Music and medicine.  At first glance, the one doesn’t seem to go naturally with the other, does it? True, both are art forms, but the musical expressivity of jazz may at first seem far removed from the medical art of a great surgeon, or an exceptional diagnostician, or a gifted clinician.

And yet there is an important connection, found at the root of what makes the art form of jazz so compelling and makes the art form of medicine so thrilling to behold. Both jazz and medicine place one’s improvisational skills on a pedestal, announcing to the world that this innate talent of thinking on one’s feet is a vital element of how one views the art. In jazz, playing the notes on the page, however beautifully, is not the defining feature of the art form—improvisation is. In medicine, the ability to improvise a procedure, work around an instance of abnormal physiology, or recognize an unusual disease presentation—to name just a few examples—all require a willingness to discard any approach resembling cookbook medicine and adopt improvisational thinking.

In truth, music and medicine are more closely allied than one might suppose.

And finally, there is the intellectual aspect. Those involved in the world of medical care are astute thinkers whose tastes are likely left unsatisfied by everyday, popular genres of music. The brilliance of a great musician finds resonance in the mind of a brilliant clinician.

McMahon Jazz Medicine is pleased to present its first compilation from our Music Practitioners, medical professionals who are also professional musicians. As the publisher of 16 clinical publications, now in its fourth decade, McMahon Publishing has created this unique opportunity to purchase original music and art by top artists for our 400,000 monthly readers, as well as the general public.