Ken Feldman, who passed away on December 20th of last year following an eight month battle with bladder cancer, was a true Renaissance man from childhood on, pursuing a diverse array of interests and joyfully exploring all aspects of his many talents. Ken was a self-taught musician who could hear a song once and immediately play it on piano or guitar. He was a composer of what he called family music, songs that could be enjoyed by children and the adults in their lives. He produced five albums in all: Ten by Ken, It's Your World (which accompanied a film of the same name that he wrote, directed and produced) Common Splendor, Small Songs About Us, and his upcoming record Make it Play which celebrates his belief that all pursuits in life should be infused with a spirit of fun and delight. Ken founded bands in high school and while at the University of Michigan and throughout his life thereafter. He won first prize in the Great American Songwriting Contest, and has played extensively in NYC, both solo and with others. He especially enjoyed playing for children, in the NYC school system, at young people's concerts in Brooklyn, and spontaneously at markets and public spaces.
Ken possessed a brilliant mind but never took himself too seriously. He attended Oxford during his undergraduate years and earned a degree in public policy from Duke University and one in law from Rutgers. He was a successful trademark attorney for twenty years, and also taught in the public school system before deciding to devote his time completely to performing, teaching and creating the music he so loved. Ken also developed the concept of Turnlistening in which audience members at house concerts take timed turns listening to each other, and sharing songs that are meaningful to them. Filmmaker Joshua Paul Johnson created a short documentary about it called "Ken Feldman: Turn Listening." Ken was passionate about film and certainly came very close to seeing every English language film produced since the talkies were invented. His favorites ranged from anything by Woody Allen to Ratatouille. Ken loved many kinds of music ranging from rock 'n roll to zydeco to country. Like many New Jerseyans he had a particular obsession with Bruce Springsteen and spent many happy hours "Wild Bruce Chasing," racing to places like the Stone Pony in Asbury Park hoping that The Boss would show up and play. Ken was a gifted visual artist as well as a brilliant debater who was passionate about social issues and how society could most effectively free itself from oppressions of every kind. Nelson Mandela was one of his greatest heroes and he was deeply affected by his passing. Ken was also a world-class hugger and taught everyone he knew and loved that the hug is not a half-hearted social gesture but an opportunity to hold tight and transmit emotion in a tactile way. Ken revered children, both the innocent, idealized idea of them and the complicated reality. He believed deeply in their innate wisdom and goodness. Ken's musical compositions endeavor to instill in children a sense of agency and confidence, and to spread the message that it is they who possess the greatest potential for effecting positive change in the world. The Feldman Family has created the Feldiken (a name Ken coined for himself as a child) Foundation (feldikenfoundation.org) to honor Ken's legacy by empowering children through music. The foundation's mission is to identify children most in need, those who will derive the greatest benefit from exposure to music in its many forms, and share the joy and power of music. Ken had countless friends from every walk of life and affected each of them deeply through his conviction that life should be lived fully and deeply, with truth, humor and a sense of wonder. Ken is survived by his wife Nancy, his father Bill, his mother Pearl, his sister Lisa and brothers Eric and Duv as well as nieces Brittany, Nicole, Ellis and Alexa and nephew Ethan. He is also dearly missed by his brother-in-law Peter, and sisters-in-law Trudy and Victoria. Ken believed that we are all children at heart and, though he has left this world much too soon, those who love him take great solace in knowing that his music will live on in the minds and hearts of children of all ages.