Jazz pianist Kenny Werner has been recording music since the age of eleven, and has performed with luminaries like Archie Shepp, Joe Lovano, Ron Carter, Charlie Hadde, Randy Brecker as well as Toots Thielemans, with whom Werner has been playing since 1995. His approach to jazz is resolutely non-traditional, being based instead on his own inner sense of what sounds right at the time. His 1996 book “Effortless Mastery,” which articulates his approach to musical and mental preparation, has become a classic among jazz musicians, and has even won disciples from beyond music (such as business leaders and sports figures) who have successfully applied Werner’s principles to their own disciplines.
Jazz piano great Kenny Werner gives a free jazz clinic sponsored by the International Association of Jazz Education. He discusses the history of free music, what it is and what it means, and offers extended thoughts on what players can and should to do prepare themselves mentally, physically, and musically for the unique challenges that free music presents. He also offers working demonstrations of his lectures through free-music performances of several jazz standards.
Recorded on April 26, 2005, renowned jazz pianist and writer on the process of improvisation Kenny Werner hold a master class in jazz performance and creativity for a small group of students at New York University. Werner fields questions on topics like performing effortlessly (for example, learning not to criticize your own performance as you play and not even think about the music you are making), the mental difference between practicing and playing, how to inventory and improve your weakest attributes, why making your musical ability part of your self-image can be dangerous to both, how to practice effectively and manage your mind while in a practice session, and much, much more. The session concludes with an excerpt from a performance by Werner and his trio at the Blue Note in New York City.
Recorded on April 29, 2005, renowned jazz pianist and writer on the process of improvisation Kenny Werner hold a master class in finding “the space” for a small audience at New York University. By “the space,” Werner refers to a mindset in which a musician can fuse a deep knowledge and understanding of their instrument and the tune with an effortless sense of improvisation, and in which the distinction between “right” and “wrong” notes is rendered meaningless.
Recorded on April 29, 2005, renowned jazz pianist and writer on the process of improvisation Kenny Werner hold a master class in improvisation and effortless playing for a small audience at New York University. In this segment, he demonstrates some mental techniques and practice methods that musicians can use to achieve effortless creativity, and further explains how musicians can use the mindset that Werner terms “the space” to enhance their musical abilities. The session concludes with an excerpt from a performance by Werner and his trio.
Jazz Piano great Kenny Werner conducts a master class in jazz piano at the famed Blue Note in New York. He addresses a wide variety of issues that jazz players on all instruments face - issues of confidence and mental preparation, techniques for better improvisation and for improving your ability to collaborate, and how to overcome the mind games that every musician plays with themselves over "what to play next?" and "does this sound good?" He also demonstrates his approach to music with several performances of standards and original compositions.
Jazz piano great Kenny Werner continues his Blue Note Clinic on jazz with a short performance of Monk’s “’Round Midnight” which illustrates his ensuing lecture about right notes, wrong notes, and the benefits of playing free music. Part 9 of 16.
Jazz piano great Kenny Werner continues his Blue Note Clinic on jazz by discussing about the tension between cerebral, detail-oriented practice and unfettered spontaneous playing, and shares thoughts on how to put each approach at the service of the other to make yourself a stronger musician. Part 10 of 16.
Jazz piano great Kenny Werner continues his Blue Note Clinic on jazz by sharing “the first step” a practice technique he has devised to train his ears to be attentive to every note he plays. Part 12 of 16.
Jazz piano great Kenny Werner continues his Blue Note Clinic on jazz by discussing the nature of the connection between the musician and audience, and the frequent tendency of jazz players to mistake breathtaking technique for soul-to-soul connection. He also shares his thoughts on the new challenges that face musicians hoping to connect with audiences who have been raised on diets of twenty-four hour multimedia. Part 13 of 16.
Jazz piano great Kenny Werner continues his master class at Blue Note by answering an audience question about how not to be overwhelmed when trying to decide what, out of the infinite number of things a musician should master, to practice next. Part 14 of 16.
Jazz piano great Kenny Werner continues his master class at Blue Note by discussing the concept of mastery and its importance to both your practice regimen and your ability to communicate effortlessly in performance situations. Part 15 of 16.
Jazz piano great Kenny Werner gives a free jazz clinic sponsored by the International Association of Jazz Education. He discusses the history of free music, what it is and what it means, and offers extended thoughts on what players can and should to do prepare themselves mentally, physically, and musically for the unique challenges that free music presents. He also offers working demonstrations of his lectures through free-music performances of several jazz standards.
Jazz piano great Kenny Werner begins a Blue Note Clinic on jazz technique and improvisation with a demonstration of totally improvisational playing. Part 1 of 16.
Jazz piano great Kenny Werner introduces his IAJE clinic on free jazz with a discussion of what free music is, why jazz isn’t intrinsically free, and how to approach free music conceptually and technically. Part 1 of 6.
Jazz piano great Kenny Werner continues his IAJE clinic on free jazz with a short discussion of the history of free jazz and what that history means to players today hoping to make free music. Part 2 of 6.
