Eric Bernhardt - Bernie's Blues (2020)

On the surface, Eric Bernhardt is one of the many faceless jazz musicians who hit the clubs on Frenchman Street in New Orleans, playing for tips and hoping to get noticed. What separates him from the rest is that he is a monster jazz musician. Bernhardt's music at first seemed like the same kind of tried and true bland and crowd-pleasing jazz that you find all over New Orleans. But it soon became obvious that this group, and more specifically this tenor player, stood head and shoulders above the rest. Despite the tiny group of onlookers, Bernhardt obviously took his music seriously. Playing a variety of jazz tunes by such luminaries as Lee Morgan, Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, he took the melodies by the scruff of the neck and turned them into and experience of passionate virtuosity