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Event
CLUB d'ELF - The Moroccan dosed Psychedelic Dub Jazz Collective with special guest WILL BERNARD
Friday 10/12 The Moroccan dosed Psychedelic Dub Jazz Collective CLUB d'ELF with special guest WILL BERNARD $12 advance / $15 at the door 9:00 doors / 10:00 show www.clubdelf.com
Mike Rivard's improvisational groove collective returns to the warm embrace of the Lizard Lounge with their usual stellar cast of musicians. Tonight features Will Bernard the incredible guitarist who has played with some of the greats; Dr Lonnie Smith,Tom Waits, Ben Sidran, Dr John, Booker T.Jones, Steven Bernsteins Millennial Territory Orchestra, and Butler/ Bernstein and the Hot Nine just to name a few.
Formed in 1998 by Rivard with the encouragement of Morphines Mark Sandman (who guested with the group until his death in 99), the music draws from a startlingly wide spectrum of styles, including jazz, hip hop, electronica, avant garde, prog-rock and dub. Under the tutelage of member Brahim Fribgane (who hails from Casablanca) the band absorbed Moroccan trance influences and frequently adds this element to the mix. Audiences of all persuasions are drawn to Fribganes mesmerizing oud stylings and Rivards commanding playing of the Moroccan sintir, a 3 string bass lute used by the Gnawa people of Morocco, a mystical brotherhood of trance-healers. Derived from such ancient sources as these, trance forms the central core of the Club dElf aesthetic, unifying all of the various genres the band has absorbed.
WILL BERNARD
one of the most potent, if under recognized, guitarists on the post-Frisell/post-Scofield scene. Bill Milkowski, Jazz Times
Will Bernard is one of the best-kept jazz-guitar secrets on the planet. Dan Ouellette, Billboard
Guitarist Will Bernard, a Berkeley, CA native and Brooklyn NY transplant studied guitar and piano from an early age with Dave Creamer, Art Lande and Julian White later developing and interest in classical music composition . He received a a degree in music from UC Berkeley where he studied with Andrew Imbrie and others.
He began playing and recording on an international level as a member of Peter Apfelbaums Hieroglyphics Ensemble,who made their recorded debut with Don Cherry on Multikulti (A&M 1989). Since then, 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. In the 90s Bernard recorded and performed with many projects under the direction of acclaimed producer Lee Townsend and worked with groups ranging from the Hindustani-influenced Jai Uttal to the political hip-hop group the Coup. The most commercially successful of these projects was the group T.J. Kirk (with Charlie Hunter) whose sophomore album If Four Was One on Warner bros. was nominated for a Grammy in 1997. Will made further inroads with the Stanton Moore trio which toured extensively and made 3 albums on Telarc and a Hal Leonard drum instructional video and book.
Bernard broke out as a bandleader in 1998 with the release of Medicine Hat (Antilles/Polygram), showcasing his expert chops and flair for funky, bottom-heavy soul-jazz. He then followed up with two self produced albums (Motherbug and Directions To My House), before making two albums on Palmetto Records (Party Hats and Blue Plate Special). Party Hats garnered a nominated for a Grammy Award in 2008 for best contemporary jazz album.The all-star Blue Plate Special includes performances by Stanton Moore, Andy Hess and John Medeski. In 2011, Bernard released an organ trio record titled Outdoor Living to positive reviews with his own genre-bending style.
Bernards last two albums are on Posi-tone records Just Like Downtown (Posi-Tone 2013) which features John Ellis on tenor sax and bass clarinet, Brian Charette on organ, and Rudy Royston on drums and Out and About (2016). which features Ben Allison, Allison Miller, Brian Charette and John Ellis. These recordings demonstrates Bernards roots in straight-ahead jazz and more traditional styles as well as funk and free wheeling improv.
As a touring artist, Bernard has hit the road extensively with sin his own bands or as a member of the Stanton Moore Trio, Robert Walters 20th Congress, Groundation, and numerous other lineups. As a leader Bernard has performed at The Monterey, North Sea, SF Jazz, Jazz a Vienne, Bumbershoot, Be-Bop and Brew, Montreal, Vancouver, Carribean Sea, and The High Sierra festivals,as well as clubs and festivals across the US, Europe and Canada. They have opened for Herbie Hancock and the Head Hunters, Jimmy McGriff, The Funky Meters, John Scofield, Medeski, Martin and Wood, Zigaboo Modeliste and the Charlie Hunter Quartet. Will has performed and or recorded with Dr Lonnie Smith,Tom Waits, Ben Sidran, Dr John, Booker T.Jones, Steven Bernsteins Millennial Territory Orchestra, Butler/ Bernstein and the Hot Nine, George Porter Jr., Zigaboo Modeliste, Global Noize, Greyboy Allstars, Galactic, Medeski, Martin and Wood, Mike Clark, Idris Muhammad and others. As well as leading his own groups, Will performs regularly with the NY collaborative electro-funk band Pleasure Drones, the W-Beez (With Wil Blades), Peter Apfelbaums Sparkler and John Medeskis Mad Skillet with Kirk Joseph and Terence Higgins.
What the Critics Have Said:
.Bernard cruise(s) with the mercurial flow of Steve Cropper (Booker T & The MGs) and obvious ancestor Grant Green. But, theres more razor sharp teeth inside his bite than these touchstones. Dennis Cook, Jambase
Hes probably the most versatile guitar player Ive ever worked withHes just killing Stanton Moore
Will Bernards Directions to My House comes as nothing less than a revelation Eric Snyder, Tampa Weekly Planet
a player who clearly deserves a wider audience for his imaginative genrebusting aesthetic John Kelman, All about Jazz
Bernard deserves higher recognition as one of jazzs harest working and most gifted guitarists Dan Ouellette, Billboard
Hanging out with some of Bernards [songs] is like stepping into a Coen Brothers movie, an Elmore Leonard novel, or any other alternate reality peopled by unforgettable freaks. Joe Gore, Guitar Player
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LocationThe Lizard Lounge (View)
1667 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States
Categories
Minimum Age: 21 |
Kid Friendly: No |
Dog Friendly: No |
Non-Smoking: Yes! |
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