Will Bernard Band Coming To Red Fox

Berkeley-to-Brooklyn transplant on guitar within latest Blue Plate Special

Sight Unscene
By Sentinel Staff

Gaining steady momentum in support of his latest album, “Blue Plate Special,” Grammy nominee Will Bernard and his self-tilted band are making their way west to the Red Fox Tavern coming up next Thursday, November 13.

A Berkeley native and recent Brooklyn transplant, guitarist Will Bernard has participated in a host of boundary stretching groups, ranging from jazz, hip hop and world music to experimental music, with many stops in between. Early in his career Will performed and recorded with Don Cherry, Jai Uttal and the Pagan Love Orchestra, Peter Apfelbaum's various band incarnations, Beth Custer, The Coup, and Midnight Voices to name a few. The most successful of these projects was the group T.J. Kirk (with Charlie Hunter) whose sophomore album “If Four Was One” was nominated for a Grammy in 1997.

Will broke out as a bandleader in 1998 with the release of “Medicine Hat” (on Polygram Records), showcasing his expert chops and flair for funky, bottom-heavy soul-jazz. He then followed up with two self produced albums on his own label, Dreck to Discs, before finding a new home on Palmetto Records and earning a Grammy nomination in Best Contemporary Jazz for his 2007 album, “Party Hats.”

“Blue Plate Special,” Will's follow-up Palmetto recording, includes performances by Stanton Moore, Andy Hess and John Medeski. The album was released on September 30, rounding out a prolific and momentous year for Will Bernard. Other notable releases of 2008 include “Rockamovya” (featuring Bernard, members of Groundation, and Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace), the debut “Night For Day” from Bernard-Emer-Lackner-Ferber, and “Emphasis On Parenthesis” from the Stanton Moore Trio, featuring Will on guitar.


The Will Bernard Band performing live on 4/11/08 at the Tractor Tavern in Seattle, WA
(Video by cstefanile/YouTube)

As a touring artist, Will Bernard has been performed in his own band or as a member of the Stanton Moore Trio, Robert Walter's 20th Congress, Groundation, and numerous other lineups. The Will Bernard band has performed at The Monterey, North Sea, SF Jazz, Bumbershoot, Be-Bop and Brew, Montreal, Vancouver and The High Sierra festivals, as well as clubs across the country and through Canada. They have opened for Herbie Hancock and the Head Hunters, Jimmy McGriff, The Funky Meters, John Scofield, Medeski, Martin and Wood, Ziggy Modeliste and the Charlie Hunter Quartet.

Will Bernard has clips of his original music available on his website, www.willbernard.com. Doors at the Red Fox Tavern will open for the show at 8:00 p.m. on Nov. 13, with the show starting at 10:00 p.m. Tickets are on sale for $10; for more information, see www.myspace.com/theredfoxtavern or visit them at 415 Fifth Street, Eureka.