A wide-ranging guitarist equally comfortable playing funk, blues, and many strains of jazz, Will Bernard is a bandleader and first-call sideman. With a distinctive warm, bitingly percussive tone, he is adept at virtually any musical style he chooses to play. His work has appeared on dozens of recordings by artists ranging from Don Cherry to Stanton Moore. Bernard made his leader debut with Medicine Hat in 1998. His critical breakthrough occurred after the release of 2007's large-scale Party Hats. A year later, Blue Plate Special showcased a quartet. After signing with Posi-Tone, Bernard led a jazz-funk quartet for 2013's Just Like Downtown and 2016's Out & About. After a prolonged absence from the studio, he issued Freelance Subversives in 2020, followed a year later by the organ trio date Ancient Grains. Bernard shifted gears for 2022's avant-groove album Pond Life, leading a quintet that included John Medeski.