Will Bernard has spent more than thirty years collecting the kind of critical praise that never quite converts to household recognition — critics have called him “one of the most potent, if under recognized, guitarists on the post-Frisell/post-Scofield scene” and “one of the best-kept jazz-guitar secrets on the planet,” phrases that have grown more accurate with each passing album cycle. This Sunday, November 29, he brings his Freelance Subversives to The Falcon in Marlboro for something specific: a record release party for Whereabouts, the new Color Red album that won’t officially arrive until December 18.
About the Show
Bernard’s career began in the late 1980s with Peter Apfelbaum’s Hieroglyphics Ensemble, debuting alongside Don Cherry on the A&M recording Multikulti (1989). Grammy nominations arrived through T.J. Kirk’s 1997 recording If Four Was One and his own 2008 Palmetto album Party Hats. His sideman credits span an unusual range (Tom Waits, Dr. John, Booker T. Jones, Medeski Martin and Wood, John Scofield), reflecting a guitarist who has spent a career crossing genre lines rather than defending them. The Freelance Subversives project, whose self-titled 2020 Ropeadope debut was described as “expertly curated and performed” and a portrait of Bernard as a “near-visionary bandleader,” blends what the band calls “classic soul-jazz, R&B, psychedelia, and funk” with original compositions.
This evening is a record release event for Whereabouts, described as featuring “a stacked roster of legendary NYC session heavyweights and jam-scene icons” on Color Red. The band Bernard brings carries its own credentials: Henry Hey on keyboards, who arranged David Bowie’s final album Lazarus and contributed to The Next Day; Ben Zwerin on bass; and Eric Kalb on drums, a player with 30 years spanning Sharon Jones, Charlie Hunter, and John Scofield, with soundtrack appearances on American Gangster and Walk Hard. A February 2024 Falcon performance by this ensemble was reviewed as “funky, hypnotic and quite danceable”; Bernard’s hollow-body Gibson was described as producing “funky leads, very much NOLA based” with a “distinct Middle Eastern flavor.”
Venue & Logistics
The Falcon, at 1348 Route 9W in Marlboro, has earned a reputation in the Hudson Valley that far exceeds its modest footprint — described as the region’s Village Vanguard, the 150-seat room sends 100 percent of door proceeds directly to the artists. The space is warm and multilevel, and the acoustics are excellent. Dining begins at 5:30 p.m.; the show is at 7:30 p.m. No reservations are required.
Tickets
No ticket price was available from sources at the time of publication. Buy tickets