Will Bernard - Freelance Subversives

[GA Russell]

 

Artist Title Time           WILL BERNARD Pusher Danish 05:56       WILL BERNARD Back Channel 05:23       WILL BERNARD Raffle 05:07       WILL BERNARD Blue Chenille 05:11       WILL BERNARD Grunk 05:01       WILL BERNARD Clafun 04:44       WILL BERNARD Freelance Subversives 06:20       WILL BERNARD Lifer 07:13       WILL BERNARD Garage A. 07:24       WILL BERNARD Skillset 06:08       WILL BERNARD We The People 06:42       WILL BERNARD "Freelance Subversives" Impacting: October 12 2020 Format(s): Jazz, Non-Commercial, NPR   Focus Tracks: Jazz-4,10&11  Jam/Rock-1,3&5 With John Medeski, Jay Rodriguez, Skerik, and Others! Grammy-nominated guitarist Will Bernard knows a thing or ten about holding down the groove with a community of instrumentalists who’ve defined the improv scene of New York City. Bernard’s new album Freelance Subversives shows a dedication to multidimensional and introspective compositions with deep pocket-rhythms at their foundations. Freelance Subversives takes its cue from the album’s title with Bernard’s unflinching adeptness on his six-string that disrupts conventional standards of jazz guitar. Freelance Subversives returns Bernard’s sound to a full band repertoire similar to his Grammy-nominated album Party Hats (2007), which was released on the cusp of the Berkeley, Calif. native’s move to New York City. New York proved to be a welcome change that saw musical opportunities proliferate. Prior to the covid-19 pandemic slamming New York City, Bernard had Freelance Subversives mixed and ready to be released. He had just performed at Winter Jazz Fest (NYC) with Revelator featuring Bill Laswell, Peter Apfelbaum, and Aaron Johnston, and in late 2019 he performed his debut residency at John Zorn’s series at The Stone. He was set with more than a dozen spring concerts surrounding the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, as well as a summer West Coast tour booked to promote Freelance Subversives. Plus, John Medeski’s Mad Skillet with Will and members of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band were set to tour and record their second album. But of course, the shows and recording sessions were all cancelled. Special guests on Freelance Subversives include an inimitable horn section of saxophonists Skerik (Garage A Trois, Critters Buggin’) and Jay Rodriguez (Groove Collective, Mark Ribot). John Medeski’s masterful work on organ and Wurlitzer is a natural extension of his collaboration with Bernard for Mad Skillet. The deft rhythm section is comprised of drummer Eric Kalb (Sharon Jones, John Scofield), percussionist Moses Patrou (Amy Helm), keyboardists Eric Finland (Eric Krasno) and Ben Stivers (Lyle Lovett), and bassists Ben Zwerin (Angelique Kidjo) and Jeff Hanley (Morgan James). Along with thousands of other NYC-based artists, Will Bernard keeps his head held high knowing that the power of music prevails and artists will again perform in music venues & festivals. His acclaimed career of collaborating with a Who’s Who of the jazz world and beyond with artists like John Medeski, Stanton Moore, Dr. John, Ben Sidran, Tom Waits, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Greyboy Allstars, Charlie Hunter, Peter Apfelbaum, Steven Bernstein, Bill Laswell, Groundation, and Bernard Purdie will eventually continue. Until then, Will Bernard lends an uplifting soundtrack for us to get down to while staying safe & healthy. www.WillBernard.com           Attachments   WillBernar..