Pianist
Kenny Werner has long been a major player on the world jazz scene. His
long-term musical relationships with the likes of the legendary Toots
Thielemans, saxophonist Joe Lovano, and the Mel Lewis Big Band, coupled with
his recognition as composer and bandleader have propelled him to the forefront
of the music. Quincy Jones proclaimed him to be "360 degrees of soul and
science in one human being," and Nate Chinen of The New York Times
marveled at "Ša pianist who tempers fearsome technique with a questing
spiritualism."
Werner is
also an acclaimed educator. The title of his new solo recording The Space comes
from a chapter in Effortless Mastery, his book dealing with creativity and his
approach to playing that has influenced a generation of jazz players. Werner
calls The Space "Šthe most important title I've ever had for my
music." It's about "Šbeing in the moment, content with what
is." The Space will be released
November 2, 2018 on Pirouet (PIT3106).
This album
is the fourth Werner has recorded for Pirouet. Engineer-artistic director Jason
Seizer had actually wanted to do a solo recording with Kenny, but Werner
persuaded Jason to record his trio first. After two Pirouet trio albums and one
beautiful duo album with the great Brazilian singer Joyce, the time for The
Space had come. Pirouet has recorded some of the premier pianists in jazz,
including such artists as Marc Copland, Bill Carrothers, and Pablo Held. The
new production with Werner continues that tradition.
The album's
eight pieces consist of two memorable standards, a classic Keith Jarrett
composition, two perceptive pieces by Seizer, and three Werner originals,
including the spare, mysterious title piece. In Werner's hands they are
transformed into intimate poems of self-discovery. Werner characterizes The
Space as "the place where every note I play is the most beautiful sound
I've ever heard." With his new album, Kenny Werner makes that space his
home.
Kenny Werner
has been a world-class pianist and composer for over forty years. His prolific
output of compositions, recordings and publications continue to impact
audiences around the world. In 1996 he wrote his landmark book Effortless
Mastery, Liberating the Master Musician Within. Werner has since created
videos, lectured worldwide and authored many articles on how musicians, artists
or even business people can allow their "master creator" within to
lift their performance to its highest level, showing us how to be spontaneous,
fearless, joyful and disciplined in our work and in our life. He is currently
the artistic director of The Effortless Mastery Institute at Berklee College Of
Music.
Kenny was
awarded the 2010 Guggenheim Fellowship Award for his seminal work, No Beginning
No End, a musical journey exploring tragedy and loss, death and transition, and
the path from one lifetime to the next. Utilizing over 70 musicians, Kenny's
third album for Half Note Records is an expansive composition featuring Joe
Lovano, Judy Silvano, wind ensemble, choir, and string quartet. Born in
Brooklyn on November 19, 1951 and then growing up in Oceanside, Long Island,
Kenny began playing and performing at a young age, first recording on
television at the age of 11. Although he studied classical piano as a child, he
enjoyed playing anything he heard on the radio. In high school and his first years
of college he attended the Manhattan School of Music as a classical piano
major. His natural instinct for improvisation led Kenny to the Berklee College
of Music in 1970. There he sought tutelage of the renowned piano teacher Madame
Chaloff. Her gracious wisdom and inspiration became a driving force in Kenny's
conception: a music conscious its spiritual intent and essence. From Boston,
Kenny traveled to Brazil with the saxophonist Victor Assis Brasil. There he met
Victor's twin brother, Brazilian pianist Joao Assis Brasil. He studied with
Joao, who provided another piece of the puzzle for Kenny's conception that
would lead to Effortless Mastery. Kenny has performed and/or recorded with
artists including Toots Thielemans, Charles Mingus, Gunther Schuller, Marian
McPartland, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Elvin Jones, John Scofield, Bill
Frisell, Lee Konitz, Pat Metheny, Randy Brecker, Joe Henderson, Archie Shepp,
Dave Liebman, Bob brookmeyer, Kenny Wheeler, Dave Douglas, Chris Potter,
Ambrose Akinmusire, Ron Carter, Eddi Gomez, Dave Holland, Rufus Reid, Jack
DeJohnette, Billy Hart, Bobby McFerrin, Lou Rawls, and Betty Buckley.
Werner has
composed for orchestras around the world, and taught at The New School, Berklee
College of Music, the Banff Center, New York University, and other schools. He
has received awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New Jersey
Council of the Arts, and the Guggenheim Foundation, as well as a 2001 Grammy
nomination.
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