From the start of each day until we retire in the evening, we make decisions – decisions ranging from the simple (what to eat for breakfast, what shirt to wear) to complex (should I take this job, should I marry this person). Similarly, a musical performance by an ensemble is a continual stream of decisions, made individually and as a group–some made in advance and, in the case of a jazz band, some made “in the moment.”

Zuckerman Institute neuroscientist Dr. Michael Shadlen studies decision-making and the brain functions behind this universal activity. Join him and jazz pianist/composer and 2019 Zuckerman Institute Jazz Artist-in-Residence Helen Sung in an exploration of the components of choice as demonstrated by a jazz band: synchronicity, sympathy, and simpatico.

Music on the Brain is a collaboration between the National Jazz Museum in Harlem and Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute.