Hello Friends,

Please indulge me as I am making a personal appeal here.

This year (2007), I have made strides in my career. I’ve been very fortunate in my work. I know that I am doing very well in comparative terms. I play the music I want to play. All that I play honors me and my creativity. There is nothing I have to do just for the money.

But there is a level that I am working my whole life to achieve. It’s not about fame; it’s only a little about fortune, at least enough fortune to be able to stay home and be with my wife and compose if I want to. No, it’s more about access. Access to the clubs, concert halls, festivals, compositional commissions, etc. Projects that actually reach people, where the word gets out that you’ve actually created something.

I’m not far from that. But it’s like the joke, “Watch out for that last step, it’s a doozy!”

It is very hard to move up from station to station to the kind of work you’ve always wanted to do, that you felt you should do. Along the way there are little openings, little possibilities.

One upward move happened this year when I finally recorded for Blue Note Records. This is the Mecca of jazz music, and perhaps the only company left where they do the complete job. I have been so gratified to be there, and I made for them what I think is one of my best CDs ever. It’s called “Lawn Chair Society.”

It has gotten such respect in so many places. I set out to do something really special and I think I have.

But even if you record God’s favorite recording of all time, we are all still subject to a little thing in our culture called the bottom line.

As much as Blue Note loves what I did, they are subjected to scrutiny from larger forces that control their destiny. Therefore I am calling out to all my friends:

I know that there are at least 90,000 people out there who’ve read Effortless Mastery. Many of you have written me and told me that the book changed your life. I know that many people have had similar experiences at one of my performances. I have been gratified to know that I’ve helped your life in some way. But now I need your help. If my book changed your life, or significantly improved it; if one of my concerts greatly enriched you and you never forgot it; if I have taught you and my teaching was a major help towards reaching your goals musically and otherwise; to all those out there who have good feelings towards me; Please buy “Lawn Chair Society“.

And for those of you who qualify for the above statement who belong to NARAS, the Recording Academy and therefore have a vote for the Grammys, Please vote for me after you’ve heard the CD.

I am listed in best jazz instrumental solo for my tune, The 13th Day. #260. And I am there for best jazz instrumental album. #234.

If one or both of these things are achieved, sales or awards, I will have a strong case for doing my next Blue Note CD, which has been a big step forward in my career. All that said, I wouldn’t ask this if I didn’t feel it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done. But you’ll have to be the judge of that. That will be a great help to me and you will all be the producers of my next effort.

Thanks so much for reading this…Kenny Werner

P.S. Please purchase a New Copy of “Lawn Chair Society”. If you buy it used, it doesn’t help me to stay on the Blue Note label,
because Soundscan only tracks new sales; they don’t track sales of used CD’s.

Feel free to click on the link below to purchase your new copy of “Lawn Chair Society” from Amazon:

Kenny Werner = Lawn Chair Society

Thank you.

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