In our last post, I wrote about my emotional roller coaster experience at the Manhattan School of Music.
Life didn’t necessarily feel worth living, but I didn’t have the courage to end it, although the thought made me feel vaguely peaceful.
I had heard that Berklee School of Music had a good jazz program. I didn’t know much about that, but I did know that it involved improvisation, and that was all I ever really loved about music.
Lord knows that if there were any glimpses of my inner self in those early years, it was when I sat down at the piano with no plan in mind; no form, no structure, just my raw feeling and a few friendly listeners. (I always had to have listeners, otherwise it wasn’t worth giving up valuable TV time.)
When I enrolled in Berklee, I was delighted to find other misfits like myself; people who truly didn’t know where they were at or what they were doing. These guys became my fraternity.
I responded to this new stimulating environment by having the first B+ year of my life. I actually made the dean’s list! And I was practicing! Praise the Lord, I was practicing! It felt great. It all related to improvising, so I guessed I was in the right place.
I began to really appreciate jazz and all its great artists. For the next few years, I would try to do what most music students did; try to imitate the masters, not only in playing, but in mind and speech. I lamented my Jewishness, and coming from Long Island was even less desirable. When people asked, I just said I was from New York.
Most of my friends were concerned with learning the language of jazz without sacrificing individuality. Unfortunately, this prevented some of them from adequately learning the language (a problem I’ll address in a later post).
But while I was there, I met a few people who would help shape my future.
The seeds were planted for what would become my path . . .
What seeds were planted in your earlier days?
Are you nurturing those musical seeds/gifts/fruits with your Effortless Mastery practice?
Make Sure You Get Kenny’s “Living Effortless Mastery” DVD
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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I was very touched by the openness and honesty of Kenny Werner in this contact message. I guess when you hear someone play who totally wows you, it’s hard to imagine that person as someone who would go thru all this anguish and doubt. The fact that he is willing to share this with us is spectacular. It gives us hope, that even in the darkest hours, someone is out there pulling for you, because he was there also and wants to throw you a rope to pull yourself up and out where you belong. I have been doing more practicing now. It helps to keep hearing to do this because it’s too easy to slip back into the dungeon of darkness where you are not in direct contact with the power that is in you to play.
Kenny is right on. Dealing with the real elements of what makes music.
Jazz began with the idea of playing in new ways on familiar things. Then those familiar things ( pop tunes of the 1930’s, 40’s, 50′ ) have gradually become less familiar to the current generation. How can someone appreciate your rendition, if they have no idea what you started with? Jazz then became so esoteric, and so “original” that people lost touch with not only the basic tune being played, but also the technical jargon being foisted on it and them.
At the same time, no rules apply if you are connecting with hearts via your medium, regardless of anything. If you are ‘laying it down’ and it can be felt, no rules apply.
I agree wholeheartedly with the priorities laid down when Kenny says that the player / artist has the job of being ready and able to ‘go’ wherever the ‘creator / universe / God’ wants it to go. That’s why I want to smoke on bebop at high tempos, and intentionally work at it, in practice……but not for that end in itself, but to be able to go there in the moment, IF the music takes me there. NOT because politics / convention / showing off / envy …..has taken me there.
Delicate dance between hard work and surrender.
It really ought to be called “free music”……because you might not actually do something associated as ‘jazz’ in the process. Who says it has to be called ‘jazz’?
Art happens when an artist is inspired to communicate something meaningful that would not be there otherwise……through their (the artist’s ) medium, directly to the hearts and minds of those who hear / see / feel / touch it.
The world is thus changed, one heart at a time. What nobler cause could one have?
THANKS KENNY !!!
thank youKenny, I try to find the courage to persue a musical career,
and your generosity and your help are such example to be inspired with,
practicing mental relaxation is not easy though…
A spiritual awakening, finding out that I was unconditionaly loved, and realizing that I had love to give, inspired me to continue performing and teaching music.
Over the years I have tried to get to the place where technique was part of breathing.
Any note would have it’s own life. Of course the the events of the day could upset the balance and music would become a memory instead of in the moment. For your sharing Kenny
Thank You
Claudio G