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Art Ensemble of Chicago, Federica Michisanti and other great new releases
by Ludovico Granvassu
Sometime ago everybody kept saying that the CD was dead. Judging by the growing number of new records that keep coming out at an increasing pace, the CD is still alive and kicking! Intrestgingly, as the number of new jazz albums continues to grow, this has not been at the expense of the average quality of the new album. This week we'll go through a heap of spectacular new releases, with a special emphasis on albums featuring ...
Continue ReadingKenny Werner: The Space
by Dan Bilawsky
Need can be the greatest enemy of the improvising artist, as the hunger to prove oneself, the self-inflicted imperative demanding the addressing of a naked canvas, and a deep-seated desire to create all tend to have a stunting effect, engendering the exact opposite result of what it means to truly live in the moment. Only with an embrace of the space, a true release from conscious decision-making, can an artist paint without caution and explore to the fullest. Pianist Kenny ...
Continue ReadingKenny Werner: The Space
by Dan McClenaghan
Let's ruminate on the state of jazz piano in the year 2018. It is a rich time, when perhaps a dozen hugely talented artists have reached the peaks of their artistry. Keith Jarrett, Marc Copland, Brad Mehldau, Bobo Stenson, Denny Zeitlin, Fred Hersch and a handful more are creating some of the richest and most beautiful and original sounds imaginable with eighty-eight keys. Geniuses all. With a perhaps lower profile among this exclusive group is Kenny Werner, who ...
Continue ReadingBray Jazz 2016
by Ian Patterson
Bray Jazz Various venues Bray, Ireland April 29 -May 1, 2016 With first-rate music festivals mushrooming all over Ireland, Bray Jazz remains a highlight in a crowded calendar. Now in its seventeenth year, Bray Jazz' tried and tested format strikes a pleasing balance musically, with jazz, folk and world musics in the afternoon and evenings catering for the traditionalists and modernists alike. The weekend program, whilst full, is not overly cluttered, and mornings are left ...
Continue ReadingJoyce Moreno/Kenny Werner: Poesia
by Dan Bilawsky
Though it may be a nonsensical thought, it's tempting to wonder if Kenny Werner has figured out how to clone himself. Lately, it would seem that he's everywhere: if you've opened the pages of DownBeat you've seen his “Zen And The Art Of Jazz" columns staring back at you; if you've headed up to Berklee you've seen him in action, acting as Artistic Director of that institution's Performance Wellness Institute; if you frequent New York's Blue Note or Jazz Standard ...
Continue ReadingKenny Werner: The Melody
by Dan Bilawsky
The Melody lives up to its name, but not through the simple act of melodic dissemination: pianist Kenny Werner and his trio mates don't make their mark by addressing melodies so much as by undressing them, revealing what's beneath these tuneful coverings. All seven songs on the album--four Werner originals, a Broadway classic, and two standards--speak to the intimate art of dialogue, the respect that exists between these three men, and the inherent possibilities that live within a song.
Continue ReadingKenny Werner: Effortless Mastery In Motion
by Dan Bilawsky
In the early moments of Effortless Mastery: The Four Steps, pianist Kenny Werner notes that he never aspired to be a guru; nevertheless, he's viewed as one by a significant number of musicians. If Werner had never put a single word on paper or shared a single thought about the art of playing, practicing, and learning, he'd still be recognized as a major musical figure. Over the course of the past three-plus decades, he's done everything from ...
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