Keyboardist, producer, composer and house musician for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s band, Corey Bernhard will release his sophomore solo full-length album “exploring themes of faith, God, love, and loss,” titled A Blessed Leap into Eternity via Birdbrain Records on January 24, 2025.
The seven original songs on the album are experimental and rooted in Bernhard’s love of Jazz, Hip-Hop, improvisation, and Indie Rock. He worked closely with engineer Michael Cumming (Sun Ra Arkestra, Odean Pope, Lotus, Orion Sun) in the engineer’s Kensington studio, Treacle Mine.
He says:
Michael and I were constantly experimenting with different sonic textures and effects to enhance the songs and he is a big part of the sound of the project. He was also very patient during the mix process as we mixed directly from the board to tape.
The album features performances, in addition to Bernhard on the keys, from saxophonist and woodwind player Yesseh Furaha-Ali (Snacktime), bassist Jon Smith (played and produced on Jazmine Sullivan’s Heaux Tales), and drummer Lenny Mobley (Lauryn Hill, Jazmine Sullivan, J Brown, YG Marley, Musiq Soulchild).
He adds:
I wanted to explore all of that while recording this project. Lenny, Jon, Yesseh, and I have all been playing with each other in countless situations around Philly for the past 10 years. They are elite musicians who aren’t afraid to experiment or head into uncharted territory musically. I had a few simple sketches of some tunes, but we recorded live as a band without rehearsing anything. Later we added some extra layers of instrumentation, but the meat of the project is the four of us being in the moment together. The way things came together despite not having a real plan or goal for the sound of the album definitely reinforced the concept of faith as a central theme of the project.
In addition to releasing his own music, the keyboardist/Producer has performed with Marsha Ambrosius, Bootsy Collins, Teedra Moses, Lil Simz, Cory Wong, Trombone Shorty, Donald Harrison, Jr, Terence Blanchard, Eric Roberson, John Scofield, Meshell N’Degeocello, Lalah Hathaway, Andrew Bird and Rachel & Vilray among others.
He was also co-founder and producer/composer of the band Killiam Shakespeare, which released three projects including collaborations with Aloe Blacc, Freeway, and other artists.
Corey Bernhard will be playing select dates in support of A Blessed Leap into Eternity including:
Sunday, October 20th, 2024
Kung Fu Necktie
1250 N. Front St. Philadelphia, PA 19122
Blaque Dynamite with Corey Bernhard’s Eternity Ensemble
Tickets can be purchased here. $15adv, $20dos | 21+
