At last!

Kenny Werner’s new award-winning CD
on the Half Note Label,
No Beginning, No End
is now available at all retail outlets!

Here’s what the Editorial Review at Amazon.com had to say:

OverviewWinner of the 2010 Guggenheim Fellowship Award.  Kenny Werner’s magnum opus with Woodwinds, Voices & Strings. His deeply personal tribute to daughter Katheryn, a triumphant work of composed and improvised musics.  Classical and Jazz. Performed by nearly 100 musicians.  Highlighted by saxophonist Joe Lovano and vocalist Judi Silvano.  No Beginning, No End is a milestone composition and recording – as much for its creative reach as for the emotional terrain it examines.  “The most important music I’ll ever write,” is how Werner puts it.  A career high point.

Get your copy by clicking on this Amazon link:

and then watch the videos of the making of this landmark recording:

http://www.NoBeginningNoEnd.org

Thank you for being here
as part of our Effortless Mastery Community,
and thank you for supporting the arts
by purchasing a copy of this Guggenheim-award
winning recording.

Kenny Werner
Dr. Andrew Colyer
KennyWernerLive.com
ConsciousWorldMedia.com

On Tuesday, August 17, Half Note Records will release Kenny Werner’s largest
and most ambitious project to date – No Beginning, No End – featuring Joe Lovano,
Judi Silvano, a string quartet, percussion ensemble, 40+ woodwinds and a large choir.

The piece is a tribute to Werner’s late daughter Katheryn,
who passed away unexpectedly and tragically in 2006.

The eventual work that became No Beginning, No End was based off a poem
Werner wrote in the aftermath of the tragedy.

The wind ensemble was recorded at NYU Steinhardt’s theater in the summer of 2009.

Dutch filmmaker Søren Jensen was able to document the project on video,
to be released as a full-length documentary project later this year.

To see three trailers that show the making of No Beginning, No End and how it all came together,
please click the link below and visit the new video website:

http://NoBeginningNoEnd.org/

Please leave a comment below!

Thank you.

We are pleased to announce that Kenny Werner is a recipient of the 2010 Guggenheim Fellowship Award for Music Composition.

Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those “who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts.”

The performing arts are excluded, although composers, film directors, and choreographers are eligible. The fellowships are not open to students, only to “advanced professionals in mid-career” such as published authors. The fellows may spend the money as they see fit, as the purpose is to give fellows “blocks of time in which they can work with as much creative freedom as possible”, but they should also be “substantially free of their regular duties”.

The Foundation receives between 3,500 and 4,000 applications each year.  Approximately 220 Fellowships are awarded each year.

Kenny received this prestigious award by submitting the music for his new CD, to be released on the Half-Note record label on August 17th, 2010, entitled, No Beginning, No End.

The music is a 5-movement composition, featuring Joe Lovano (saxophone), Judi Silvano (voice), Kenny Werner (piano), and a 35-piece wind ensemble.  No Beginning, No End is the inspired work that Kenny wrote commemorating the entire experience of the loss of his daughter, Katheryn Werner.

While this new CD will feature No Beginning No End as the centerpiece, joining the experience is a choir piece that Kenny wrote entitled Visitation, recorded with a wonderfully talented students from New York University; a string quartet, entitled Cry Out; and ending with an improvised piece with orchestral instruments, Coda.

For documentary videos and the story behind this transcendental work,
please visit this website:

http://www.NoBeginningNoEnd.org

Here’s your latest Kenny Werner Video!

It’s from a performance at the Fulkerson Recital Hall
at the Redwood Jazz Alliance in northern California

Here’s what one reviewer had to say about this concert:

“Many were dazzled by Villela’s five-octave range and her ingeniously percussive vocal gymnastics. She and Werner are improvisational soulmates, and their considerable talents and uncanny rapport guaranteed a sublime evening of lyrical and sparkling duets.”

Enjoy!

Again, here’s the link to the venue:

http://www.redwoodjazzalliance.org/

Redwood Jazz Alliance is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit charity dedicated to jazz performance and education by visiting artists in Humboldt County, California.

Halfway between Portland and San Francisco, tucked between the redwoods and the ocean on California’s north coast, our area offers spectacular scenery, small-town community, outstanding wineries and microbreweries and most important, a group of students, faculty, and local citizens excited about good music.

For bookings and/or more information, please e-mail rja@redwoodjazzalliance.org.

Thank you for being here as part of our Effortless Mastery Community.

To Your Effortless Mastery,

Kenny Werner
and
Dr. Andrew Colyer

KennyWernerLive.com
and
ConsciousWorldMedia.com

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Music For All And Jazz Education Network
Announce Strategic Partnership

Two of the nation’s leading music and arts organizations team up to support,
promote and expand jazz education.

Music for All (MFA) and the Jazz Education Network (JEN) have announced a strategic partnership that will support and expand jazz education for teachers and students.

Music for all is one of the nation’s largest and most influential organizations in support of music-making, with more than three decades of experience presenting educational programming and conducting ground-breaking research and advocacy efforts in support of arts education.

The Jazz Education Network is dedicated to building the jazz arts community by advancing education, promoting performance and developing new audiences.

“By partnering, both MFA and JEN believe that we can serve even more music educators and have a greater positive impact on jazz education and performance,” says MFA President and CEO Scott McCormick.

“As Jazz is America’s truly indigenous art form, the combining of resources to help nurture the culture by developing and marketing positive programs in jazz education, will surely help to ensure jazz becomes engrained in our societies collective consciousness,” says JEN Vice President Dr. Lou Fischer.

New collaborative programming will be part of the MFA and JEN partnership. Music for All’s jazz education programs for high school students and teachers at its Summer Symposium will be presented in partnership with JEN. Dr. Lou Fischer, Professor of Music and Jazz Division Chair at Capital University, is the coordinator of the MFA Summer Symposium Jazz Division.

The National Honors Jazz Band of America, part of the Music for All National Festival, presented by Yamaha, will also be presented in partnership with JEN. The Jazz Band of America will perform in concert Friday, March 20th at Clowes Memorial Hall in Indianapolis, conducted by Dr. Ron McCurdy, Yamaha Performing Artist and Professor of Music in the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California. JEN will also engage in marketing and promotional efforts for the Jazz Band of America and coordinate future audition and applicant evaluations for the ensemble.

JEN and Music for All expect to expand their educational and performance jazz programming in the future including launching a national honors jazz vocal ensemble for high school aged singers at the Music for All National Festival and expanded jazz educational offering for teachers at the Music for All Summer Symposium.

For more information on Music for All, visit www.musicforall.org.

For more information about the Jazz Education Network visit http://www.JazzEdNet.org.

Thank you for being part of our Effortless Mastery community.

Kenny Werner
and
Dr. Andrew Colyer

KennyWernerLive.com
and
ConsciousWorldMedia.com

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Happy Holidays!

Happy Solstice . . .

Happy Hanukkah . . .

Merry Christmas . . .

Happy Kwanzaa . . .

Happy New Year . . .

We wish you and all your friends, relatives, and loved ones
a very happy holidays.

Relax!

Enjoy yourself!

Don’t get too stressed out!

And remember, no matter how busy you get . . .

you can still take 5 minutes for your Effortless Mastery practice.

Thank you for being part of our Effortless Mastery community.

Kenny Werner
and
Dr. Andrew Colyer

KennyWernerLive.com
and
ConsciousWorldMedia.com

Kenny Werner Trio is currently in California, on tour with special guest Toots Thielemans!

The current Trio lineup features Kenny Werner on piano, with a rhythm section of Scott Colley on bass and Antonio Sanchez on drums.

Maybe you saw them this last weekend in San Diego, at Anthology.
Voted San Diego’s Best Live Music Venue and Restaurant, Anthology, is a perfect duet of tastes and sounds.

This week, Toots and the Kenny Werner Trio play at the World-Famous Jazz Club and Restaurant, Yoshi’s;
they are playing both the San Francisco (Nov. 11, 12, 13) and Oakland (Nov. 14, 15, 16) locations.

Monday, November 17th, Kenny Werner Trio with special guest Toots Thielemans
are in Santa Cruz, California, at Kuumbwa Jazz, a Nonprofit Jazz Concert and Education Organization since 1975.

November is certainly a busy month for Kenny!

On Wednesday, November 19th, Kenny is back teaching at NYU,
then off to Dublin, Ireland and London, England for teaching and concerts.

Tuesday, November 25th = NYU, then down to Philadelphia on Friday, November 28th.

Look for another Effortless Mastery Telewebinar on Sunday, November 30th
(Thanksgiving weekend here in the U.S.).

To keep up with Kenny year-round, please click on the link below:
http://kennywernerlive.com/kenny-werner-calendar

Thank you for being here as part of our Effortless Mastery Community.

To Your Effortless Mastery,

Kenny Werner
and
Dr. Andrew Colyer

KennyWernerLive.com
and
ConsciousWorldMedia.com

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What is Jazz Appreciation Month?
The concept is simple: designate one month for an annual public spotlight on jazz. Jazz Appreciation Month (or JAM) is intended to draw public attention to the glories of jazz as both an historical and a living treasure. The idea is to encourage musicians, concert halls, schools,colleges, museums, libraries, and public broadcasters to offer special programs on jazz every April.

What are the purposes of Jazz Appreciation Month?
To draw greater public attention to the extraordinary heritage and history of jazz and its importance as an American cultural heritage. In addition, JAM is intended to stimulate the current jazz scene and encourage people of all ages to participate in jazz—to study the music, attend concerts, listen to jazz on radio and recordings, read books about jazz, and support institutional jazz programs.

Why is it needed?
Many people do not fully appreciate the joys, power, and glories of jazz. JAM is an effort by those who are passionate about jazz to share it with those who are not as familiar with it. JAM will encourage people to take jazz more seriously as a vital part of America’s cultural patrimony and as a great gift to the world, as well as to have fun with it.

Does our organization have to get permission to participate?
No. Just as you don’t need anyone’s permission to celebrate Black History Month or Women’s History Month, you do not need permission to become part of JAM.

How can my organization become part of JAM?
Any organization can participate in Jazz Appreciation Month or JAM. Just decide to go ahead and do something each April.

What can I do to celebrate JAM?
See the list, How to Celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month on www.smithsonianjazz.org.

Does it cost anything to celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month?
Not necessarily. A school or concert hall that had already scheduled a program for April could simply offer it under the “heading” of Jazz Appreciation Month. Some classroom lessons on jazz are available free on the World Wide Web and could be scheduled for teaching in April (see www.smithsonianjazz.org or www.artsedge.kennedy-center.org). A radio station could develop a program for April from its own music library, without incurring additional cost.

Who designated it?
The Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History has led this initiative and has enlisted a distinguished roster of federal agencies and departments, non-governmental organizations, foundations, and broadcasting networks. For more information, visit www.smithsonianjazz.org.

Has the United States Congress supported this initiative?
Yes, the U.S. Congress passed legislation which was signed by the President in August 2003, Public Law 108-72, declaring “(1) the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History should be commended for establishing a Jazz Appreciation Month; and (2) musicians, schools, colleges, libraries, concert halls, museums, radio and television stations, and other organizations should develop programs to explore, perpetuate, and honor jazz as a national and world treasure.”

Why is the Smithsonian initiating Jazz Appreciation Month?
The Smithsonian operates the world’s most comprehensive set of jazz programs–it collects jazz artifacts, documents, recordings, and oral histories; curates exhibitions and traveling exhibitions; operates its own big band, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra; publishes books and recordings on jazz; offers fellowships for research in its collections; and offers concerts, educational workshops, master classes, lectures, seminars, and symposia. Launching JAM is consistent with the Smithsonian’s 30-year record of leadership in jazz.

What is the Smithsonian doing to celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month?
The noted producer-musician Quincy Jones helped the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History announce the Jazz Appreciation Month initiative, at a press conference in July 2001. Branford Marsalis helped kick off the first JAM, in April 2002. The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, the museum’s acclaimed 18-member big band, performed a weekend of concerts. There were lectures, educational offerings, and an exhibition. Also, in honor of Jazz Appreciation Month, the museum will continue to collaborate with other national institutions in a range of educational and outreach activities as it has in the past. To assist teachers, librarians, and others in celebrating JAM, the Museum has published a series of posters and the brochure How to Celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month.

Why was April chosen?
April was chosen for two reasons. First, April maximizes JAM’s educational potential because it is the end of the school year when schools can not only participate, but student jazz ensembles can culminate year-long preparations and play at their best. Secondly, April is also the birth month of a number of leading figures in jazz: Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Bessie Smith, Johnny Dodds, Billie Holiday, Charles Mingus, Lionel Hampton, Gerry Mulligan, Shorty Rogers, Tito Puente, and Herbie Hancock.

Thank you for being here as part of our Effortless Mastery Community.

To Your Effortless Mastery,

Kenny Werner
and
Dr. Andrew Colyer

KennyWernerLive.com
and
ConsciousWorldMedia.com

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