Warren Bernhardt
| Warren Bernhardt | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 1938 (age 85) Wausau, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz, pop, classical |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Years active | 1961–present |
| Associated acts | Steps Ahead, Steely Dan |
| Website | warrenbernhardt |
Warren Bernhardt (born in November 1938) is a pianist in jazz, pop and classical music.
Early life
Bernhardt was born in Wausau, Wisconsin. His father was a pianist, leading him to have early childhood exposure to piano,[1] and he learned some rudiments of keyboarding from his friends. At five his parents moved to New York City, where he began studying seriously under varied instructors. After the death of his father in 1957 he quit music for a time to study chemistry and physics at the University of Chicago. In that city he was exposed to blues and jazz, which influenced the rest of his career.
Career
From 1961 to 1964 he worked in Paul Winter's sextet, which led to his return to New York. Once in New York, he worked with George Benson, Gerry Mulligan, Jeremy Steig and others. He also developed a close relationship with the pianist Bill Evans, who served as a mentor to Bernhardt. Bernhardt released several solo LPs in the 1970s, and eventually became a member of the jazz fusion group Steps Ahead while continuing to work on solo projects.[2]
In 1971, he provided the piano accompaniment to Don McLean's vocals on American Pie's "Crossroads".
The Warren Bernhardt Trio's Trio '83 CD (DMP CD-441) is believed to be the first fully digital jazz release when it appeared on Compact Disc and Digital Audio Tape (DAT) in 1983 from DMP Digital Music Products.[citation needed] Bernhardt has gone on to release additional jazz and classical recordings over the past twenty years, and is also featured in a series of highly regarded jazz piano teaching sessions in both audio and video formats from Homespun Tapes.
Bernhardt toured as the musical director with Steely Dan in the United States from 1993 to 1994,[3] and can be heard on Steely Dan's Alive in America CD. He has more recently performed with Simon and Garfunkel's Old Friends tour, on Art Garfunkel's solo tours,[4] and can be seen on the Art Garfunkel DVD and HDTV presentation Across America.
In 2009, Bernhardt reunited with his band from 1973, "L'Image", featuring Mike Mainieri, David Spinozza, Tony Levin and Steve Gadd. The group performed at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York City, toured Japan, and released the album "L'Image 2.0".
Discography
Solo
- Solo Piano Novus Records AN 3001, 1978
As sideman
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- Night Song (Verve, 1969)
With Art Farmer
- Yama with Joe Henderson (CTI, 1979)
With Pat Martino
- Starbright (Warner Bros., 1976)
References
- ↑ Lewiston Evening Journal. "Community Concert Campaign Gets Underway This Week". May 1, 1950, p. 3. Retrieved on July 22, 2013.
- ↑ Karlovits, Bob. "Steps Ahead meshes fusion rhythms, mainstream jazz". Pittsburgh Press, June 28, 1984, p. C6. Retrieved on July 22, 2013.
- ↑ Findlay, Prentiss. "Lewis, Dan Brubeck will jazz up festival". The Post and Courier (Charleston, S.C.), February 5, 1994, p. 1-B. Retrieved on July 22, 2013.
- ↑ The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, N.Y.). "Art Garfunkel scheduled for Egg concert Nov. 16". September 28, 2002, p. C6. Retrieved on July 22, 2013.
