Peter Bernstein is a jazz cat’s jazz cat, straight out of the New York scene. As such, he’s a perfect exemplar of what Crosstown Arts has dubbed “jazz month” — that is, a March calendar bursting with shows that reveal the many facets of what’s called jazz today. There’s quite a stylistic spread under that umbrella, but Bernstein, who’ll appear with the Ted Ludwig Trio at The Green Room on Tuesday, March 14th, is that rare player who has full command of standards and bop, yet revels in stretching out beyond anything safe or “traditional.”
As a leader, Bernstein has released nine albums, and as a sideman the guitarist has backed the likes of Sonny Rollins, Bobby Hutcherson, Lou Donaldson, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Fathead Newman, Joshua Redman, Diana Krall, Lee Konitz, Jimmy Cobb, and many more. Memphians will especially appreciate Bernstein’s work with George Coleman, the saxophonist who parlayed his music education at Manassas High School into a career that established him as a legend of 20th- (and now 21st-) century music.
Bernstein reflects on his time with Coleman as he prepares for his Memphis appearance with the Ted Ludwig Trio. “For the Green Room show, I feel like it’s really Ted Ludwig’s gig and I’m the guest,” says Bernstein, “so I told him we’d play whatever he wants to play and we can go from there. It’s all about finding a way to have some fun, whatever the format is. We’re going to do one of my tunes, ‘Dragonfly,’ and we have some standards and different things. It’s nice to play gigs where you don’t know what you’re going to play. I did a gig with George Coleman and we did three nights, and not only did we not repeat any tunes, he would just say a bunch of tunes before the set and then maybe play one of them. He would just call the tunes on the bandstand, and sometimes not even the keys. Just start playing the tune, and you have to figure out what key it is, and hopefully we knew the song. So I’m kind of in that space right now, and not preparing too much. It’s fun to just play what you want in the moment, and hope that everyone comes along with you.”
Indeed, seeing Bernstein at New York’s Village Vanguard last fall with his own quartet (featuring Sullivan Fortner, Doug Weiss, and legendary drummer Al Foster) was a study in spontaneity, as the loose-limbed ensemble would chat between numbers before settling on the next tune. At one point, they hit upon a lesser-known Ray Charles tune, “The Danger Zone,” a soulful blues with some minor chord tweaks that lend it an especially melancholy mood. It was a loose, relatable number that brought a bit of earthy Beale Street flavor to the Manhattan club, and it revealed just how important the blues are to Bernstein’s playing.
“I don’t know if anyone from Memphis would consider me an authentic blues player,” he confesses, “but to me, it’s a part of all the jazz I’ve ever loved, from early Ellington and Louis Armstrong all the way up through Ornette Coleman. And all the guitar players I really love can play the blues, from Grant Green, to Wes Montgomery, to George Benson, to Jim Hall, or Kenny Burrell. I like guys that are not coming from that place, also. But when I play gigs, that’s a form that’s a given. It’s a place we can start from. Everybody is down with playing the blues and playing the blues different ways. We’re not going to sound like Mississippi John Hurt, but we’re playing blues. I try to play the blues in everything, even when there’s a million chord changes. ‘Oh my god, there’s so many chord changes, what do I do?!’ Well, just play the blues. You play the blues because there are so many chord changes.”
As for playing with Ludwig, another guitarist, Bernstein relishes the opportunity to not be the only guitarist onstage. “I play with a lot of guitar players and I always enjoy the challenge to not just have it sound like one 12-string guitar. To distinguish yourself tonally and personality-wise, so people can see and hear a conversation. We guitar players hang out anyway, so if we can do it on a gig and make it work for people to listen to, then it’s always a lot of fun.”
