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Tag - Will Bernard

Will Bernard Trio - Outdoor Living - out now on Dreck to Disk Records

Thursday 19 January 2012, 17:59

Will Bernard Outdoor Living
Will Bernard Trio - Outdoor Living
(CD/Digital) Dreck To Disk Records, 2011-12-01

A Will Bernard record is never disappointing. This brand new release, his second as a New York resident, makes no exception. Last time in 2008 we left Will with Blue Plate Special, a true quartet killer record loaded with juicy grooves — with John Medeski on keys and his longtime friend Stanton Moore on drums. Outdoor Living sees the guitarist coming back to the stainless trio formula: Simon Lott is on drums and Wil Blades on Hammond B3. Will Bernard's style has never been so concise, so plain and so apparently simple: a kind of quiet certitude of his own talent that doesn't need to show anything spectacular (the gorgeous Point Blank for instance). Soul-jazz compositions are still the core of Will's music on this record, with blues, dub echoes and psychedelic splinters now and then. Will has the great elegance to leave a lot of room to Lott and Blades - the latter has composed the heavy tune Squeaky Chug Chug. Together they form a real band and this ability to capture the essence of the groove suggests for sure that the best is yet to come. Will was kind enough to answer a few questions. Read the answers here.

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Interview with Will Bernard

Thursday 19 January 2012, 17:55

Will Bernard
Will Bernard
(Interview by Nicolas Ragonneau for Paris Djs, january 2012)

Guitarist Will Bernard has just released an excellent new record (read Outdoor Living's review here). This album comes in an already brilliant and immaculate discography where jazz (Stanton Moore Trio), funk and soul meets reggae (Rockamovya) and… french bal musette (Baguette Quartette). The common denominator is a great sense of groove. Will Bernard is, even if he finds his own color, in the tradition of guitar legends such as Grant Green. This 100% californian now lives in NYC. He tells us about his new Big Apple life, his guitar style, his taste for french popular répertoire and his upcoming projects.

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Entretien avec Will Bernard

Thursday 19 January 2012, 17:50

Will Bernard
Will Bernard
(Interview par Nicolas Ragonneau pour Paris Djs, janvier 2012)

Le guitariste Will Bernard vient de publier un nouvel album fameux (Outdoor Living, lire la chronique ici). Il s'ajoute à une impeccable discographie où se côtoient le jazz (Stanton Moore Trio), le reggae (Rockamovya) ou... le musette (Baguette Quartette), et dont le dénominateur commun est un fantastique sens du groove. Will Bernard s'inscrit, tout en trouvant sa propre couleur, dans une prestigieuse lignée de guitaristes soul-jazz comme Grant Green. Ce Californien pur jus (né à Berkeley) a quitté San Francisco pour New York. Il évoque ici cette nouvelle aventure sur la Côte Est, son style de guitare, son goût pour le répertoire populaire français et ses futurs projets.

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21st Century Afro Extravaganza

Grant Phabao and Djouls - 21st Century Afro Extravaganza

Saturday 10 July 2010, 21:52 14

The Paris DJs extended family has among the most pro-active in spreading the good word about worldwide African music. Celebrating the recent releases by One Foot In Jail or Franck Biyong on our brand new Colored-Inc. label, and announcing the upcoming albums from Oghene Kologbo (thru Kraked) or Ebo Taylor (thru Strut), here's nearly 4 hours of 21st century afrojazz, afrobeat, ethio-jazz, afrofunk and afrolatin grooves - selected and mixed by Grant Phabao and Djouls who are currently producing new tracks with Afrodyete from the Breakestra, Zak from The Souljazz Orchestra, Franck Biyong, Doctor...

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Rockamovya Take The Night

Rockamovya (Groundation side project) - Take The Night

Sunday 13 July 2008, 17:57

The Groundation side-project ROCKAMOVYA features members of Groundation, guitarist Will Bernard and the legendary reggae drummer Leroy Horsemouth Wallace....

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