Kenny Werner

Kenny Werner

July 16, 2026 · 27 min · Season 3 · Episode 101

About this episode

The episode features pianist and composer Kenny Werner discussing his career and insights on music performance.

Pianist/composer Kenny Werner (born Nov 19, 1951) has been leading his own trios since 1981. He played with the Mel Lewis Orchestra in the early 1980s and was encouraged by Lewis and Bob Brookmeyer to compose for the band, which led to him composing for many European radio bands. He played duo with Toots Thielmans for 14 years and was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship in composition. His book Effortless Mastery, about the psychological aspects of music performance is widely read and he teaches a course based on it at the Berklee School in Boston. Help keep the music and this show alive! Donate here.

People in this episode

Guest: Kenny Werner

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Berklee School

Books & works: Effortless Mastery

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