Range of voices, same intention.

principle — attributed to Wynton Marsalis

Marsalis's criteria for building an orchestra at Jazz at Lincoln Center are specific. You need a range of voices and perspectives. You also need them all to share the same intention, the same knowledge of the music, the same ability to bring past, present, and future of the music to bear in a moment, the same seriousness about the mission, and the same willingness to sacrifice. Range without shared intention produces noise. Shared intention without range produces sameness. The orchestra is the format in which both are required simultaneously, and the format generalizes well past music.

For ensemble leaders, team builders, and creative directors casting groups whose value depends on both diversity and cohesion. The principle is most useful as a check when one is being optimized at the expense of the other.

ensemble, casting, intention, diversity