Ken Krenzel Passes

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Meir Yedid
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Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby Meir Yedid » February 8th, 2012, 10:47 pm

Received this e-mail from George Schindler.

---
Just received the sad news that Ken Krenzel died this afternoon.

The funeral will be on Friday at the Boulevard-Riverside chapel at 1450 Broadway in Hewlett NY. Time is not yet determined but will advise as soon as I get more details Thursday - Rabbi Valley will officiate and I will do the broken wand ceremony.

More details will follow late tomorrow afternoon.

George Schindler
---

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Dustin Stinett
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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby Dustin Stinett » February 8th, 2012, 11:14 pm

Sad news. This year is starting off with a thud for magic. My condolences to his family and friends.

Dustin

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luigimar
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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby luigimar » February 8th, 2012, 11:20 pm

Sorry to hear this. A legend is gone. My condolences...
luigimar

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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby Mike Rubinstein » February 8th, 2012, 11:40 pm

Ken was not only a great magician, but a wonderful human being. He will be missed.

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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby M.Lee » February 8th, 2012, 11:40 pm

Ken, was a kind man
I understand he had been quite ill for some time
he will be missed.
RIP Ken.

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby Richard Kaufman » February 9th, 2012, 12:25 am

Very sorry to hear this. I knew Ken well from age 14 onward. He was always very generous in teaching me many difficult card sleights and it was a great pleasure to illustrate his book The Card Classics of Ken Krenzel.
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Pete Biro
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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby Pete Biro » February 9th, 2012, 2:23 am

Sorry to hear this. He was one of the amazing guys in magic and a really nice man. :(
Stay tooned.

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Matthew Field
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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby Matthew Field » February 9th, 2012, 4:47 am

A smart, talented and sharing man who deeply loved magic. I was fortunate to get to know him from my hours hanging out in Tannen's and chatting with him on several other occasions.

He leaves a great legacy and many friends in magic.

Matt Field

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erdnasephile
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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby erdnasephile » February 9th, 2012, 6:12 am

What a great, great loss.

RIP, Dr. Krenzel.

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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby Sami Lahtinen » February 9th, 2012, 6:48 am

In the words of Kurt Vonnegut, so it goes...

On a slightly more positive note, I love the title of this thread.

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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby AlessandroPangia » February 9th, 2012, 6:56 am

Ah, Another year another great loss in magic, I'm so sorry to hear this. I've never had the chance of meeting him unfortunately, well he may Rest In Peace.

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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby mrgoat » February 9th, 2012, 8:14 am

Sad day. I remember going to the Mexican place in NYC and being shown downstairs where there was a room of magicians. The host asked what sort of magic I did. I said cards. He told me I would want to go and talk with Ken then. Ken Krenzel I asked, excitedly. Yes, yes he said.

Mr Krenzel then proceeded to do a private show for me, about 20 minutes of amazing card magic. He was old, but could so still do it.

It was wonderful. Shame no one else will get that experience now.

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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby Chris Aguilar » February 9th, 2012, 9:19 am

Terrible news. My condolences to his family.

Harry Lorayne

Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby Harry Lorayne » February 9th, 2012, 9:24 am

I lost a very close, dear, friend. The "magic light" has dimmed.

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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby Chris Aguilar » February 9th, 2012, 10:08 am

There was an excellent interview with Ken (with some nice effects included) in Genii a few years back.

David Acer did a fine job of writing it and for those subscribers with access to the Genii Archives can find that interview here:

http://askalexander.org/displaypdf.cgi?pid=1859779

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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby John Born » February 9th, 2012, 11:29 am

Am really sorry to hear this. Still don't have a time, but for those in NYC that want a ride to the funeral, I have three more spaces in my car available. Send me an email at John@JohnBorn.com if you would like to join.

Best,

JB
www.JohnBorn.com
www.CheatingAtTexasHoldem.com


Meir Yedid
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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby Meir Yedid » February 9th, 2012, 12:03 pm

The funeral will be at 1pm on Friday February 10, 2012

Boulevard-Riverside-Hewlett Chapel
1450 Broadway
Hewlett, NY 11557
516-295-3100

http://www.boulevardriversidechapel.com

Bill McFadden
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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby Bill McFadden » February 9th, 2012, 12:24 pm

Dr. Krenzel was one of the kindest and most generous individuals I've ever encountered in a world of kind and generous individuals - the world of card magic. He will be missed. R.I.P.

Brad Henderson
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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby Brad Henderson » February 9th, 2012, 1:24 pm

Sami, I noticed that too. I wanted to quip, "how could you tell" as a tribute to his legendary invisible pass but feared it may have been taken to be an insult as to his personality (I never bad the pleasure of meeting him and have no idea if he was outgoing, quiet, or what.)

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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby Pete McCabe » February 9th, 2012, 1:34 pm

What a loss.

Damian,

Other people can get that experiencewith you. Show them something Ken showed you.

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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby Richard Kaufman » February 9th, 2012, 2:53 pm

Pete is absolutely right: I never hesitate when someone asks me about the Jerry Andrus Panoramic Shift. Ken taught it to me, and so few do it that magicians are surprised when I do it and they don't know what I've done or haven't actually seen the sleight before. I always offer to explain it.

It's the same type of generosity that Derek Dingle always espoused: he shared his techniques. I do the same. Pass it along! It only makes everyone else's technique better.
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Stan Willis
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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby Stan Willis » February 9th, 2012, 5:00 pm

The mechanical reverse has special meaning to me now. Whenever I practice the move from this day forward I will always owe special thanks to the originator, Dr. Ken Krenzel. RIP!

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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby mrgoat » February 9th, 2012, 6:40 pm

Pete McCabe wrote:What a loss.

Damian,

Other people can get that experiencewith you. Show them something Ken showed you.


I fear that would be like a 1st grade cello student trying to play a yo yo ma piece. So not worthy!

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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby Pete McCabe » February 9th, 2012, 6:47 pm

I guess you owe it to Ken to keep practicing.

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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby mrgoat » February 9th, 2012, 6:54 pm

Pete McCabe wrote:I guess you owe it to Ken to keep practicing.


Absobloodylutely!

poonchingyip
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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby poonchingyip » February 10th, 2012, 2:06 am

One of my favourite magicians in my life.
R.I.P., Dr Ken Krenzel =(

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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby Paul Gordon » February 10th, 2012, 2:25 am

I recall a few meetings and sessions with Ken in the late 80's and 90's. What a great guy. He helped me with his Mechanical Reverse move; which I still can't do!

The photo is after a lecture I did in New York in the mid 90's. Happy memories...R.I.P Ken

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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby Paul Gordon » February 10th, 2012, 10:29 am

Dear J. Townsend, got your PM but my reply bounces. Can you email me?
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Tom Klem
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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby Tom Klem » February 10th, 2012, 10:49 am

I am very sad this gentle creative artist has passed. He was a mentor and friend. He was named the Dean of the SAM Parent Assembly in October. He was very happy about it.He can not be replaced. I will miss him at the Magic Table.

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby Richard Kaufman » February 10th, 2012, 5:13 pm

The Mechanical Reverse was devised by a man with an IMMENSE hand. He could hold the deck deep enough that his fingers hung low enough to shield the action. The only other person I saw do the move very well, aside from Ken, was Larry Jennings who had equally enormous hands.

Geoff Latta did the move well, however we had many discussions about the problems in covering the dip, which neither of us solved.

Derek Dingle also did the Mechanical Reverse (with a packet) and it was not invisible in his hands, which just shows you how incredibly difficult it is to conceal the move properly.

Simply put: unless you are on stage and can do a full body swing, or have very large mitts, The Mechanical Reverse is very difficult to cover. In the third book of my trilogy on Jennings, I'll publish some of Larry's tricks using the Mechanical Reverse and also his slight finesses that give more cover.
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Pete McCabe
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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby Pete McCabe » February 10th, 2012, 6:11 pm

The Mechanical Reverse is one of those moves that, even when I see it done by someone who is much better than I am at Sleight of Hand, it seems very obvious. I have learned to leave those moves alone.

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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby Jon Racherbaumer » February 10th, 2012, 7:12 pm

This, as everyone in this thread has echoed so far, is disheartening news. Much of what I could say here about Ken I wrote in my foreword in Ken's INGENUITIES (1997). Therein I said that Ken hurls thunderbolts and want us to appreciate impossibilities. He wants us and all lay persons to be thunderstruck. Ken did this regularly. Most of the time he and I communicated over the telephone--long, long conversations about theory and practice. Our last conversation (which seemed not that long ago) was about the Berglas Effect, a card problem that obsessed Ken. He shared with me two Krenzelian solutions, which he had planned to publish in the future. I suspect that there are many notes tucked away somewhere...At least I hope Ken transcribed them. He was part of that energizing sodality that included Harry Lorayne, Howie Schwarzman, Al Goshman, Ed Balducci, and a younger Harvey Rosenthal...

He was a significant player that our small community will miss. RIP, Ken...I'll miss receiving your calls.
Onward...

Meir Yedid
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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby Meir Yedid » February 10th, 2012, 8:51 pm

The funeral today was very respectful and was attended by many magicians, friends and family members. The following is the official S.A.M. announcement about Ken Krenzel that was supplied by George Schindler.

BROKEN WAND: KEN KRENZEL 1926-2012

Ken Krenzel was born and raised on the Lower East Side of New York. At the age of seven he saw a marionette show at his school and, in his words, it started his life-long and passionate love of magic and all things magical As a youngster, Ken became a charter member of F.A.M.E. (Future American Magical Entertainers) run by Dr. Abraham Hurwitz , known as Peter Pan The Magic Man. This amazing group of young magicians would become major players in our magic world. *

As Ken grew up he pursued the study of psychology in college and eventually earned a Ph.D. He was a Diplomate in the American Board of Professional Psychology. Ken had served for many years as Psychologist for the Board of Education in the City of New York where he eventually became a supervisor of School Psychologists. He was a member of the board and vice president of the Executive Committee of the New York Psychotherapy and Counseling Center before going into private practice.

In his magic, he became well known as a leading exponent of expert sleight-of-hand with cards. He has published material in various magic journals: The Gen, Genii, MUM, Hugards Magic Monthly, Phoenix, Hierophant, Kabbala, Epilogue, New Jinx, Apocalypse, and the Minotaur. His art has been featured in books like The Card Classics of Ken Krenzel in 1978. His Ingenuities book is much sought after. He was always recognized as the magicians magician.

In 1993 Ken was the Parent Assembly # 1 Society of American Magicians Magician of the Year and became its Dean in October of 2011. Ken was always a proponent of keeping the secrecy of magic and played a role in combating exposure of magic effects. He often mused that; I never have to worry about falling into a second childhood. Magic has kept me in my first childhood. Long time friend Rabbi Noach Valley officiated at the funeral where the broken wand service was performed by Dean George Schindler

*Kens contemporaries were Howard Schwarzman, George Schindler , Albert Goshman, Harry Lorayne, Jack London, Victor Sendax , Sol Stone, Jerry Bergman and Frank Garcia. He was also mentored by Ed Balducci and was befriended by Dai Vernon, Slydini, Cliff Green,and Charlie Miller.

** A full biography appears in the September 1993 M-U-M magazine.

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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby Paul Gordon » February 11th, 2012, 1:54 am

Richard Kaufman wrote:The Mechanical Reverse was devised by a man with an IMMENSE hand. He could hold the deck deep enough that his fingers hung low enough to shield the action. The only other person I saw do the move very well, aside from Ken, was Larry Jennings who had equally enormous hands.

Geoff Latta did the move well, however we had many discussions about the problems in covering the dip, which neither of us solved.

Derek Dingle also did the Mechanical Reverse (with a packet) and it was not invisible in his hands, which just shows you how incredibly difficult it is to conceal the move properly.

Simply put: unless you are on stage and can do a full body swing, or have very large mitts, The Mechanical Reverse is very difficult to cover. In the third book of my trilogy on Jennings, I'll publish some of Larry's tricks using the Mechanical Reverse and also his slight finesses that give more cover.


There are many sleights I simply cannot do due to having small hands; and I don't waste time trying to, either. Having said that, I spent months practicing Jennings' one-hand bottom palm and can do it perfectly. But, in 25 years I've never used the darned thing in any routine :)

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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby Jim Martin » February 11th, 2012, 10:14 am

@ Richard and Paul re: Big Hands/Small Hands.

Magicians are not alone in this dilemma.

As we patiently wait for Jennings II and III,
check out this post (ffw to 00:30 and 1:00).

"Rachmaninoff had BIG hands":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifKKlhYF53w

Brilliant.
Jim Martin
St. Louis MO

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby Richard Kaufman » February 11th, 2012, 10:56 am

The Jennings One-Hand Bottom Palm is not dependant upon having a large hand--I can do it and have a smallish hand (the same size as Vernon's). It was described very poorly in Classic Magic, in a way that makes it seem as if a large hand is required. I will fix this in Jennings III.

Oscar Peterson had huge hands as well.
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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby Paul Gordon » February 12th, 2012, 1:02 am

Richard Kaufman wrote:The Jennings One-Hand Bottom Palm is not dependant upon having a large hand...


it is if you palm half the deck...:)

Paul
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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby Richard Kaufman » February 12th, 2012, 1:00 pm

Not, not really. Instead of killing yourself trying to get your pinky all the way under the deck, simply use your thumb and first finger to swing the inner end of the deck away from your palm. That detail was left out of Maxwell's description and it makes the move easy.
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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby MaxNY » February 12th, 2012, 3:59 pm

Ken always had a front row seat at the lectures...Ken always had a warm smile for me whenever we were in the same room together.Here is a wonderful Matrix utility move invented and explained by my friend Ken Krenzel...

http://youtu.be/iYVZcd4_p9M

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Re: Ken Krenzel Passes

Postby Leonard Hevia » February 12th, 2012, 6:01 pm



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