Guitarist Will Bernard continues to crank out the knotty and cerebral funk jams on 2007's Party Hats. Falling somewhere between the low-key '60s soul trio vibe of Medeski, Martin & Wood and the uptempo, fiery swagger of Maceo Parker, Party Hats is a soulful, good-time album that should please fans of both lues-oriented funk and post-bop improvisation. Joining Bernard here is a stellar backing ensemble of longtime cohorts, including tenor saxophonist Peter Apfelbaum, Hammond organist Wil Blades, drummers Jan Jackson and Paul Spina, and others. Interestingly, Bernard has struck a nice balance between tight James Brown-esque horn section moments and more open-ended improvisational moments. To these ends, tracks like the expansive and propulsive "Ripple Sole," the '70s-influenced laxploitation slow burner "Chin Up," and the acid country-jazz of "Newbie" make for both obscenely funky background music and intellectually engaging jazz head trips. This CD was nominated for a Grammy award in 2007 for Best Contemporary Jazz Album.
Will Bernard - Party Hats [2007]An alumnus of the jazz studies program at Berkeley High School that included Peter Apfelbaum, Josh Redman, Charlie Hunter, Craig Handy and Steven Bernstein and Lenny Pickett, Bay Area guitarist/composer Will Bernard first began playing and recording on an international level during his membership in Peter Apfelbaum's Hieroglyphics Ensemble, whose first recording ...
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Share the Sea |
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| 2 White Elephant Sale |
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| 3 Ripple Sole |
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| 4 Leo's Cat |
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| 5 Party Hats |
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| 6 Afro Sheen |
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| 7 Chin Up |
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| 8 Newbie |
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| 9 Folding Green |
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| 10 Rattle Trap |
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| 11 Penske |
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 "Party Hats")
