Kenny Werner, originally uploaded by drandrewcolyer.

Thoughts with a tooth brush.

I was talking to an atheist recently who was sure there is no God in this universe.
I had never had this thought before, but I realized that knowing there is no God is perhaps as foolish as knowing there is one.
The fact is we can’t know.

I thought I heard it put best in the movie, "What The Bleep Do We Know?"
One of the points of the movie is to observe how close science and mysticism have become.
Many physicists were interviewed and in this "post-Quantum" era they are making declarations that are more and more in alignment with what the ascetic poets and yogis said a thousand years ago.

Towards the end [of the movie] one physicist said "We have about as much chance of understanding God as a fish has of understanding the ocean he’s swimming in."
Boy, that hit me like an anvil!
Of course!
How could finite beings understand the infinite?
How could one drop of an ocean conceive of the entire ocean?

Ah, but one drop of ocean can merge with the ocean.
It can do nothing else.
We can not understand the God we speak of, but we can merge with Him/Her/It.

This is the incredible aspect of being human.
All other animals are naturally aligned with nature, and play their part.
Humans have the intellect and choice of whether to merge with that ocean we call God, or be a single drop, left alone to evaporate.

But that wasn’t really the point of my story.

While brushing my teeth (when most of my good ideas occur), it occurred to me that the avowed atheist I was talking to would be in total harmony with certain spiritual paths.

In the path of Yoga, a great being, Swami Muktananda has told his disciples, "Meditate on your own self. Worship your own self. God dwells in you as you."

I suddenly realized that the atheists’ claim that there is no god, just us, is in agreement with the statement "God dwells in you as you."

I guess the only difference is that if we know we are God, if we worship at the temple of our body and our mind, if we worship at the alter deep inside our soul, we will bloom into our full potential as loving, creative beings.

–Kenny Werner
www.KennyWerner.com
 

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Do you love outstanding artistic performances?

Do you love jazz, and have an eclectic taste in music?

Kenny Werner’s 2007 Blue Note release, "Lawn Chair Society", is an awesome and addicting CD.

"Lawn Chair Society", Werner’s first outing on Blue Note, truly sports an "all-star" cast: trumpeter Dave Douglas, reedman Chris Potter, bassist Scott Colley and drummer Brian Blade. The album incorporates some electronics, which may sound a bit startling at first pass, but the effects generally color the performance once the listener gets deeper into the tunes.

In a press release, Werner says, "I knew I didn’t want to make a record that was purely acoustic or purely electronic. I wanted to blur the lines and create something a little bit surreal."

The Artist Direct review gives Four Stars, states that the CD is "a forward-thinking album that stands uniquely alone from other similarly minded electro-acoustic jazz projects." 
Also, "a cerebral mix of acoustic jazz, electronic elements and generally expansive improvisation that comes and goes in terrifically unexpected directions."
"Thought-provoking, challenging, heartbreaking and truly inspired, "Lawn Chair Society"  is quite simply Werner’s masterpiece." ~ Matt Collar, All Music Guide

Eric Benson of the Chicago Maroon writes: "it’s ambitious and creative. The album is a swirl of styles and moods, moving between trippy planetarium music, tight acoustic playing, and ’70s cop movie–inspired funk.

Will Layman over at PopMatters gives a rating of 9 stars out of 10:  "The closer you listen, the higher Kenny Werner’s Lawn Chair Society will rise on your year’s-best list. Firm and delicate, electric and acoustic, gentle and daring, it does with nonchalant ease what 30 years of “fusion” has done so rarely: keep jazz both serious and modern as it integrates the possibilities of new technology. Suddenly, Kenny Werner (along with producer Lenny Picket) is a jazz master and maverick—a veteran artist whose voice has come alive on a big stage.  Pull up a lawn chair and check out Kenny Werner. His time has come."

Jim Santella of All About Jazz writes:  "With this upbeat program of original material, pianist Kenny Werner takes his quintet through a swinging confrontation that combines modern innovation with classical training.  His music is timeless."  Santella can really feel what the point of Werner’s compositions are.  "His heart is at the center.  Lawn Chair Society sits atop this year’s best-of-list for its innovation, for its ties with tradition, and for the quintet’s superb musicianship."

Another great online review at The Lamp reads: "Lawn Chair Society is unorthodox, unpredictable, beautifully moving, and thematically coherent. Played to the hilt by musicians and realized a by vibrant composer; it deserves to be ranked among the best releases this year."

Consciousness Calibration Research Technique:  on Dr. David Hawkins’ logarithmic Consciousness Scale of zero to 1000, Kenny Werner’s CD "Lawn Chair Society" calibrates at 457. The track that calibrates the highest (at 481) is track 5, “Uncovered Heat”.  This is the level of Excellence, and has an extremely high degree of Spiritual Integrity.

I believe that "Uncovered Heart" is the gem of the CD.  Written 16 years ago, when Werner’s daughter Katheryn was born, it makes sense that “Uncovered Heart” should be the album’s showcase, as Katheryn was present for the recording but died in a car accident before the album’s completion.

If you like jazz, blues, funk, movie soundtracks, and electronica, then this CD is for you.

I can’t remember the last time I heard an album that displayed such a broad musical palette, while offering outstanding artistic excellence.

Kenny Werner should be nominated for a Jazz Grammy for "Lawn Chair Society".

We will definitely be featuring Kenny and his music over at our ConsciousWorldMusic.com membership site when we launch.

You can go immediately to Amazon and purchase your own copy to share with your friends, family, and loved ones by clicking on this link for:

Kenny Werner = Lawn Chair Society

For further information, read the reviews by clicking on the links above,
or check out Kenny’s main site:  www.KennyWerner.com

Thank you.

Dr. Andrew Colyer

Gloria In Excelsis Deo!

Technorati Tags: Kenny Werner, Lawn Chair Society, Blue Note, Consciousness Music, ConsciousnessMusic.com, Dr. Andrew Colyer, ConsciousWorldMusic.com, Jazz