Freedom Takes A Little Magic

I believe Alford best explained freedom on page 34: “Jazz musicians talk about being ‘in the groove,’ a state of improvisation that involves not just me and my music but others as well if I am playing in a group. Although individual skills and talent are involved, they do not create the groove. The groove is created by the space among the players, not too close and not too tight. As such, ‘in the groove’ is temporary creation, as transient as the performance; the negotiation of talents it has been called, each player in tune with himself, the music, and the other players – at least for a little while.”
Alford calls this the magic of freedom or “freedom with.” Freedom is being with people around creating and utilizing each other’s skills for perfection, for freedom. Freedom is to be creative, to be expressive, and to have a will and an environment which allows you to be yourself to the fullest. An environment like this only makes everything better. It allows humans to experience freedom as a whole, with one another, and see each other experience personal freedom. I like this jazz analogy because I think it really allows one to see the image of freedom. While we each bring an essence to this world, it takes an entire population to complete one’s freedom. [C. Fred Alford, Rethinking Freedom: Why Freedom Has Lost Its Meaning and What Can Be Done to Save It]