Kenny Werner at the Piano
For my friends who don’t know, this next share of mine is related to the fact that
on May 19th I had Lap Band Surgery, which is a safe form of weight loss surgery.
I’m doing spiritual practices every morning, and taking good care of myself.
But no carbs! It’s as if a vail has been lifted off of me.
I feel like my untapped energy and creativity is beginning to blossom.
Great energy and outlook without coffee and any of the other crutches I was using
to get through my day.
I’ve lost 40 lbs but that’s not the most profound change.
I feel like John Travolta in the movie “Phenomenon” after he was struck by lightning.
Before he was just a good old boy who was intellectually lazy.
After he gets struck by lightning he gets more and more brilliant
and more and more fascinated by all subjects to learn.
Eventually he shows beyond genius tendencies—but then he dies of a brain tumor.
I feel like that minus the tumor.
All the great things in my head that I’ve always been too lazy to act on, I’m starting to act on.
Look out – I think my creative output is just beginning!
This is rather fortunate because my next project is to write a concerto
for alto sax and piano, and to learn an alto and piano concerto
written by Anders Koppel.
The alto is played by his brilliant son, Benjamin Koppel.
As I delve into the piano part of Anders’ piece I am dealing with pianistic flourishes
that I’ve never played before, certainly not in public. 50 pages of them!!!
Had I not been experiencing this awakening I would have opened the music,
taken a look and told Anders, “You’ve got the wrong guy.”
He may in fact have the wrong guy but I am enjoying practicing it so much that,
although it’s way beyond anything I’ve ever done pianistically,
I’m going to give it a shot for the rest of the year and see if I can adapt to it.
Again, in my view there’s no failure in music so I may play it or I may not,
but I am enjoying practicing it without the pressure to do either.
In other words my friends, I’m feeling quite good these days!
Thanks
Kenny
{ 41 comments… read them below or add one }
Kenny,
Congratulations on the progress you are making with your weight loss. I saw you and the gentlemen at the Catalina show in L.A. and it was fantastic. As far as your new weight loss journey may I suggest: Eat To Live by Joel Fuhrman. This book really turned my life around many years ago and it sounds like just what you need to keep you fired up during this big life change. Your book helped me so much the least I can do as pass along some of the methods I’ve used to “beat” the diet and nutrition game. I hope you enjoy reading the book!
Wow, Kenny, was not aware of this big step in your life. I hope all is going well and you achieve everything you’re looking for. Please keep us posted via Facebook. Peace and blessings on you. Love.
Kenny – I had no idea you were going through something that profound BEYOND your normal profoundness! How much more brilliant could you have gotten? Already it was astounding.
I am surprised you took that drastic a step tho, for weight loss. Was there no other means? Is it permanent? I know many people have had much success with it, but they were very obese. You were not obese, and not in any way lazy.
If you hung around with me for a week you would have lost the weight just doing what I do and eating what I eat. I am 5′7 and weigh 117 lbs and have lots of energy and eat alot. But the foods I eat are all carefully figured out.
One good trick straight away is to eliminate wheat and dairy altogether.
There are lots of other things that are just as good and do not thicken the body.
I began to observe this when first my voice teacher told me a long time ago when I was just a kid and then later, when I was working in a bike factory and observed all these cute people on their coffee breaks, very young kids just out of school availing themselves of donated breads and muffins from the local bakery.
Day by day, young cute girls seemed to billow out and get bigger and bigger. Yet day after day, they ate these doughy delights from the kind baker who wanted to be friendly.
Two of them were going to be married that summer and had to have their gowns let way out.
That scenario made a big impression on me, and I never wanted to touch any of the breads. They said I was “weird,” “fanatical” and so forth, but I knew I felt stuffy and wheezy when I ate bread made with wheat flour and processed milks.
There are breads made with spelt, oat flour, walnut, quinoa, pure rye.
Majoring in fresh veggies, fruits, brown rice, fish, chicken and live juices with spinach, kale, parsley, carrot, celery, ginger, all these are good and give energy.
I have observed these things work over a long period of time from having chronic illnesses to being well all the time. The way you know things about the piano, I know things about diet and nutrition. I am glad you are well, but am suspicious of anything arrived at in a drastic way. The same way you have the “Effortless Mastery” in the music sense, I have some awareness and skill with health. I wish you the best with it, people have sworn by this procedure.
You have some very rare gifts. I thank you still for sharing them with us –
Amanda Tree
Wow Kenny — Blessings on you and your health after this big change you have made. You are an amazing gift to the world and I have been fortunate to have discovered you. During my recent 1 week hospital stay in May for a craniotomy to correct my recently discovered “superior canal dehiscence syndrome” I brought you with me on my iPod to do your effortless mastery meditations in my hospital bed. I can’t wait to see what you will be up to next.
this is good news, I am happy to hear you are doing well and feeling energized and brilliant and creative! i stopped eating wheat bread a while ago and found that i then felt “clear” for once in a long time, that is, my brain was not “fuzzed up” (that’s the best phrase i can think of right now to describe the sensation) any more…must be the gluten in the wheat(?).
hi Kenny,
I’m glad you feel the way you do.
Keep your focus on the right food choices and increasing your activity level.
The band will be there to help with primal hunger issues, but you are going to acheive this with always maintaing your conscious control over yourself.
I am intrigued by your composition for alto sax and piano. I would love to some day play it with you!
See you soon , and feel free to email me at any time with questions or problems, or just call me on my cell 551-8884
Peter
Dear Kenny
))
most loveble congrats
when i received your message i had just downloaded lyle´s first album which i rehear after
24 years and it just connects to all of us .
And hey, LIGHTFOOD doesn´t make big… it´s just nutuaring and you can eat as much as you feel without getting ´wall-y´.
Your Music Spirit and Humor is/are invaluable…I will spread it in my circles
Thanks for Your being and …..the SPIRIT ? YES
RÜDI ( from Germany/ Berklee alumni / friend of ira coleman and bruce gertz / caught
you at the `98 convention in NYC and with Eddie in Germany / and share your thoughts
with our students at the FMW- academy…a jazz school
Big hug and love
Dear Kenny,
I am all with you. I’m sending you all the vibrations I can for you to “blossom” as best you can with these new projects. Thank you for your positive thinking, thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.
Take good care of yourself and hope to hear from you soon again!
A musical friend,
Julien.
Congratulations for everything!
I was thinking about you (Kenny) just yesterday and my thought at the moment was “He’s on a new path and I’m sure he has lost weight…”
(and then I received this blog post in an email!)
Intuition is great.
Congratulations and well wishes to you Kenny Warner,
When the word health was mentioned I was worried that something dreadful was happening. I was pleasantly surprised to find you in great spirits and doing well.
You were in my thoughts lately. I just finished reading a book called “The Music Lesson” by Victor Wooten . It was recommended by a friend and fellow Synthophone player. He said it was Effortless Mastery meets “The Shack” . Victor Wooten has some ideas that for me re-enforce what you have been saying all along. You probably know about it already anyway but I thought it was very cool to see another prominent musician tout the advantages of spirituality in music.
Cheers to you and thank you for your book and DVD’s
From what I can see in the photo you look like half the person you were. Great job! That is quite an accomplishment. What was the cataylst? It’s hard to give up all the things we think we need to get buy everyday. The coffee, sugar, white food amongst many. Are you exercising? Do you feel stronger?
Fondly,
Elaine
Kenny,
I’m very glad to hear you’re doing so well… Congratulations to you on everything… You’re truely inspirational to me… Take care & have fun…
Steve
Hey Uncle Kenny,
I’m glad to hear the surgery went well and you are feeling good!! send my love to Lorraine.
Love Brett
Glad you are doing well. Keep it going Bro!
A speedy recovery Kenny, and may you continue to blossom and grow!
Congratulations Kenny! When I saw the sentence ‘Kenny and his Health’ the first time I was startled. But then luckely, you talk of the energy which gives you good nutrition. That you feel the Chi, without any blockade. I want to thank you so much for the nutrition you give my mind, and my students and my fellow friends/singers in Puerto Rico and Holland! big hug, May
Hi Dude,
I’m glad you feel good ! Welcome among Featherweights !
Take care.
Marcos
Good luck with everything Kenny
Hi Kenny and I am glad you are feeling so great!
In fact,I didn’t know about your operation and I wish you all the very best.
You give us all so much inspiration every single time…take care of yourself and keep enjoying your practicing of the concert.
Best luck for you in every way.
Thanks again,
Maria G.
Kenny
I am a pianist/vocalist and Mastery fan. My life has been greatly altered by your influence. Thank you.
Congrats on taking this step. ..and thank you for sharing. PLease keep us posted on your progress.
My very best,
Cathy
Kenny,
Go glad to hear you are doing well. I was not aware that you were going to be doing something like this but we here in Joizey are thrilled to hear all is well and that things are once again heading in the right direction for you.
Our very best to you and those you love, as always!
Your cuz,
Stu
Dear Kenny,
It is nice to hear you are feeling well and things are taking on a whole new meaning.
I wish you continued health improvements and I hope to meet you some day in the neat future…maybe even get to play with you.
Sincerely,
Joe
Kenny, this is fantastic news. I’m inspired by reading about your transformation! Glad you are testing your limits with the concerto. Keep it up.
Much love
Stephen
Kenny,
GOOD FOR YOU!!! I hope that the results keep getting better and better for you.. We need you out here in the trenches and keep the ideas flowing. Be safe and recover quickly..
Bob
Hi, Kenny –
Thank you for sharing your uplifting news. You continue to be an inspiration.
Much love and and continued blessings,
~Clairdee~
Hello dear relatives and friends,
I am so gratified by the overwhelming response of all who have written me with blessings and good wishes for my recent journey. Too many to answer one by one so let me just say thank you for your care and compassion. You’re teaching me about caring for others. A subject I could use a few more lessons on!
thank you, love, Kenny
Kenny,
Thank you for the candid update and overview of your latest project. You have been prominent in my music interests since the wonderful album that you did with the great Toots Thielemans. This album was my first contact with your work, and is still one of my absolute favorites.
I join all the many, many others around the world in wishing you continued success with your surgical adventure, as well as your many and varied musical explorations. You are a very fine musician. My late brother, jazz guitarist Joe Beck, would certainly join me here in wishing you the best.
Warm regards,
Bob Beck
Hi Kenny
The same way all these people have sent you their best wishes I do so too, from São Paulo, Brazil !
Healthy recovery !
André
Kenny -
Congratulations! I am glad to hear that you are well. I look forward to the next opportunity to be in the presence of your infinite musical wisdom…
Until next time – take care,
Duncan W. McMillan
Kenny
Glad things are going well knew you’d talked about it, thoughts and prayers are with you . So looking forward to seeing you in July, tell Lorraine hi! Miss you both, Phil
The Best to you.
Health and Happiness
ciao
Claudio
I love you Kenny!
dearest kenny,
i just now saw and read this. sorry i did not send support earlier.
i am sooooo happy for you, for so many reasons.
i know how much you respond to the creative growth, for sure, that is you.
i’m happy for you. but i also am so happy for you that you are becoming healthier. so happy for you.
i didn’t think it was possible for you to become more creative and energized and excited, but, of course, now you have. that’s wonderful.
i’ll keep this short, just to say that i’m behind you, and, am sending continued wishes for your wellbeing-in all aspects.
much love, sharon xxoo
p.s. kenny, thank you so much for posting this—we just listened to the video of you and claudia villella….stunning!! so fantastic. thank you so much!
even tho we have not seen you for a few months, since nyc, this was a good treat!
XXOO
Many Blessings Kenny. for your continuing good health.. I was thinking about you today and sending you my love as thoughts of your daughter came up in my morning meditation this morning. Much love to you!
thanx kenny!!!for sharing also dark side of life,for me that means live too.
i suffer alot,but when i was reading this,it helped me to forget about pain,
and go for music and better lifestyle.i send you lots of healing energy.love
Kenny, I didn’t know you had that done. I wish you all the best with it! Glad you are feeling so good.
Love you,
Maria
Kenny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wasnt aware of what was going on with you.
I wish you more and more illumination and love coming and going through your fingers every time you touch the keys.
Its sure too long since we played last. Lets start once more and never stop again………………!
Im proud of you.
Magic is about to start. A new one, and more and more windows will open, like the best movie you never want to see it ending………………………………………………….
Love,
CLaudia
Yay Kenny! Love you
Kenny,
Good luck and God bless. I had some serious cervical spine surgery 3 weeks ago to repair a progressive squeezing of my spinal cord. I am a guitarist and a fan of your music and book for many years. Post surgery, your meditations and insights have been very helpful. Thank you. After surgery, my left hand has been a bit clumsier, but with piano and guitar practice and use of the meditations (as well as prayer) have helped a lot. Yesterday I played my first post-op gig – two 45 min sessions. I was exhausted, but exhilarated. Focusing on my being a master despite recent events, how I have the strength to get beyond it, helped. Thank you for the difference you have made. I still have a journey in front of me, with an occasional bump. I am certain I will improve.
My continue to bless you
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