Bernie Kenerson: Radio/Press/Reviews

Sound: Wow, an actual Christmas album released around Christmas time! Who woulda thunk it? Bernie Kenerson has been putting his name on the map for years for his use of the ewi. Ewi stands for electronic wind instrument. There are some really interesting sounds that come out of that thing. He has taken a very modern approach to these holiday songs, adding electronic beats mixed with modern and traditional jazz. This CD would be a breath of fresh air at any party where holiday music is on the menu. I recommend this for fans of Weather Report, Herbie Hancock, and even Kraftwerk. My favorite track is his version of “Linus and Lucy” from the Christmas classic TV special, “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

EWI virtuoso Bernie Kenerson comes bearing gifts this holiday season… ten to be exact… instrumental holiday classics and one original composition. This seasonal salute includes those wonderful smooth grooves that you’ve come to love on Kenerson’s Art of the EWI projects, as well as funk, hip hop, electronica and even Afro-Cuban! The EWI, rhymes with kiwi, and short for Electronic Wind Instrument, is often associated with fusion jazz… and played by saxophonists as an alternate instrument during performance. The EWI certainly has its own unique sound… a cool, tasteful tone that really lights up these holiday classics beautifully. According to the artist, these traditional tunes are close to his heart, he says, “I’ve always loved these songs, they’re such an important part of our culture, and I wanted to pay tribute to that.” Kenerson features his father, a one-time big band drummer, on “Little Drummer Boy,” a musical celebration of family. MERRY EWI CHRISTMAS is infused with lots of cool yule for your jazzy holiday!

We are pleased to welcome the latest from multi-instrumentalist, Bernie Kenerson, BERNIE GAME – The Art of the EWI. Dedicated to the graceful energy of the Electronic Wind Instrument (EWI) Bernie presents 12 new tracks that create a Smooth, Contemporary Jazz venture. I enjoy the depth and passion of his compositions combined with the free spirit of his playing… The EWI is so retro it’s cool and in fact, Bernie uses elements of hip hop and jazz on songs like “Candle and Wine” to create a very sophisticated yet modern vibe. On his website he says, “I'm very influenced by the last fifty years of jazz… Bird, Coltrane, Miles, Cannonball Adderley, Wayne Shorter and Smooth Jazz the likes of David Sanborn, Grover Washington, Tom Scott, Jeff Lorber Fusion, Najee, Kenny G, Boney James, George Howard, George Benson, Gato Barbieri, John Klemmer and The Yellowjackets.” While his EWI playing is mainly inspired by “Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, George Duke, Joe Zawinul, Tom Schuman, Jan Hammer Bob Mintzer and Michael Brecker.” Bernie Kenerson is a jazz musician’s jazz musician… he’s keeping the dream alive and in perfecting the art of the EWI, he’s managed to capture classic, contemporary and smooth in one outing on this new winning collection, BERNIE GAME. For our friends in radio, check the edit of “Bernie Game” for your playlist. My favorite may be the melancholy glide, “I’ll Remember This Day,” but the entire collection is really what makes the light shine. Game on, Bernie!

Current Radio & Internet Playlists
for "Just You 7 Me" Over 100 Staions in 38 States & 11 Countries


East Coast
CT Willimantic WECS, CT Bridgeport Upper Room Radio Show, CT West HArtford WWUH, FL Miami WDNA , GA Savannah WHCJ, MA Amherst WRNX, MA Boston WERS, MA Northampton WEIB, MA Worcester WICN, MA Springfield WTCC, ME Portland WMPG, NC Durham WXDU, NH Portsmouth WSCA, NH New London WSCS, NJ Pemberton WBZC, NJ Princeton WPRB, NY New York WNYC, NY New Paltz WFNP, NY Oneonta WONY, PA Johnstown WUPJ, PA Radnor WYBF, PA Erie WQLN, SC Columbia WLXC, SC Hemingway Radio B’ahi, VA Roanoke WVTF, WV Morgantown WWVU

West Coast
AK Fairbanks KIAK, AK Girdwood KEUL, AK Haines KHNS, CA Long Beach KLBC, CA Redway KMUD, CA Berkeley KALX, CA Los Angleles KKJZ, CA San Jose KSJS, DMX Cable/hotel/Airline, HI Kaul KSHK OR Eugene KWVA, OR Portland KBOO, OR Portland KMHD, OR La Grand KEOL, WA Pullman KZUU, WA Walla Walla KWCW

Southeast
AL Huntsville WJAB, AL Birmingham WBLZ, AL Daphne WHIL, AL Montgomery WVAS, AR Little Rock KUAP, AR State University KASU, AR Little Rock KABF, AR Little Rock KOKY, FL Orlando WAMT, FL Orlando WUCF, FL Tampa WBUL, GA Atlanta WCNN, GA Atlanta WRFG, GA Gainesville WBCX, LA Monroe KEDM, KY Lexington WRFL, TN Memphis WUMR, TN Nashville WRFN

Mid & Southwest
AZ Flagstaff KJACK, CO Salida KHEN, CO Grand Junction KAFM, CO Crested Butte KBUT, CO Ignaco KSUT, CO Paonia KVNF, ID Moscow KRFP, IL Carbondale WDBX, IL Champaign WEFT, IN Elkhart WVPE,KS Wichita KRBB MI Houghton WMTU, MI Allendale WCKS, MI Chicago WUIC, MI Grand Rapids WGVU, MN Grand Marais WTIP, MN Minneapolis/St.Paul KBEM, MN St. Cloud KVSC, MO Jefferson City KJLU, MT Bozeman KGLT, NM Santa Fe KSFR, NV Las Vegas KBAD, NV Las Vegas KUNV, TX El Paso KTEP, TX Austin KAZI, TX Houston KPRC, TX Brownsville KHID, UT Ogden KWCR, UT Salt Lake City KUER, WI Stevens Point WWSP, WI Milwaukee WMSE

International
CAN Thunder Bay ON CILU, CAN Saskatoon SK CFCR, CAN Kamloops BC CFBX, CAN Ottawa ON CKCU, CAN Ottawa, ON CHUO, CAN Burnby BC CJSF, CAN Calgary AB CJSW, CAN Toranto CKLN, Denmark Radio Holstebro, The Netherlands Jazz & Blues Tour Radio, Australia Adelaide Radio Adelaide, France Lille Dedex RCV 99 FM, Ireland Limerick, Italy Radio Vinilemania, Germany AADE, New Zealand Auckland George FM, Japan Yellow Beat Radio

Internet
CA Smoothjazz.com, GA SmoothAtlanta.com, Fairradio.net, AOL Radio, Uptown Jazz Network

I honestly was not sure what to expect when I received this. I was unfamiliar with Bernie Kenerson but what did interest me was the fact that Just You & Me (Bernup) is an album that was more or less a demonstration of the Akai EWI 4000s, an electronic instrument that plays like a saxophone but is able to play a wide range of programmed sounds, in whatever way the user sees fit. As a jazz fan, I go both ways. A part of me wants to be a purist and say "I'm a fan of John Coltrane and that's it, play the sax as is, don't mess with the formula". Yet when I think that way, I then question myself as someone who always looks for any and all musicians to step out of a comfort zone and try something new. However, I had my reservations. Was this going to be some weak soft jazz, where I would have to give everything a golf clap?

It's not that at all. It's electronic jazz through his playing the EWI, but it's not electronic jazz, so don't expect any Jaga Jazzist here. His style of jazz can be smooth at times but not stagnant, and I would say it sounds a lot like some of the jazz of the late 70's/early 80's, that post-CTI movement that moved many musicians to follow their muse into mellowness. What isn't hidden behind the technology is the fact that this guy can play, and for fans of progressive rock, you may find a bit of Hawkwind or Soft Machine in the solos that he plays. I would not call this progressive jazz by any means, but what he is able to do with the EWI is stretch the limits of the music that he does play, whether it's a ballad or an in-depth mood piece which moves through a lot of different textures, as is the case with "Honeymoon Flight" and "Summer Release". Kenerson also does play the tenor sax, flute, and bass clarinet, so one can hear how he sounds sans electronics, but no matter what he plays, this guy has the skills and experience to make his music move mountains. He may be the primary focus, but I also have to show some respect to drummer Art Weiss, keyboardist Jim Schneider, bassist Gary Craddock, and guitarist Vince Peeples, all of whom go along with Kenerson on the journey and are also allowed to share their "experiences" too.
Again, the album is promoted as a way to highlight the Akai EWI 4000s, and perhaps if musicians from other genres hear this, they can apply it to what they do. But it stands out as an incredible jazz album, one that should be heard even if you're not a fan of jazz with a bit of electronics thrown in.

The EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument - pronounced “eewee”) has been known to spice up a tune as evidenced by some classic Smooth Jazz including many an early Rippingtons’ recording. An entire album with EWI as the lead, however, totally moves this instrument to the forefront and gives it some due respect. Enter innovator, composer and multi-instrumentalist Bernie Kenerson of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. His extensive musical background includes saxes, flutes, clarinets and keyboards. Mr. Kenerson started playing Electronic Wind Instruments nearly 30 years ago when he picked up a Lyricon. Now his instrument of choice is the Akai EWI4000s, upon which he displays an incredible facility for expression and artistry. According to Bernie, “The new Akai EWI4000s is the best way I’ve found to express the music inside me.” His new album JUST YOU & ME is strong evidence of that. His playing is brilliant, and with a live rhythm section he completely immerses himself in the improvisation and energy of his instrument and, more importantly, conveys it convincingly to his listeners. This is first and foremost a jazz album, with colors ranging from pensive and haunting (“Glad You Said Yes”) to fun and festive (“Grand Strand Samba”). Rhythms range from Reggae (“Honeymoon Flight”) to Smooth contemporary (“She Said”), and if you need any cajoling into accepting the EWI as a bona fide lead instrument, Bernie Kenerson and his new album JUST YOU & ME are the ones to do it.

My reaction to multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer & arranger, Bernie Kenerson’s latest release, Just You & Me, is pure exhilaration. And when Kenerson asked, in a recent conversation we had about his art and his music, which of the ten songs from the CD evoked those feelings, I said, they all did. The title track, the first song on the CD, got my attention. Impressed by what I’d heard, I stayed to experience the rest of the music. Honestly, Bernie, I added, if you wanted to know which track I liked best, I would have to say, I don’t have a favorite song. For me, it was the collective rather than a portion of the whole that spoke. Just You & Me is a feel good, high-energy montage of well written and arranged tunes featuring Bernie on EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument) and a wonderful live rhythm section. “These songs were designed with the jazz listener in mind,” Kenerson explained. He went on to say, “my intent with this CD was to make sounds that would encourage my fans and new converts to get excited about life and hopeful about what the day might bring them.”...click link to read more.

BERNIE KENERSON/Just You & Me: EWI has been coming into it’s own with cats like Michael Brecker championing it.  Now comes Kenerson to step into the void.  A vet jazz man himself, he’s been working the progressive/fusion tip for years and is the kind of cat well primed to take this electronic instrument to the next level of the game.  Working out on a set of originals, by getting inside his own music, he gets inside the ax as well.  A first class set throughout, this jazzbo knows how to deliver.
2007 (Bernup)

all•about•jazz Oct 2007/Vol.5 No.9

There are very few reedmen who are willing to put it on the line to face the daunting challenge of trying to master the formidable EWI (pronounced eewee). Keyboard players and guitarists seemingly have no qualms about electronically tinkering with their instruments, but such experimentation seems rare among woodwind musicians. Bernie Kenerson puts his creativity to good use on his latest release, Just You & Me, a varied collection of synthesized sounds sure to sooth the soul. Funky songs like "Stayin' In Shape" have an arresting mixture of '40s swing and '70s Stevie Wonder. The driving drum work of Art Weiss, mixing with Kenerson's clavinet sounding horn gives a Weather Report groove to the attractive "She Said." If you are listening to this with earphones, your cochlea will get a definite workout on the full bodied intro to "Glad You Said Yes," sounding like an amalgamation of Bach organ and Moody Blues. Kenerson with his highly flexible rhythm section of Jim Schneider (keyboards), Weiss and Gary Craddock (bass) is able to make bebop sound absolutely other wordly on the crisp and snappy "B.W." Fun, funky and ferocious, Just You & Me is a find for groove fanatics.

The first in a series of albums being recorded featuring the electric wind instrument (EWI), this CD features multi-instrumentalist Bernie Kenerson playing the Akai 4000s electric horn on ten original compositions. An unusual recording that captured my interest almost immediately. The sound is definitely different and one that jazz audiences may not be use to hearing but, should be, in my opinion, quite receptive to the music found hear. The music blends contemporary jazz with smooth and fusion jazz colors delivered with an electric twist.

Kenerson plays with a quartet consisting of Jim Schneider (keyboards), Gary Craddock (upright and electric bass), and Art Weiss (drums and percussions), and adds Vince Peeples who plays guitar on two tracks and Nemil Chabebe playing percussion on one track. Kenerson also plays the tenor, flute and clarinet.

The opening title number and the second track, “She Said,” clearly establishes the EWI’s dominant lead role on the album with a couple of very nice light jazz almost smooth in texture. “Stay in Shape,” moves to a more traditional jazz groove featuring more of Kenerson soloing on the EWI.

There’s a two-minute fusion type intro to “Glade You Said Yes,” which is all Kenerson stretching the horn making airy sounds before giving way to a slow and beautiful ballad in one of the best tunes here. My vote for the liveliest cut has to be the samba-shaded
“Grand Strand Samba,” that moves quickly with terrific percussions and one heck of a performance by the leader.

Other notable pieces include “Honeymoon Flight,” and “Summer Release.” Well that just about does it; this is one interesting musical experience that this listener enjoyed without any reservations. The EWI may not be taking over the Jazz world just yet, but Bernie Kenerson does a fine job bringing it out to the forefront. Well done.

I just received your new "Just You and Me" CD and am loving it. This is a wonderful showcase for the EWI Electronic Wind Instrument and your writing, arranging, and performing talents. Please pass along my admiration to your excellent group of musicians as well. A fine job all around. It was also a special treat to hear my EWI sounds used in such a musical and creative manner on this CD. I am proud to help out in a small way and I look forward to hearing more from you in the years to come!

Congratulations Bernie!!!
I listen to it it everyday at work. It's great music to fix instruments by. I must say that your title is very appropriate. You definitely demonstrate the "Art of the EWI". Sensitive dynamics, technique, musicality -- it's all there. Your band is top notch! And your tunes are ear-worms with memorable melodies that pop into my mind's ear when I daydream.
Thank you very, very much.

I checked out "Just You & Me" and it just grooves.  Soulful, funky and hypnotic.  Awesome work.

...The 10 original Kenerson compositions merge traditional jazz with the fusion/pop sounds of Steely Dan and contemporary/smooth jazz of groups such as the Yellowjackets and Weather Report...

Beyond questions about electronic or acoustic sound, your music is Music. Thanks.

I enjoyed it. Very smooth jazzy, but with an edge. Sounds great!
Bernie's a badass on EWI! Great stuff.

Bernie, the new CD is off the hook! I'm rolling with you & Ronnie Laws in my CD player!!