Blue Rondo a la Turk is a standard jazz piece by Dave Brubeck.  It borrows a rhythm from Turkish folk music which distinguishes its style from most other jazz songs. Enjoyed worldwide, this American art form was built by people learning from each other.

My interest in jazz music began when my mother introduced me to the swing bands of her parent’s youth and my dad introduced me to many Dixieland standards. I played trombone in high school and college – sometimes playing jazz myself. Many years later, I  found myself re-visiting the joys of jazz as I became a regular patron of two different clubs in Houston. I enjoyed listening to very talented local musicians as they jammed away to jazz standards and their own pieces. Because of jazz’s improvisational nature, jazz musicians have often been discounted and the uninitiated assume that “anything goes” in jazz. In reality, jazz musicians are highly trained and do follow many standard practices even as they may challenge those standards from time to time. Stretching the boundaries of jazz require practice and attention to the standard practices outlined by those who came before.

Like jazz, there are many standards to demographic analyses and demographers follow tried and true methods in order to shed light on challenges decision makers may face. Since almost everything is touched in some way by people, demographers can be called upon on a wide variety of topics.  Demographic analyses can bring folks to new perspectives that they may not otherwise have had.  And while standard methods will always be employed, sometimes improvision is required.