Solo in Stuttgart

When Kenny Werner took the stage for the concert at the SDR studio hall in Stuttgart in 1992, he was experimenting with the possibilities of solo piano programs. In New York, he had become one of the top pianists in the jazz metropolis, highly regarded and booked by many fellow musicians (including Charles Mingus, Mel Lewis, Lee Konitz, Archie Shepp, and many more), without having needed any particular moment of discovery. He had grown into the role of a master craftsman who drew his strength not from the struggle for innovation, but from the elegance and finesse with which he incorporated the pianistic possibilities of the piano tradition into his music. This was also evident in the repertoire with which he made his appearance at the Süddeutscher Rundfunk (SDR) studio hall in Stuttgart on June 10, 1992. Most of the compositions were standards from the Great American Songbook tradition, which he used as a starting point to let his own creativity shine through familiar melodies and forms. SWR Jazzhaus is now releasing this wonderful concert document digitally as a stream and download, as well as in physical CD and LP formats.