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Piano in Solitude
There are people who play the piano, and then there are some who create a whole other state of consciousness with it. While these three may not be among the more common household names in the jazz world, here they each offer a master class in the craft to make you wonder just why the hell not. Lewis Porter Solo Piano Next to Silence 2019 Bill Evans this ain't. There are some ...
read moreKenny Werner on his Life and Career
Kenny Werner might try to talk you out of becoming a jazz musician. “Please don't become a jazz musician just because you think you should. That's like saying you think you should become a typewriter salesman. Nobody needs you. I would do everything I could to talk them out of it and if they couldn't be talked out of it then I would say go for it. It's got to be a thing of extreme love because it doesn't make ...
read moreKenny Werner, Miles Davis & more
The wise veteran New York Pianist Kenny Werner starts this week's show with a cut off his latest CD The Space. We then go into a track that was a huge influence on Kenny's perception and approach to jazz with Miles Davis's “In a Silent Way." We also profile the great band Butcher Brown and a wonderful veteran drummer like Chip White with a track off All Star Ensemble Volume 5. We continue the hour of jazz ...
read moreArt Ensemble of Chicago, Federica Michisanti and other great new releases
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 ...
read moreKenny Werner: The Space
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 ...
read moreKenny Werner: The Space
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 ...
read moreBray Jazz 2016
Bray Jazz Various venues jny: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 ...
read moreJoyce Moreno/Kenny Werner: Poesia
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 ...
read moreKenny Werner: The Melody
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.
read moreKenny Werner: Effortless Mastery In Motion
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 ...
read moreSligo Jazz Project 2013: Days 1-3
Sligo Jazz ProjectVarious VenuesSligo, IrelandJuly 16-21, 2013 For such a small country, perched on the Western extreme of Europe, Ireland has created a disproportionate amount of history, and had more than its fair share thrust upon it. Everywhere, history informs the landscape and the collective memory. Sligo, home to the Sligo Jazz Project is no exception. Megalithic stones--tombs of the ancients--dot the land, and the tombs of Spanish Armada ships and their ghosts lie at ...
read moreKenny Werner: Me, Myself and I
Pianist Kenny Werner, though comparatively unsung, has been appreciated by many since forming a trio in 1981. He is also known for his series of stellar duos with harmonica virtuoso Toots Thieleman. Additionally, he has done yeoman duty with guitarist John Scofield, bassist Dave Holland and saxophonist Joe Lovano, all the while--for more than 20 years--working as arranger and accompanist for singer Betty Buckley.Me, Myself and Iwas recorded solo in Montreal, Canada at the small Upstairs Jazz Bar ...
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