Riffing Between Math and Jazz

Why do we think of math as rigid and precise, and music as fluid and expressive? For those who move between these two worlds, the lines aren’t so clear. For example, jazz and discovery-driven science both demand a willingness to improvise, follow intuition and find beauty in structure — often all at the same time.

Perhaps we should think of math and music as languages — ways of encoding, exploring and expressing ideas that might be too complex, too abstract or too emotional for words alone. And both can open doors to the infinite: infinite variation, infinite interpretation, infinite possibility.

From composition to problem-solving to those breakthrough moments, collaboration is a generative tool for jazz and math. In this conversation, we’ll explore how the creative process unfolds across disciplines, how improvisation fuels insight and what it means to think in multiple modes.

Join us for a conversation with Marcus G. Miller, a jazz saxophonist who bridges performance and math engagement; Dan Fortunato, a computational mathematician and drummer; and Cyril Creque-Sarbinowski, an astrophysicist and chief facilitator and mentor at Sound+Science. Moderated by Elizabeth Simolke, program manager for Science, Society & Culture at the Simons Foundation, this discussion will explore what happens when logic meets groove.

About the Speakers:

Creque-Sarbinowski obtained his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University, working with Marc Kamionkowski. His work uses theoretical and statistical tools to investigate the nature of topics within cosmology, astrophysics and astronomy. In particular, he works on problems involving the cosmic microwave background, high-energy astrophysical neutrinos, gravitational waves, cosmic inflation, dark matter, axions, dynamical Chern-Simons gravity, and active galactic nuclei. At the Flatiron Institute’s Center for Computational Astrophysics (CCA), he’s formulating new theoretical models and performing detailed multi-messenger searches for new physics.

Fortunato joined the Flatiron Institute in September 2023 as an associate research scientist with a joint position with the institute’s Center for Computational Biology (CCB) and Center for Computational Mathematics (CCM). He was previously a CCM research fellow and has worked at Wolfram Research and Walt Disney Animation Studios. Fortunato’s research interests include fast methods for solving partial differential equations, spectral and spectral element methods, computational fluid and solid mechanics, and multigrid methods. In 2019, Fortunato received the IMA Leslie Fox Prize for Numerical Analysis (Second Prize). He holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Applied Mathematics from Harvard University and a B.S. in Mathematics and Computer Science from Tufts University. Fortunato began playing drums at the age of six, and currently gigs with various funk and jazz bands around the northeast. His band American Symphony of Soul has opened for acts including The Roots, Lawrence, and RJD2.

Miller is a musician and mathematician based in New York City. He began studying the saxophone at age 9 with the help of world-renowned saxophonist Bruce Williams. He graduated from Harvard University with a degree in mathematics. He developed a reputation as a versatile and virtuosic player while studying music production and engineering under Grammy-winning engineer “Bassy” Bob Brockman. He has performed at the White House, Madison Square Garden, the World Economic Forum at Davos, Carnegie Hall, the Montreux Jazz Festival and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert alongside Jon Batiste. He works as a teaching artist at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and was noted as an artist of distinction by the state of New Jersey. Marcus maintains his interest in mathematics and physics by giving talks and performances that combine math and music. He hopes to encourage people to become more aware of the beauty in mathematics and the power of imagination.