Anyone Can Improvise

The ABCs of Arts Entrepreneurship – a Case Study

Abstract

The concept of improvisation and the “Jazz Model” for Entrepreneurship as a gathering of creative minds with the goal of creating a new outcome is frequently used in the entrepreneurship literature. Especially the unique setting of a jazz jam session exemplifies a successful model of group creativity. Herzig and Baker (2014) identified seven factors that guide jam sessions and Belitski and Herzig (2018) transferred and exemplified these factors to various business entrepreneurship models. This case study traces the entrepreneurial efforts of Jamey Aebersold, David Baker, and Jerry Coker, the ABC’s of jazz education who developed the foundation for teaching materials and curricula worldwide. Furthermore, this case study demonstrates the entrepreneurial mindset of these three innovators as a result of their training in the jazz idiom and suggests strategies for entrepreneurship education.