Will Bernard, the jazz guitarist/composer acclaimed for his imaginative genre-busting music, will perform two free shows at Moody's Bistro & Lounge on Feb. 16 and 17.
Bernard's signature style has attracted the attention of the music press, jazz fans and fellow musicians. JazzTimes Magazine recognized Bernard as "one of the most potent, if under recognized, guitarists on the post-Frisell/post-Scofield scene." All About Jazz called him "a player who clearly deserves a wider audience for his imaginative genre-busting aesthetic." In Billboard Magazine, Dan Ouellette heralded Bernard as "one of the best-kept jazz-guitar secrets on the planet."
As bandmate Stanton Moore said of Bernard in the San Francisco Chronicle: "He's one of the greatest musicians I've come into contact with." Musician Robert Walter was equally enthusiastic.
"He's probably the most versatile guitar player I've ever worked with. Anywhere we try to go, he can cover that area better than anyone."
Bernard Truckee performance will precede the Feb. 20 release of his new CD, "Party Hats" from Palmetto Records. The horn players on Bernard's CD include some of the most respected in the business, including Peter Apfelbaum on tenor sax, qarcabas, and melodica; Adam Theis on trombone; and Dave Ellis on sax.
A long time Bay Area musician, Bernard first began playing and recording on an international level through his membership in Peter Apfelbaum's Hieroglyphics Ensemble, whose first recording was on Don Cherry's "MultiKulti" (A&M 1989). Since then he has been involved with a host of boundary-stretching groups, ranging from jazz, hip hop and world music to experimental music. He has performed and recorded with Jai Uttal and the Pagan Love Orchestra, Beth Custer, The Coup and Midnight Voices. The most successful of these projects was the group T.J. Kirk (with Charlie Hunter) whose second record for Warner Bros. "If Four Was One" was nominated for a Grammy in 1997.
Bernard released his debut CD, "Medicine Hat," in 1998. Since then he has self-produced two albums: "Will Bernard and Motherbug" (2001) and Will Bernard Trio's "Directions to My House" (2005), both on his own label, Dreck to Disk Records.