Plans, Takes, and Mis-takes

Abstract

This paper analyzes what may have been a mistake bypianist Thelonious Monk playing a jazz solo in 1958.Even in a Monk composition designed for patternedmayhem, a note can sound out of pattern. We reframethe question of whether the note was a mistake and askinstead about how Monk handles the problem. Amazingly,he replays the note into a new pattern that resituatesits jarring effect in retrospect. The mistake, orbetter, the mis-take, was “saved” by subsequent notes.Our analysis, supported by reflections from jazz musiciansand the philosopher John Dewey, encourages areformulation of plans, takes, and mis-takes as categoriesfor the interpretation of contingency, surprise, andrepair in all human activities. A final section suggeststhat mistakes are essential to the practical plying andplaying of knowledge into performances, particularlythose that highlight learning.

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