start or at least their inspiration from playing with or listening to Miles – he was, to many, a genius.

The greats and soon to be greats were attracted to Miles and built their careers around playing with this creative genius. Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin, Ron Cater, Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, and Joe Zawinul of Weather Report all had their start playing with Miles. Hundreds of others including Carlos Santana, Prince, John Legend, John Mayer, and Jimi Hendrix reflected on how Miles Davis influenced their own creativity and style. He was their Yoda.

“I’m always thinking about creating. My future starts when I wake up every morning…every day I find something to do with my life.”

-Miles David

Miles was fully engaged with his body, mind and soul and as a result – his music was an extension of the person that he was. The very best cooks are Miles Davis protégés, even if they are unfamiliar with his music. It is the creative energy of body, mind and soul that is at the center of great cooking whether you are a line cook, prep cook, or chef.

Our industry has it’s own Miles Davis Pied Pipers: Thomas Keller, Alice Waters, Joel Robuchon, Alain Ducasse, Daniel Boulud, David Chang, Grant Achatz, Dominique Crenn, Stephanie Izard, and hundreds of other talented chefs are driven individuals who attract others – drawing energy from their body, mind and soul. Serious cooks are in constant search of, and in real need of that something that separates cooks from great cooks. Nobody knows what that something is until they become part of it.

“Anybody can play. The note is only 20 percent. The attitude of the musicians who plays it is 80 percent.”

-Miles Davis

To paraphrase Davis: “Anybody can cook. The recipe is only 20 percent. The attitude of the person who cooks is 80 percent.”

Miles would have understood and appreciated the regimented exactness of Thomas Keller and Daniel Boulud because even with his improvisational style there was a foundation of discipline. He might not have understood the free form nature of Grant Achatz and Dominique Crenn, but their beautiful creative thought would have inspired him. He would have responded with enthusiasm to the seemingly loose style of David Chang because it is cooking that comes from the soul. Miles was the perfect example of ambassador for body, mind and soul.

tony and I

Serious cooks are truly connected with their craft, the tools that allow their application, and the food that they have an opportunity to interpret. Like Miles, they thrive on the creative connection to body, mind and soul that cooking provides. They have little patience with those who fail to see how important their work is and with those who simply view the job of cook as a process and a means to an end resulting in a paycheck for hours worked. They don’t understand and certainly don’t appreciate those who demean the profession and the privilege of being a cook just as I am sure Miles Davis would have little patience for those who simply read the notes on a page and play without a connection to body, mind, and soul.

So, here is a primer on being a chef with that connection to body, mind and soul:

[]         BODY

Cooking is such a physical endeavor. There certainly are many other physical careers, but few that use the body in such an all-inclusive manner. The cook who is in tune – is in tune with every ounce of physical interaction in the kitchen environment and with the food and he or she touches. The finger tips can distinguish rare from medium, the hands control the flip of vegetables in a pan; the legs, feet and back are in constant motion as a cook bends, turns and lifts throughout a 10-12 hour shift; and the tinge of heat on the brow, arms and face is intense and ever-present. A cook is “all in” physically and as such – totally in touch with his or her environment.

[]         MIND

The nerve ends in a cook’s brain are firing in rapid succession. The charged directives from the expeditor: “ordering…fire…pick-up…in the pass…” represent a cadence, a beat – similar to the pace orchestrated by Miles Davis as he led his musicians through a difficult arrangement. The cook’s brain is busy categorizing orders and their timing, referencing the sub-conscious database of cooking steps, and activating his or her flavor memory through the process of taste, season, taste. The eyes are ever focused on scanning the signs of cooking (caramelization, reduction, grill marks), the status of fellow line cooks, the details of an order, and the condition of station mise en place. All of these images are sent to the brain for analysis and action every nano-second. When the mind is alert and fully engaged then the magic of a functional kitchen appears to be beautiful and as smooth as a piece of improvisational music – organization out of impending chaos.

Painted in Waterlogue

[]         SOUL

Miles felt his music – he felt it deeply – much deeper that physically and mentally – he felt it in his soul, his essence, his reason for being.

“Music is an essential part of human existence. Listening to music leaves a major impact on each one of us. It can boost your mood, reduce stress and improve your health and overall wellbeing.”

-Norbert Juma

The same can be said of passionately prepared food. “Food is an essential part of human existence. Enjoying food leaves a major impact on each of us. It can boost your mood, reduce stress and improve your health and wellbeing.”

Those who play passionate music are feeding your soul and expressing theirs, just as those who cook passionately feed your soul and express theirs. There are so many parallels.

Miles music was a reflection of who he was, what he was feeling, and how he was connecting with people and the environment around him. Whether it was his instrument, the superbly talented musicians who surrounded him, or the audience mesmerized by his creativity – what occurred was a soul connection. In a kitchen filled with talented cooks who feel the power of what they do, have the skills that define great cooking, and are connected with fellow cooks, and the charged environment of the kitchen – the result will always be soulful food. Thomas Keller’s perfectly executed French cuisine is soulful, Dominque Crenn’s uniquely creative interpretations and controlled improvisations are soulful, and David Chang’s representation of culturally influenced flavors is deeply soulful.

When cooks prepare food with soul it is because they understand the ingredients, they are in tune with the history of the culture behind a dish, they appreciate the farmer, the fisherman, and the rancher who brought the ingredients to his back door, and they respect the process of cooking – moving those special ingredients from their natural state to a plate in the pass. Soulful food is not a given – it comes from dedication and passionate connections.

“I believe, from reading biographies, that the great musicians have also been great cooks: Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Max Roach. I think I’ve worked out why this is – unsociable hours, plus general creativity.”

-Jamie Cullum

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Be a Cook Connected with Body, Mind and Soul

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

Restaurant Consulting

www.harvestamericaventures.com

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COOKING AND ALL THAT JAZZ

05 Tuesday Sep 2017

Posted by culinarycuesblog in Uncategorized

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Tags

chefs, cooking, cooking and jazz, cooks, improvisation

me at dinner

I have often compared serious cooking to the free-form interpretations of jazz musicians. Since at the core of jazz you can always find the foundations of a melody there is a baseline of discipline that allows the improvisation of jazz music to mimic the feelings of the musician. So too there is discipline and improvisation in the kitchen.

 “Improvisation is too good to leave to chance.”

-Paul Simon

I was struck this week by the significance of another great musician who passed away far too early. Walter Becker of Steely Dan was a masterful musician who understood the cadence and the hook necessary to bring a solid song from good to memorable in the same way that an accomplished cook or chef understands how to drive the foundations of solid cooking to another level with cadence and a hook – in this case the cadence is the sequence of steps in cooking and the hook is that splash of unique flavor signature and the sizzle of presentation. Good music becomes great in the hands of a comfortable master, as does a plate of food transition to something that can become a benchmark experience in the hands of an accomplished cook.

Steely Dan created music that was deep and edgy, yet fun and catchy through their dedication to syncopation, tone, perfection and interjection of jazz undertones that gave musicians a chance to contribute in a unique way. Walter Becker with Donald Fagan wrote catchy and edgy lyrics and Walter added those foundations that gave their music longevity. Bringing in a rotating cadre of incredibly accomplished musicians to his team – Walter, just like a chef, was able to create musical experiences and comfortable shuffles that made Steely Dan a musicians band.

So here is the fun part – when you listen to the following sampling of musicians who, like great chefs, have total mastery of their instruments, make sure that you turn up the volume and listen intently for the similarities to a night on the kitchen line when everything is in sync, when everyone plays their station like these musicians play their instruments, and feel what it’s like to be in the zone.

“The rules of improvisation apply beautifully to life. Never say no – you have to be interested to be interesting, and your job is to support your partners.”

-Scott Adsit

First is Bernard Purdie who most people may never have heard of, but real musicians know Bernard to be one of the greatest studio drummers around. He worked with a who’s who list of extraordinary musicians and in this case with Steely Dan on many of their most memorable tunes. He convinced Walter Becker to let him add the Bernard Shuffle to songs on the albums – Gaucho and Aja. Watch and listen how he explains his skill and think of how there are so many connections to the mastery a great line cook displays.

Bernard Purdie – The Bernard Shuffle

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ldtieSEyQM

Next see how Walter Becker and company brings one of their compositions to life in this live performance on the Letterman Show. I am always inspired by how similar the chemistry of a tight band can parallel how a kitchen line works in total symmetry.

Steely Dan – Josie

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NdYkxd0U-c

Stanley Clarke is, in my mind, one of the top five bass players of all time. He is a serious, professionally trained musician who is able to meld with his instrument as is evident in this live solo on upright bass. Think of how a cook or chef is able to find this same sense of oneness with his or her knives. Watch a butcher handle a boning knife while breaking down a primal section of an animal or a fish butcher fillet an 80 pound tuna with absolute ease, or marvel at a prep cook slicing a 50 pound bag of onions in the blink of an eye or masterfully flute a mushroom for steak garnish. Mastery is mastery and in all cases, musician or cook, understanding process and foundations first is critical. How the chef or the player bends this process to create that unique signature is pure jazz. Listen to Stanley play from his heart and soul.

Stanley Clarke solo

www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkktgU4co-w

Finally, just as contemporary cooks and chefs continue to experiment with how food might be viewed, handled, manipulated, and presented, so too are there musicians who use the essence of jazz to take their craft in new directions that go beyond what others may think is possible. Jeff Beck is quite possibly the most prolific guitar player around. He has been able to merge blues, rock, jazz, and even classical influences into his playing and in the process become so unique that others shake their heads in wonder. He has been referred to as a master of tone. I look at Beck as the musical equivalent of Ferran Adria or Grant Achatz. Hang on as you listen to this incredible live performance with Tal Wilkenfeld who is considered the best female bass player around.

Jeff Beck and Tal Wilkenfeld

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXv54DfJ3bI

Regardless of the musical genre or the approach towards interpretive cuisine musicians and chefs all work from a pure understanding and appreciation of the foundations of their craft. Their total understanding of their craft and their tools allows them to adapt the jazz formula of improvisation creating a signature that is truly one of a kind.

Walter Becker was a musician who could inspire anyone, in any profession to dedicate themselves – seeking perfection and the comfort that comes from getting close to that goal. Steely Dan’s music was all of that – perfection and comfort. As cooks and chefs we can find inspiration in many things – art, nature, literature, and music are just a few examples of those components of life that can help a cook find his or her niche and unique expression.

I would encourage any cook to refrain from seeking inspiration only from those within the specific field of cooking, but rather align with the vision and dedication of others outside of the kitchen that have made excellence an integral part of their identity.

Rest in Peace Walter Becker and thanks for the inspiration.

musicians

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

Restaurant Consulting and Training

 

 

 

 

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