Peter Bernstein is one of the most respected jazz guitarists of his generation, known for his warm, hollow-body tone and deeply lyrical improvisational style. A fixture of the New York jazz scene since 1989, he has participated in over 200 recordings and countless performances with musicians spanning multiple generations.
Born in New York City on September 3, 1967, Bernstein began with piano at age eight before switching to guitar at thirteen, learning primarily by ear. He studied jazz at Rutgers University with Ted Dunbar and Kenny Barron, then continued at the New School in New York City, where he met guitarist Jim Hall. Hall offered him a spot performing at the 1990 JVC Jazz Festival alongside John Scofield and Pat Metheny, remarking that Peter “has paid attention to the past as well as the future. He is the most impressive young guitarist I’ve heard.”
Bernstein has enjoyed long musical associations with some of jazz’s most distinguished artists. He was a member of legendary drummer Jimmy Cobb’s band Cobb’s Mob, and his work with organist Larry Goldings and drummer Bill Stewart earned the trio recognition from The New York Times as “the best organ trio of the last decade.” From 1995 through 1997, he toured and recorded with Joshua Redman’s band, appearing on Redman’s Freedom in the Groove. He was also a member of Diana Krall’s quartet from 1999 through 2001, and in 2008 joined the Blue Note 7, a septet formed to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Blue Note Records.
As a leader, Bernstein has released twelve albums, including Better Angels on the Smoke Sessions label featuring Brad Mehldau, Vicente Archer, and Al Foster. He continues to perform regularly at New York’s leading jazz venues while teaching at NYU and the New School, where he once studied.