Kenny Werner © Andrea Canter

A child prodigy, Kenny Werner was born in Brooklyn and joined a children’s song and dance group at age four. At age 11, he recorded a single with a fifteen-piece orchestra and played stride piano on television. Still in high school, he studied at the Manhattan School of Music, later becoming a classical piano major. His interest in improvisation led him to the jazz program at the Berklee School of Music; he began recording in the late 1970s, appearing on Charles Mingus’ “Something Like a Bird.” In the 1980s, Werner toured with Archie Shepp and the Mel Lewis Orchestra, worked in duo formats with Rufus Reid, Ray Drummond, and Jaki Byard, and performed solo concerns in Europe and New York. Three National Endowment of the Arts grants helped further his career as a composer and enabled him to present his compositions at Symphony Space in New York. He also wrote compositions for the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, which became the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. With Ratzo Harris and Tom Rainey, Werner spent 14 years experimenting with trio formats, and in the 1990s, this format became his main focus. Bob Blumenthal (Boston Globe) noted that Werner’s ensemble “has provided an ever-evolving definition of the spontaneity that remains at the heart of jazz... unsurpassed as a working trio.”

Johannes Weidenmueller

Over the years, Kenny Werner has performed and/or recorded with such luminaries as Bob Brookmeyer, Ron Carter, Joe Williams, Chico Freeman, Sonny Fortune, Peter Erskine, John Abercrombie, Bobby McFerrin, Lee Konitz, Billy Hart, Marian McPartland, Joe Henderson, Tom Harrell, Gunther Schuller, Ed Blackwell, Paul Motian, John Scofield, Jack DeJohnette, Eddie Gomez, Dave Holland, Charlie Haden, Chris Potter, and Joe Lovano.

Kenny Werner is one of the most active educators in jazz today. He joined the faculty of the New School's jazz department in New York City in 1987, has been artist-in-residence at Berklee in Boston, and gives clinics at many universities in the United States and abroad, as well as conducting private lessons. Now on the faculty of New York University, Werner has published many articles and books on music theory and performance. These days, in addition to teaching and duets with long-time associates Toots Thielemans and Betty Buckley, he performs his own music in trio, sextet, or large ensemble formats. In addition to several stellar trio outings with Weidenmueller and Hoenig (e.g., Form and Fantasy), he’s released the acclaimed Democracy (2006, Halfnote) with sextet (two trumpets) and his 2007 Blue Note debut, Lawn Chair Society, with quintet.

At native of Heidelberg, Germany, bassist Johannes Weidenmueller has been a first-call performer with a long list of jazz greats since settling in New York 15 years ago—including Hank Jones, Ray Barretto, John Abercrombie and Joe Lovano. He’s been a long-standing compatriot of Kenny Werner, performing and recording with Kenny and Ari Hoenig as a trio and recently appearing on Lawn Chair Society.

Ari Hoenig © Andrea Canter

It is the combined successes of these three musicians that unfortunately has led to the scheduling problems that undermine the continuation of a musical partnership that has set a high standard for the piano trio in modern jazz. This week’s performances might mark the end of their standing collaboration, but hopefully there will be many opportunities in the future for these artists to come together. For those in the New York metro area, the shows at Shanghai Jazz and Joe’s Pub should be given highest priority!

The Kenny Werner Trio performs at Shanghai Jazz in Madison, NJ on September 5^th, 7 & 8:30 pm; www.shanghaijazz.com. On September 6^th, the trio will be on stage at Joe’s Pub in Manhattan, one show at 7:30 pm; www.joespub.com. Kenny Werner’s website with itinerary is available at www.kennywerner.com