Dave Bernstein!

R.I.P.

 We'll miss you, Dave!

Dave Bernstein, the wonderful San Francisco jazz and blues guitarist, passed away on Tuesday, May 6, 2008 after a long bout with cancer. An elegantly fluid, sometimes driving and muscular, lyrical -- and always deeply and broadly schooled -- musician, Dave played his last gig on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 with the Dave Bernstein Duo at Cafe Divine in San Francisco's North Beach. He was a good friend of mine for more than 25 years. He was the guitarist in one of my first two bands in college at UC Santa Cruz -- back when all of us could barely play our instruments. Later, after he became the encyclopedic swingin' tone monster he was destined to grow into, he was the one who introduced me to the music of Buddy and Ella Johnson, among many others -- for which I owe him an eternal debt of gratitude. He was a total sweetheart, even if that wasn't the first thing most people might have observed when they met him. He is missed. Dave is survived by his wife, Siobhan Bernstein of San Francisco, his parents, Elinor and Arnold Bernstein, his brother Danny and his sister Debbie. This page -- very much a work in progress -- is a memorial to him.    

                                              -- Mark Zaretsky, The Cobalt Rhythm Kings, New Haven, CT.

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Dave Bernstein was born in Queens, NYC and raised in Southern California. He began playing guitar in blues bands while attending college at UC Santa Cruz (1980-1982). After taking a year off traveling and studying privately, he attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston from 1983 to 1986, graduating with a BA in music.

After relocating to the San Francisco Bay area in 1987, Bernstein shared the stage with many blues and jazz notables including Teddy Edwards, Herbie Lewis, Lazy Lester, Sammy Myers, William Clarke, Smokey Wilson, and Vince Wallace. In addition, he led his own various blues and jazz combos and his noted "Blueriety" enterprise, "FLUFFER".

Make no mistake; Bernstein was a jazz player to the bone. He cited Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, and Wayne Shorter as major influences on his writing and playing. Though he possessed the fat, warm sound typical of jazz guitar, he thought and played like a horn player.

The Dave Bernstein Quartet featured on the 2002 release "C The Blues" performed throughout the Bay Area over the past several years. The band included three top tier Bay Area players: pianist Alan Steger, bassist Chris Amberger, and drummer Michael Spencer. Together and individually the members of the band have appeared regularly at some of the Bay Area's premiere jazz and blues venues, including Yoshi's, Pearl's, Bruno's, Biscuits and Blues, Shanghai 1930, Enrico's, Downtown, Jack's, Rose Pistola, Caf�laude, Harry's on Fillmore, Essex Supper Club and many more. It was in these clubs that Dave developed his singular, swinging style, which was muscular, informed and lyrical.

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Here is a message that Dave's wife, Siobhan, sent Sunday, May 11 to some of Dave's friends and loved ones. It includes information on a funeral service that will be held for Dave on Tuesday, May 13 in San Francisco. There has been talk about a musical memorial or tribute jam  sometime in the future. I will post information on that if or when it comes to pass:

Dear Friends,

Sorry for this mass email but I think this is the best way to communicate with everyone.

Many of you know that Dave Bernstein has been battling cancer for the last three years, many of you may just be hearing this for the first time. He did not want to let his illness stop him from playing his music, in fact he planned to play his regular Tuesday night gig. Some of you may have noticed the absence of his usual gig email, unfortunately it was not meant to be this last Tuesday

Dave passed away on Tuesday night at UCSF Long Hospital at Parnassus. Thankfully I was with him until the end and so were his parents. It has been a really long illness and had taken so much from him, but he fought long and hard and stayed much longer than anyone thought he would.

I know many of you have been keeping in contact with us over the last few years and we have had great support and I wanted to thank you all again for that support, it was a great help and comfort to us.

We will be having a service on Tuesday afternoon May 13th at 4:30pm at
Sullivan's Funeral Home at 2254 Market St. San Francisco.
There is parking at the facility, phone no 415-621-4567 in case you need it.

Sincerely, Siobhan Bernstein  

Some photos of Dave!

       Got photos of Dave that ought to be here?

       Please send them to BernsteinTribute(at)cobaltrhythmkings -- or if they're huge files, please send them to markzar(at)sbcglobal.net.

Dave Bernstein could play guitar!

Dave Bernstein could REALLY play guitar!

Always fluid and tasteful . . .

Dave with John Nemeth (at mic) and Chris Rivelli at Poor House Bistro in San Jose in 2007. Yes, that's Junior Watson's guitar! (Photo by Ellen Yamane)

Years before Dave Bernstein was a hot jazz guitar player up in SF, he played the blues with "Big Duke and the Blues (Whatevers)" at UC Santa Cruz.

Another shot with Big Duke. Dave wasn't as technically proficient back then, butplayed with feeling and knew cool songs like "St. James Infirmary" !

Yep, that Dave Bernstein -- or David Bernstein, if you prefer -- could play even then!

Dave Bernstein at play . . .

This is Dave playing in the Stevenson College Quad at UC Santa Cruz at one of Big Duke's first gigs, somewhere right around 1980 or 1981 or thereabouts...

 

photo courtesy of the Bay Area Blues Club Yahoo group

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Dave Bernstein could play guitar!

 

This page was put up by a friend of Dave Bernstein's as a labor of love both for his friends and loved ones and for the folks who ought to have known and/or known about Dave  when he was alive. It is very much a work in progress, still under construction.  I would hope and expect to soon have some additional photos.

As of Tuesday, May 13, it now has some  samples of Dave's music a  way for visitors to leave comments via Blogspot.

Got something to share? Click here:   

If you've got a suggestion or a photo of Dave that you think ought to be up here,  drop a note to me at BernsteinTribute@cobaltrhythmkings.com.

If you have a  comment  or  a  recollection  you would like to see posted directly on this page, please likewise drop an e-mail to BernsteinTribute(at)cobaltrhythmkings.com and I'll post them in a nice little magenta box like this one!

For some additional tributes to Dave Bernstein, stop by the Bay Area Blues Club Yahoo group at:

      http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/bayareablues/

                                                                                                                        Thanks!

                                                                                                                                      -- Mark Zaretsky

Here's a short clip of Dave Bernstein sitting in at The Bayview reception, courtesy of Bay Area guitarist Dave Workman, who first posted it on the Bay Area Blues Club Yahoo group: