Guitarist Will Bernard and clarinetist/singer Beth Custer have forged a remarkable, musical partnership that spans decades and is reflected in their new release, SKY. From the opening, wistful ‘Bear in Shamanic Transformation’ to the deep and doleful ‘The Curve’, from the Chopin influenced ‘Sweeping Staircase’ waltz to the raunchy ‘Not Necessarily Stoned, ‘SKY’ features diverse compositional styles and mastery of instruments. Sixteen tracks that take the listener on a 52-minute a sweet, luscious road trip, one that pulls the listener in, leaving them wanting to take the SKY trip endlessly. Recorded by Jeff Cressman Studios in San Francisco, and mastered by Jeremy Goody of Oakland, and produced by Bernard and Custer, SKY is made of mostly first takes, with very little over- dubbing. Sonically, Custer’s growling bass and soaring Bb clarinets, and her unique, tender voice mix enticingly with Bernard’s palate of guitar sounds that include acoustic and electric lap steels, vintage acoustics, resonator guitars, both clean and effect drenched. When listening you feel as if you’re in the room with the duo, the recording is so intimate. Trailblazing in its simplicity, the CD showcases a musical endeavor that is deeply listenable and multi-dimensional, ‘SKY’ is one for the permanent collection.
Review
These two creatives have been soul mates for a long, long time. All you have to do is glimpse at the inside fold of Sky and see the archival photo of the two together from the brilliant Berkeley, California jazz renaissance that swept the Bay Area from the late ‘70s through the late ‘90s. Today guitarist Will Bernard and clarinetist Beth Custer have formed a remarkable partnership of captivating improvisation-fueled songs that are calmly lyrical, meditative, diverse in influences, playful in stretches. Will masters the acoustic guitars as well as sprinkles the jolts of resonator and electric lap steel guitars while Beth goes deep with bass and B flat clarinets. They circle each other, they layer each other, they join with delicious harmonies. They change directions, such as on the journey tune “Luv Jones.” Will leads and Beth supports with percussive clarinet pops, then the guitar plays rhythm to uplift her free improvisation that are full of color. Special album that will show up on multiple top 10 lists at the end of the year. –DanOuellette.net
The sixteen tracks maintain an Americana feel throughout, so the music is rich and folksy. They play a waltz, “Sweeping Staircase,” with Custer’s clarinet accompanied by Bernard on acoustic guitar; a bluesy spiritual “Glistening Spirit” is a reminder of the Delta via Custer’s magical incarnations. The pair deliver a diverse menu from a swampy blues “Not Necessarily Stoned” to the ballerina’s dancing “Luv Jones” in which bass clarinet commingles with Bernard’s electric guitar effects. Each piece has that ‘after you,’ ‘no, after you’ feel to it. Such courtesy, one which prevails throughout, can only be attributed to a truly copacetic couple. –Mark Corroto, All About Jazz
Equal parts calming and provocative–and with some quasi-blues under the surface of “Not Necessarily Stoned” that correlate to this straightforward arrangement of the traditional “John Brown’s Body”– Will Bernard and Beth Custer’s empathetic, deceptively unassuming connection(s) on Sky simultaneously whet the appetite for more even as they satisfy to the fullest. –Doug Collette, Glide Magazine
