30 years ago, an inflight magazine changed my life.
A magazine from a plane I wasn’t even on. An Ansett magazine randomly left near my desk when I was 19 and working at Westpac.
I never had any desire to travel, I didn’t even know it was an option for me. No one in my family or anyone I knew had travelled. That’s not how I grew up.
That life changing article was about Oscar Peterson playing at the upcoming Montreux Jazz Festival and I immediately knew I had to get there. The itch had started but it was still a few years before it became a possibility.
My world had already opened up a couple of years earlier when I started working at Westpac. A job in the city, wearing a suit to work, surrounded by so many interesting people. A stark contrast to growing up as a bricklayer and working at a local wholesale nursery in Wainuiomata – an isolated semi-rural suburb of Wellington, NZ – for six months after leaving school at 17.
That was another thing I didn’t know was an option for me until my best mate Lyndon did it… and then put my name forward to take his place when he was promoted. A small thing. But also life changing.
A major career pivot from the trades to financial services in 1993. Not something I planned. Just something I said yes to… and jumped in wholeheartedly. The theme of my life.
A Fork in the Road
A few years later in December 1999 in the shadow of a new millennium, I was weighing up what was the culmination of a couple of months of paradigm shifting fork in the road decisions… decisions on how I wanted to live the rest of my life.
I was going to move to London and start my travel adventures… but then AMP (where I’d been working for 18 months) offered me a fully paid transfer home to Sydney. Dilemma.
I thought I’d end up back in Sydney, it was always my real home – even though I love Wellington and lived there from ages 10-24. But what about my burning desire to get to Montreux?
A key reason I wanted to move to London was so I could be closer to the music I love, and to be able to jump over to Switzerland for a few weeks every July for the Montreux Jazz Festival.
I decided to take the transfer to Sydney. 24 January 2000 I landed back in Sydney ready for the next major phase of my life… but I did it on the condition to myself that I’d be be at the 2001 Montreux Jazz Festival. And I’d be flying there from London.
Montreux Jazz
Montreux Jazz 2001 was my first and I had tickets to nine of the 16 nights. Nine big nights of legendary jazz, acid jazz, trip-hop, hip-hop, drum & bass, electronica, and fusion… over 25 acts including Roni Size & Reprazent, Kruder & Dorfmeister, Tricky, Living Colour, Run DMC, Goldfrapp, Herbert, Zero 7, Basement Jaxx, Cinematic Orchestra, Live Human, Saul Williams… and so many more. The whole town is full of music for the two weeks.
In the early 2000s I spent a total of 78 days there, explored over 20 towns and cities around the country… and saw over 75 artists. On top of who I’ve already mentioned, US3, Erykah Badu, The Roots, Jamiroquai, Herbie Hancock, George Benson, Wynton Marsalis, Derrick May, Jeff Mills, Flavor Flav, Blackalicious, Cypress Hill, The Streets, David Holmes, Mogwai, and even more.
Switzerland is famous for its winter tourism but it’s amazing in summer. So much breathtaking scenery, fascinating architecture, old castles and ruins – all in such a small country… and depending on which area you’re in the language changes to French, German, or Italian – all with their own dialect, and a shift in culture and cuisine.
Some of my highlights were snowboarding in the middle of summer on Glacier 3000 in Les Diablerets. Paragliding, canyoning, abseiling, white water rafting, hiking, and partying in Interlaken and Lauterbrunnen. The views from the peak of Klein Matterhorn (3,883m) in Zermatt. Swimming in the Rhine and floating down the river at speed in Basel. Pedal boat cruising at sunset on Lake Lugano. Riding the trains chilling out to music, watching the amazing scenery go by, and being lost in thought and writing.
Such a special place and I loved travelling solo with no itinerary and meeting fun people on the journey.
I got to live a dream – something I originally didn’t know was open to me… and find out my imagination was a fraction of the possible.
For me, Montreux represents freedom and options. So does jazz… and all the music that’s been influenced by jazz.
A life in progress… music is my everything and I love live music. I’ve been to well over 500 gigs – and already seen over 10 artists so far this year.
What I’ve Learnt
I’ve learnt so many things… and learn new things every day. There’s so much wonder and possibility in the world. Here are some themes.
Exposure to the Possible
The smallest of things can have catalytic life changing impact. So many of the awesome things I’ve been lucky to experience have come from little moments in time.
An inflight magazine, a friend just doing their thing and then making an introduction, a random conversation.
With kids – and people in general – it can be easy to feel that we need to be on the constant look out for teachable moments. I’ve learnt and experienced more from being around people just living their life and casually sharing than from direct instruction. It’s about representation and exposure to the possible.
Just doing your best, being curious, showing kindness, sharing without expectation, an invite or introduction, these are powerful things… and usually cost us nothing.
Sometimes they change your life… or someone else’s. In ways that are impossible to predict.
Experimentation & Play
I’ve spent some of the best hours of my life in the Miles Davis Hall at Montreux. I discovered him through his hip-hop album Doo-Bop when I was 16.
I’ll never forget hearing the opening bars of The Doo-Bop Song and his muted trumpet for the first time. It was the start of my love of Miles’ work. All the periods: electric, modal, bebop, and more. I found and bought the Kind of Blue collector’s edition longbox on 24kt gold CD with pull-out cover art on a roadtrip to Auckland the first year I worked at Westpac.
Miles’ approach to music was formative for me and sums up how I do things… just enough structure and direction… and then let the experimentation and fun happen.
“I didn’t write out the music for Kind of Blue, but brought in sketches because I wanted a lot of spontaneity in the playing. I knew that if you’ve got some great musicians, they would deal with the situation, and play beyond what is there, and above where they think they can”.
Miles Davis
It’s important to design for serendipity when working in innovation and change. The reality is that’s everyone now. That doesn’t mean making it all up as you go… and it also means not being overly attached to our expectations or specific outcomes.
It means setting good foundations and making space for the creativity that comes from play and experimentation.
”Preparation, preparation, preparation, let go”.
Ethan Hawke
Reflective Writing & Photos
I have multisensory aphantasia which means I don’t have mental images, sound, or sensation to go with my detailed memory. A neuro-difference that comes with plenty of benefits, not something to pathologise. I have a deep connection with my memories… and I also have decades of reflective writing and photos to supplement them.
I’ve always loved writing, and I’ve always loved organising things with microsystems, which I’m thankful for. It means I’ve always got my writing with me and can read how I was thinking about and processing things since my teens.
Later I would learn the models, theory, language, and power of this reflective practice… but I feel lucky it’s always been a natural part of how I experience and make sense of the world.
From my mid-teens I called this the Meandering Whispers of My Soul. These projects live on as my ongoing public photo journal and writing projects #PhotoMeanderings, #MusicMeanderings, and #TravelMeanderings.
There are so many other things I’ve learnt. I’ll continue to share. A life in progress…
