Tag: Will Bernard

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Dusty Groove likes the balance of groove and energy in “Out & About”

WILL BERNARD – OUT AND ABOUT

A mighty impressive set from guitarist Will Bernard – our hands down favorite of his work as a leader to to date – and an all originals session with a remarkable stylistic range! Our ears perked up from the opening seconds, thanks to the elegant take on jazz funk of the opener “Happy Belated” – which has this perfect balance of insistent groove and spontaneous energy – facets that hold true throughout! As stated, there’s a stylistic breadth here that keeps the vibe fresh from track-to-track – it’s not all funk-steeped – with some laidback and melodic moments, along with faster, more energetic material. Each player has ample space to shine, including the excellent Brian Charette on organ, John Ellis on sax, Ben Allison on bass, and Allison Miller on drums. Titles include “Not Too Fancy”, “Next Guest”, “Habenera”, “Homeward Bound”, “Suggested Reading”, “Full Sweep”, “Out And About”, “Redwood (Business Casual)”, “Homebody” and “Pan Seared”. ~ Dusty Groove

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All About Jazz chimes in first on the new release from Will Bernard “Out & About”

mindset2Will Bernard has received his due for sideman work in a variety of settings, but you rarely hear anybody talk about stylistic range when it comes to his own leader dates. This is the album that could—and should—change that. Over the course of eleven originals, Bernard continually frames himself in different ways, constantly redefining his outlook and mining fresh musical veins with some help from four A-list musicians—organist Brian Charette, saxophonist John Ellis, bassist Ben Allison, and drummer Allison Miller. It’s a winning formula, making Out & About an out-and-out success.

The album opens with “Happy Belated,” a funky number with a twist or two that falls right into Bernard’s comfort zone. Allison’s fulsome bass and Miller’s solid drumming lock everything in place, Bernard and Ellis sync up when an angular interlude appears, and metric adjustments are made without altering the natural feel of the piece. It’s a number that could’ve set Bernard up perfectly for a funk-themed record, but he doesn’t oblige. Instead, he turns sharply at every opportunity. “Not Too Fancy”—a brief and intimate guitar-and-bass duo that’s quaint, serene, and comforting—follows, completely changing the direction implied with “Happy Belated.” Then there’s “Next Guest,” a piece that flies and gives Ellis, Bernard, Allison, and Miller a chance to really dialogue with one another; “Habenera,” a shape-shifting avant-tango that benefits from Charette’s out-of-the-box organ work; “Redwood (Business Casual),” a number energized by Miller’s propulsive ride cymbal and powerful soloing; and “Homeward Bound,” a straight-eighth selection that plays up the partnership between rhythmic recurrence and mood evolution.

With each of the five numbers that remain, Bernard and his buddies continue to defy expectations. “Homebody” carries some heartland inflections and gives Ellis and Bernard a chance to continually cross paths and dance, “Suggested Reading” sets Bernard’s slinky guitar against Allison’s stout yet slippery bass lines and Miller’s happening grooves, and “Full Sweep” delivers wonderfully off-balanced hits and harmonic shifts. Then things wind down with a gravity-reduced exploration called “Pan Seared” and the swaying title track. After all of that it’s tempting to see this as an identity crisis record. The truth, however, is something much simpler: This is Will Bernard, in all of his multifaceted glory.

Track Listing: Happy Belated; Not Too Fancy; Next Guest; Hanbenera; Redwood (Business Casual); Homeward Bounc; Homebody; Suggested Reading; Full Sweep; Pan Seared; Out And About.Personnel: Will Bernard: guitar; John Ellis: saxophone; Brian Charette: organ; Ben Allison: bass; Allison Miller: drums.

– All About Jazz

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Brian Charette “Alphabet City” AAJ review by Bruce Lindsay

Brian Charette - Alphabet City cover

 

 

 

 

 

www.allaboutjazz.com/

Alphabet City is organist Brian Charette’s ninth album, titled for the part of Manhattan where he lives (in the building which featured on the cover of Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti, apparently). He’s alongside guitarist Will Bernard and drummerRudy Royston, both familiar names on numerous other releases for Posi-tone Records: a standard, though high quality, organ trio, but the leader’s compositions give it a far-from-standard repertoire.

The 12 tunes, all originals, are all pretty short, pretty snappy and, in the case of the melancholy “White Lies,” pretty. Mostly, they’re mid-to up-tempo numbers, with Charette’s Hammond B-3 organ often adding a touch of soul. Fittingly for a musician with wide-ranging influences and a resume that includes work with Cyndi Lauper, Joni Mitchell,Lou Donaldson and Paul Simon the tunes on Alphabet City cover a broad spectrum of styles.

Charette has a nice line in notes about these tunes, explaining some of the titles and some of the musical constructs—sadly, they’re part of the press pack but not the album liner. So we learn that “Hungarian Major” uses a scale from Hungary—although that doesn’t explain the Frank Zappa-ish feel of Charette’s organ; “They Left Fred Out”—suitably funky, with Royston’s drumming at its punchy, driving, best—takes inspiration from James Brown and laments the absence of trombonist Fred Wesley from a Brown biopic; the prog-meets-fusion “Not A Purist” is influenced by Deep Purple and the Mahavishnu Orchestra.

While it’s intriguing to hear the Mahavishnu sound filtered through the lineup of an organ trio, the real pleasure of Alphabet City is in hearing Charette, Bernard and Royston moving with confidence through the blues, funk and jazz of “They Left Fred Out,” “East Village” or (with added ’70s country) “Sharpie Moustache.”

 

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Dan Bilawsky reviews Brian Charette “Alphabet City” for All About Jazz

Brian Charette - Alphabet City cover

 

 

 

 

allaboutjazz.com

Organist Brian Charette brings his A-game to Alphabet City. But who would expect anything else from this consummate artist? After delivering a covers-heavy program with two different trio lineups on Good Tipper (Posi-Tone, 2014), Charette returns here with an all-originals outing that finds him in the company of guitarist Will Bernard and drummer Rudy Royston.

Alphabet City, in some respects, is an ode to Charette’s New York city home, haunts and habits. But that minimizes the scope and influences connected to this project. In truth, this album, like nearly everything else in Charette’s discography, is about Charette’s entire world, not a single section of a city. His early musical passions, vast experience(s), and general love of music—be it bop-based, bright, burbling, bizarre, or built with Eastern European influences—are all wrapped together in his work.

While these three musicians work well as a single unit, each has his own respective gifts to share. Charette’s diversified approach to music-making manages to keep things fresh; Royston plays with a marriage of technique and taste, alternately delivering direct blows, worming his way into the heart of a groove, and playing around the edges of a piece; and Bernard straddles musical worlds, simultaneously pulling from jazz, soul, and funk bags. It’s an odd combination in some respects, but it works.

There’s modal music in odd time signatures (“Split Black”), ambling and carefree performances (“West Village”), and mysterious, Hungarian-influenced music to be heard here (“Hungarian Major”). Charette and company might be knee deep in bebop on one track (“East Village”), but the next number might go someplace completely different, as the trio explores some serious funk that questions the absence of a Fred Wesley figure in aJames Brown biopic (“They Left Fred Out”). There are also intentionally edgy, alien, and fusion-based pursuits (“Not A Purist”), energetically swinging blues excursions (“The Vague Reply”), and gospel-tinged peace offerings to admire (“White Lies”). 
Given Charette’s track record and the skills of the players involved, it should come as no surprise that Alphabet City is as good as it is.

Track Listing: East Village; They Left Fred Out; West Village; Not A Purist; Sharpie Moustache; Disco Nap; Hungarian Major; Avenua A; Detours; Split Back; White Lies; The Vague Reply.

Personnel: Brian Charette: organ; Will Bernard: guitar; Rudy Royston: drums.

 

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Midwest Record reviews Brian Charette “Alphabet City”…

Brian Charette - Alphabet City cover

 

 

 

 

 

 

BRIAN CHARETTE/Alphabet City:  Anyone who doesn’t love swinging, tight, concise B3
jazz trio sizzle and steak can just leave this site now and not come back.  Charette
and his pals are bumping and jumping their way through a set of originals that show
there’s still plenty of originality that can be enjoyed in this format.  Great stuff
that smokes with the heat of the street, it’s a winner throughout.

 

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Dusty Groove on Will Bernard “Just Like Downtown”…

http://www.dustygroove.com

The Posi-tone label is turning out to be one of the best sources for old school Hammond sessions these days – and this sweet set from guitarist Will Bernard is great proof of that fact! Bernard plays with a tight sense of line and color that really takes us back to some of our favorites from the 60s – like Grant Green or Kenny Burrell – and he’s set up here alongside some excellent Hammond from Brian Charette, who has a great ear for mixing up playful phrasing and a more powerful groove – a bit like Jack McDuff on late 60s Prestige, but very much his own bag too! The group’s also got tenor and bass clarinet from John Ellis, and drums from Rudy Royston – and titles include a cover of “Dancing Days”, plus “Dime Store Thriller”, “Go West”, “Sweet Spot”, “PM Gone”, and “Route 46”.

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Dan Bilawsky reviews Will Bernard “Just Like Downtown”…

http://www.allaboutjazz.com

Guitarist Will Bernard has been connected to a number of singular groups and individuals, from the Monk-to-funk outfit known asT.J. Kirk to New Orleans drumming giant Stanton Moore to multi-instrumentalist Peter Apfelbaum’s boundary-pushing Hieroglyphics Ensemble, but a common denominator exists in his strongest work with each one: Bernard’s best is always rooted in the groove. He has an no-fuss way of establishing and/or inhabiting the rhythmic currents of a song and he puts that skill to good use, once again, onJust Like Downtown.

This quartet date finds Bernard fronting a highly capable—and flexible—foursome. Together, they tackle original soul jazz (“Dime Store Thriller”), Led Zeppelin (“Dancing Days”) and Richard Rodgers (“Bali Hai”). Some pieces are brisk and driving (“Sweet Spot”) and others like to linger for a while (“Little Hand”), as Bernard and company simply let the music float on by. Most of these musical offerings get to the point right away, but a sense of mystery is occasionally in the air as things coalesce (“Bali Hai”) or blow slowly in the Frisell-ian breeze (“P.M. Gone”).

Bernard’s buddies deserve a good deal of credit for bringing his music to life. They sound good when working from the same playbook as the leader (“Dime Store Thriller”), but they sound greatwhen one person’s contributions are thrown into sharp relief; John Ellis’ swaggering bass clarinet riff, for example, enlivens the jaunty “Go West,” and drummer Rudy Royston delivers a tornado of a performance on the choppy “Safety In Numbers,” which also features a beast-of-a-solo from Bernard. Organist Brian Charette—the fourth piece of the puzzle—is the one most responsible for adding color to the project. He brings all manner of sound—both earthy and alien—into the picture.

Just Like Downtown possesses an immediately likeable, unforced quality. The music simply flows when Will Bernard and company get going.

Track Listing: Dime Store Thriller; Go West; Sweet Spot; Dancing Days; Little Hand; Safety In Numbers; Bali Hai; Route 46; P.M. Gone.

Personnel: Will Bernard: guitar; John Ellis: tenor saxophone, bass clarinet; Brian Charette: organ; Rudy Royston: drums.

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SomethingElse reviews Will Bernard “Just Like Downtown”…

http://somethingelsereviews.com/2013/08/21/will-bernard-just-like-downtown-2013/

Coming over to the Posi-Tone label for his latest creation was bound to mean that the restless funk-jazz guitarist Will Bernard was going to make a different kind of record…again. Bernard’s B3 organ fixation continues but not a whole lot else carries over from last year’s funky Outdoor Living. Instead of Wil Blades on Hammond, we get Brian Charette. Simon Lott is swapped out for Rudy Royston. And Bernard gains a front line foil by adding saxophonist John Ellis. But in spite of this talent-loaded roster, the big deal about the impending Just Like Downtown is that Bernard doesn’t so much want to groove like before. He wants to swing.

Even the CD cover of a nattily-attired Bernard topped off with a pork pie hat shouts “swing.”

Unlike a lot of his records, the Grammy-nominated fret master isn’t really trying something new; Just Like Downtown is a back-to-my-jazz-roots affair. Given that, he’s dead serious in approaching it with not only reverence but also with his own personality. Which means it grooves, anyway, like “Dime Store Thriller,” that finds Bernard and Ellis playing smoky lines in unison while Charette easily slips between comping and leading. Bernard’s single note lines are all about the riding the groove, but he also likes to rub a little bit of dirt on it.

Bernard wrote “Dime” and all but two of the other eight tunes in this batch of recordings, and though much of it is blues-based, the songwriting avoids the predictable twelve-bar fare. “Sweet Spot” swings hard, with Royston’s drums just about jumping out of the speakers. Ellis’ sax delivery is red hot and smooth at the same time. “Safety In Numbers” is a hot tune, too, that Bernard stuffed with dense bop articulations. On this song, as well as on the sizzler “Route 46,” Barnard’s linear attack visits Pat Martino territory.

Ellis pulls out the bass clarinet for a few numbers, an instrument rarely used in organ jazz but he makes it sound like a natural fit. “Little Hand” is a hushed number where that lower octave clarinet’s tone works great in this setting, especially in the way Ellis applies the right sentiment to it. It’s also featured in “Bali Hai” from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific, and the burly tone is nearly that of a baritone sax. Meanwhile, Bernard can be heard playing his trademark swampy, slide-like note bending.

The other cover might appear to be a left-field choice, too: “Dancing Days,” from Led Zeppelin’s Houses Of The Holy tune. The Bonham beat is retained as well as the melody, but something about Charette’s B3 and Bernard’s soft-toned guitar than nonetheless manages to transform the song into a greasy blues-jazz number. Bernard has played a Zeppelin cover or two in Stanton Moore’s band, so he already knew his way around the band’s repertoire in the jazz sense pretty darned well.

Bernard’s jazz sense gets in a good workout all over Just Like Downtown. With a supporting cast of Ellis, Charette and Royston, he found yet another way to stoke fans of guitar/B3 jazz.

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Music and More reviews Will Bernard “Just Like Bernard”…

http://jazzandblues.blogspot.com

Guitarist Will Bernard presents a fine album of soulful modern jazz in the company of John Ellis on tenor saxophone and bass clarinet, Rudy Royston on drums and Brian Charette on organ. “Sweet Spot” has an upbeat tempo with nice saxophone and snappy drumming. Ellis’ sound is tightly wound and a bit gritty, perfect for this setting. Solos for organ and guitar are featured before everyone comes together to end the tune in a hard driving motion. A repetitive groove builds tension on “Dancing Days” and this organ focused song is a great feature for Charette. Bernard’s guitar sneaks in, building a funk rhythm and stepping out for a fine solo. After a complicated and choppy opening, “Little Hand” has Ellis stretching out over organ and drums with a focused solo while the organ keeps pushing the pace. Bernard then steps forward, with an appealing Grant Green like tone taking center stage. After a bubbling organ feature, Ellis leads the tune to close with a strong statement of his own. “Route 46” develops a groove from the bass pedals of the organ and the saxophone builds things up to the point where Bernard can assert himself with some intuitive and nimble guitar playing. The whole band becomes one and drives this tune home with strong and powerful swing. Jazz fans who revere the guitar and organ records that were a staple of the Blue Note and Prestige catalogs of the 1950’s and 1960’s will find a lot to enjoy here, the subtle propulsive groove of this music is well played and accessible.

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Midwest reviews our latest releases….

http://midwestrecord.com/

POSI-TONE
WILL BERNARD/Just Like Downtown: This tasty guitarist takes plenty of the spotlight for himself but he leaves enough room for Brian Charette to pump that greasy organ sound so much so that you can be excused for thinking this is B3 date if you hear it without knowing what it is. Swinging throughout, this four piece combo delivers the real deal and never let’s things ever sink below smoking. Hot stuff for real jazzbo although they might just let hipsters in for a taste. A winner.
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NICK HEMPTON/Odd Man Out: Hempton’s playing here reminds me of a time Gerry Mulligan was teaching a master class at a university. There was a look of grudging admiration on his face when one of the student players just knew how to turn it up and turn it loose. I see that look again listening to this date. Hempton is a real cooker that can play the notes, play around the notes, play around with the notes and spread such good vibes in the process. A real swinger throughout, this is simply a killer date that expands the lexicon of modern jazz and makes it sound so cool in the process. Don’t miss it.
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