This is a start of a series where I play and talk about the resilience of jazz musicians facing challenges that would have stopped others in their tracks.

Musicians in general have been shown to have the highest level of job satisfaction, but also the highest level of physical ailments and sleep disturbances . They are also five times as likely to suffer from mental illness than the general population. The relationship between creativity and such challenges is a complex one. Does being a musician cause this? Or do these challenges contribute to their creativity? Or are there other factors that contribute to both a high level of creativity as well as some of those mental and physical difficulties?

For Part 1 of this series, you'll hear music by Michel Petrucciani, Fred Hersch and Esperanza Spalding, Thelonious Monk, Tom Harrell, Charlie Parker, and Phil Dwyer. I also share part of a talk by Phil Dwyer where he tells his story.....and how he was able to eventually thrive despite his addiction and bipolar disorder. He is now a practicing lawyer, and recipient of the Order of Canada, and one of Canada's best known jazz musicians.