Great Art and Commercial Success

What makes great art connect with a large audience?

That question is at the heart of Great Art & Commercial Success, a conversation between master pianist Richie Beirach and author Michael Lake about three extraordinary recordings: Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue, John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme, and Keith Jarrett’s The Köln Concert.

These albums are remarkable not simply because they are great jazz recordings. Each reached far beyond the traditional jazz audience and became part of the larger culture. But none was created by following a formula for commercial success.

So what happened?

Richie brings his intimate knowledge of the music and musicians to a detailed exploration of these recordings—their timing, personnel, intentions, circumstances, and the sometimes unpredictable element of fortune that surrounds great art. The discussion goes beyond the familiar critical explanations to ask what actually made these particular recordings different.

And that raises a more important question for any artist:

What can you learn from great artists who were focused on making great art rather than making a hit?

For musicians, the answers reach directly into the process of finding a personal voice, understanding what makes jazz unique, and creating music that can communicate with people beyond the boundaries of the genre.

Great Art & Commercial Success is ultimately not a book about how to make a commercial record. It is an exploration of why some art reaches people so deeply—and what that might teach you about creating your own.

This book is brilliant and I really enjoyed reading it. It explains so well the inexplicable with the realization that while it always will remain a mystery, what lasts is what touches your heart and tells a story!! – David Amram

• Using three iconic jazz recordings (and their artists), Richie and Michael show the reader how music relates beyond the craft itself and ultimately transcends into art. They explain how these recordings reach people well beyond the horizons of jazz (which is what makes them “commercially” successful). Thanks to Richie Beirach and Michael Lake for reminding us what it means to create true art. – Rich DeRosa, Director of Jazz Composition & Arranging, University of North Texas
• Your intimacy with the music and the musicians, the depth of your knowledge and understanding of the subject is beautiful and a valuable gift you are bestowing on us. Thank you so much! – Sidney Corbett
• This treatise should serve as an inspiration to artists at all stages of their development to eschew compromise and commit to finding their own personal voice. In the end, this is all that matters.– Roberta Piket