Genre-hopping guitarist Will Bernard throws down with Hammond B3 maven Wil Blades and drummer Simon Lott on this earthy organ trio date. They travel from raw New Orleans funk (“Nature Walk,” with Bernard channeling his inner Snooks Eaglin), to rock-tinged R&B (“Morgan Deux,” which recalls Hendrix’s “Stone Free”), to grungy hoodoo blues (“Nooksack,” featuring Bernard wielding some nasty slide guitar), to the Medeski Martin & Wood-inspired abstract groover “6B.” The moody “Point Blank” finds Bernard underscoring Blades’ droning B3 and Lott’s funereal drum cadence with gentle acoustic guitar while overdubbing sharply plucked electric guitar lines. Then it’s back to party mode on “Squeaky Chug Chug,” the second-line-fueled “Katskan” and the Meters-flavored closer, “Implitude.”
Originally PublishedWill Bernard Trio: Outdoor Living
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