Biography
Will Bernard demonstrates equal mastery on guitar whether navigating funk, blues, or the full spectrum of jazz idioms, while also directing ensembles, writing original material, and serving as a sought-after studio and road collaborator. His singular sound combines a rounded warmth with sharp percussive attack, allowing him to move fluidly through jazz, blues, R&B, funk, and hip-hop settings. Appearances on dozens of albums span artists from Don Cherry to Stanton Moore. The guitarist launched his own projects with the star-studded Medicine Hat in 1998. Wider critical recognition followed the 2007 release of his fourth album, Party Hats. Blue Plate Special arrived the next year and featured a quartet anchored by organist John Medeski. After joining the Posi-Tone roster, Bernard fronted a funky jazz quartet including saxophonist John Ellis on the 2013 album Just Like Downtown and its 2016 successor Out & About. Following an extended recording hiatus, he returned with Freelance Subversives in 2020. Ancient Grains, an organ-trio session, surfaced on Posi-Tone the following year. In 2022 Bernard changed direction, issuing the avant-groove project Pond Life with a quintet that featured saxophonist Tim Berne.
Born in Berkeley, California, in 1959, Bernard began studying guitar and piano at a young age under Dave Creamer, Art Lande, and Julian White. Classical composition soon captured his attention as well. He earned a B.A. in music from UC Berkeley while working with Andrew Imbrie. After graduation he collaborated with numerous Bay Area players; during the 1980s he entered high-school classmate Peter Apfelbaum’s Hieroglyphics Ensemble and made his recording debut on Don Cherry’s 1989 album Multikulti. From the early through mid-1990s Bernard toured and cut four albums with Apfelbaum’s ensemble, among them the 1991 Antilles release Signs of Life. Additional partnerships included Jai Uttal, the political hip-hop collective the Coup, and vanguard composer/clarinetist Beth Custer. Together with Charlie Hunter he co-founded the jazz-rock fusion outfit T.J. Kirk, which issued two Warner Bros. albums, the second of which, the 1997 Grammy-nominated If Four Was One, was produced by longtime associate Lee Townsend.
Bernard assembled a fresh group and secured a solo contract with Antilles. The label released Medicine Hat in 1998 by the Will Bernard 4-Tet, whose members included Rob Burger on Hammond B-3 organ and accordion, T.J. Kirk drummer Scott Amendola, and bassist John Shifflett; Custer appeared on several tracks. Bernard spent the ensuing years touring and recording with both Custer and Hunter. In 2000 he launched his own Dreck to Disk imprint and issued the quartet album Motherbug featuring an entirely new lineup of organist/keyboardist Michael Bluestein, bassist Keith McArthur, and drummer Jan Jackson. Critics widely praised the guitarist’s inventive handling of the soul-jazz quartet format. He contributed to Giving Up the Ghost, the 2003 debut by Greyboy Allstar/San Francisco native Robert Walter’s 20th Congress, shortly before relocating to New Orleans. That same year T.J. Kirk regrouped for the Ropeadope album Talking Only Makes It Worse. Bernard followed with the 2004 trio recording Directions to My House on Dreck to Disk. In 2006 he joined Galactic drummer Stanton Moore’s solo band for the Telarc album III and began touring with the group. After years of aspiring to live in New York, Bernard moved from the Bay Area to Brooklyn in 2007. He appeared on Sketchy as part of organist Wil Blades’ sextet, which also included drummer Idris Muhammad. Late that year Bernard signed with Palmetto Records and recorded Party Hats, leading a large rotating cast that featured Blades, saxophonist Cochemea Gastelum, and Apfelbaum; the album sold solidly and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Jazz Album. Almost immediately afterward he released Blue Plate Special with a quartet comprising Moore, Andy Hess, and John Medeski.
Bernard spent the next four years touring and recording two further albums alongside Moore. He also guested on Tom Waits’ Bad as Me. Subsequently the guitarist formed a trio with Blades and drummer Simon Lott that issued Outdoor Living on Dreck to Disk late in 2011. The following year he joined pianist/composer/vocalist Ben Sidran’s studio band for Don’t Cry for No Hipster. During those sessions Bernard first connected with saxophonist John Ellis. After signing with Los Angeles-based Posi-Tone Records in early 2013, he assembled a jazz quartet featuring Ellis, drummer Rudy Royston, and organist Brian Charette and released the widely acclaimed Just Like Downtown; its most popular track was a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Dancing Days.” The ensemble embarked on a nationwide club tour. Bernard returned to session work and over the next several years appeared on recordings by Sparkler, Icepack Jackson, and Charette.
For his next Posi-Tone release Bernard enlarged the ensemble to a quintet, retaining Ellis and Charette while bringing in bassist Ben Allison and drummer Allison Miller in place of the busy Royston. The resulting album Out & About emerged in early spring 2016. That year Bernard also played guitar on Charette’s Once & Future. In 2017 he rejoined Sidran for Picture Him Happy and toured in the pianist’s band. The following year Bernard entered Medeski’s neo-psych jazz-funk quartet Mad Skillet for their self-titled album, which also included New Orleanians sousaphonist Kirk Joseph and drummer Terrence Higgins. Over the next two years he worked on the road with numerous artists and performed in a live configuration of Bill Laswell’s Revelator alongside Apfelbaum on saxophones and drummer Aaron Johnston.
In May 2020 Bernard issued the large-scale Freelance Subversives on Ropeadope, employing two bands and ten rotating sidemen that included Medeski, Eric Finland, and Ben Stivers on organs and keyboards, saxophonists Skerik (Eric Walton) and Jay Rodriguez, bassists Ben Zwerin and Jeff Hanley, percussionist Moses Patrou, and drummer Eric Kalb. Released at the peak of a global pandemic, the album received limited initial coverage; the label reissued it that fall to strong reviews.
Ancient Grains the next year presented the guitarist in an organ trio with B-3 master Sam Yahel and drummer/composer Donald Edwards. In 2022 Bernard broadened his approach. Alongside Medeski, altoist Tim Berne, bassist Chris Lightcap, and drummer Ches Smith he released Pond Life on Dreck to Disk, exploring avant and free jazz while preserving his groove and soul-jazz foundations.
Born in Berkeley, California, in 1959, Bernard began studying guitar and piano at a young age under Dave Creamer, Art Lande, and Julian White. Classical composition soon captured his attention as well. He earned a B.A. in music from UC Berkeley while working with Andrew Imbrie. After graduation he collaborated with numerous Bay Area players; during the 1980s he entered high-school classmate Peter Apfelbaum’s Hieroglyphics Ensemble and made his recording debut on Don Cherry’s 1989 album Multikulti. From the early through mid-1990s Bernard toured and cut four albums with Apfelbaum’s ensemble, among them the 1991 Antilles release Signs of Life. Additional partnerships included Jai Uttal, the political hip-hop collective the Coup, and vanguard composer/clarinetist Beth Custer. Together with Charlie Hunter he co-founded the jazz-rock fusion outfit T.J. Kirk, which issued two Warner Bros. albums, the second of which, the 1997 Grammy-nominated If Four Was One, was produced by longtime associate Lee Townsend.
Bernard assembled a fresh group and secured a solo contract with Antilles. The label released Medicine Hat in 1998 by the Will Bernard 4-Tet, whose members included Rob Burger on Hammond B-3 organ and accordion, T.J. Kirk drummer Scott Amendola, and bassist John Shifflett; Custer appeared on several tracks. Bernard spent the ensuing years touring and recording with both Custer and Hunter. In 2000 he launched his own Dreck to Disk imprint and issued the quartet album Motherbug featuring an entirely new lineup of organist/keyboardist Michael Bluestein, bassist Keith McArthur, and drummer Jan Jackson. Critics widely praised the guitarist’s inventive handling of the soul-jazz quartet format. He contributed to Giving Up the Ghost, the 2003 debut by Greyboy Allstar/San Francisco native Robert Walter’s 20th Congress, shortly before relocating to New Orleans. That same year T.J. Kirk regrouped for the Ropeadope album Talking Only Makes It Worse. Bernard followed with the 2004 trio recording Directions to My House on Dreck to Disk. In 2006 he joined Galactic drummer Stanton Moore’s solo band for the Telarc album III and began touring with the group. After years of aspiring to live in New York, Bernard moved from the Bay Area to Brooklyn in 2007. He appeared on Sketchy as part of organist Wil Blades’ sextet, which also included drummer Idris Muhammad. Late that year Bernard signed with Palmetto Records and recorded Party Hats, leading a large rotating cast that featured Blades, saxophonist Cochemea Gastelum, and Apfelbaum; the album sold solidly and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Jazz Album. Almost immediately afterward he released Blue Plate Special with a quartet comprising Moore, Andy Hess, and John Medeski.
Bernard spent the next four years touring and recording two further albums alongside Moore. He also guested on Tom Waits’ Bad as Me. Subsequently the guitarist formed a trio with Blades and drummer Simon Lott that issued Outdoor Living on Dreck to Disk late in 2011. The following year he joined pianist/composer/vocalist Ben Sidran’s studio band for Don’t Cry for No Hipster. During those sessions Bernard first connected with saxophonist John Ellis. After signing with Los Angeles-based Posi-Tone Records in early 2013, he assembled a jazz quartet featuring Ellis, drummer Rudy Royston, and organist Brian Charette and released the widely acclaimed Just Like Downtown; its most popular track was a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Dancing Days.” The ensemble embarked on a nationwide club tour. Bernard returned to session work and over the next several years appeared on recordings by Sparkler, Icepack Jackson, and Charette.
For his next Posi-Tone release Bernard enlarged the ensemble to a quintet, retaining Ellis and Charette while bringing in bassist Ben Allison and drummer Allison Miller in place of the busy Royston. The resulting album Out & About emerged in early spring 2016. That year Bernard also played guitar on Charette’s Once & Future. In 2017 he rejoined Sidran for Picture Him Happy and toured in the pianist’s band. The following year Bernard entered Medeski’s neo-psych jazz-funk quartet Mad Skillet for their self-titled album, which also included New Orleanians sousaphonist Kirk Joseph and drummer Terrence Higgins. Over the next two years he worked on the road with numerous artists and performed in a live configuration of Bill Laswell’s Revelator alongside Apfelbaum on saxophones and drummer Aaron Johnston.
In May 2020 Bernard issued the large-scale Freelance Subversives on Ropeadope, employing two bands and ten rotating sidemen that included Medeski, Eric Finland, and Ben Stivers on organs and keyboards, saxophonists Skerik (Eric Walton) and Jay Rodriguez, bassists Ben Zwerin and Jeff Hanley, percussionist Moses Patrou, and drummer Eric Kalb. Released at the peak of a global pandemic, the album received limited initial coverage; the label reissued it that fall to strong reviews.
Ancient Grains the next year presented the guitarist in an organ trio with B-3 master Sam Yahel and drummer/composer Donald Edwards. In 2022 Bernard broadened his approach. Alongside Medeski, altoist Tim Berne, bassist Chris Lightcap, and drummer Ches Smith he released Pond Life on Dreck to Disk, exploring avant and free jazz while preserving his groove and soul-jazz foundations.
Albums
