Conversations with David Bernot

Today we’d like to introduce you to David Bernot. 

Hi David, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Gilbert, Arizona. My first musical instrument was a little Casio keyboard I got for Christmas in second grade. I remember it had a setting that would play a songs like “Silent Night” and “Happy Birthday” with a little light-up screen that would show which notes to play, I learned my first songs with that keyboard. I never took piano lessons as a kid, but I instead started to play the saxophone in 5th grade. I’ve been playing for almost 18 years at this point. 

I enjoyed playing the saxophone in elementary school, so when I entered middle school, it made sense to continue in band, and I decided that I would try jazz band. My parents thought for sure I wouldn’t make it through a semester of rehearsals which started at 6:30 AM before the regular school day started. It ended up being my favorite class. 

I was a big band geek in high school, I’d do everything I could. In addition to playing in the jazz band, I played saxophone and bassoon in the concert bands and orchestra and even played in the marching band for three years. I auditioned for Regional and All-State ensembles every year and made All-State my sophomore through senior year. I would even find outside-of-school opportunities to play and learn. Young Sounds of Arizona was a great youth jazz program in Phoenix where I had excellent jazz teachers who continued to inspire me. I also played with multiple community college groups and attended summer workshops nearly every year at the Arizona State University. I’m so grateful to all of my mentors and teachers in Arizona who helped me progress to the point where I could study the instrument in college. 

Since moving to Denver 10 years ago, I’ve finished two degrees, my Undergraduate at the University of Denver, and my Masters at the University of Colorado, Boulder. At school, I did my best to soak up as much information as possible, and practice it diligently. My goal was to make a living entirely in music, which I was able to accomplish through trying my best to be prepared for any opportunity that would come my way. Even during my undergrad, I started to book gigs with a group me and my friends created called “Disquietude” and even got called by some musicians to play gigs occasionally. There is really something special about learning on the bandstand. Some lessons must be learned in action. 

During school, I also took a liking to composing music. When I started my first music arranging class at DU, I knew that this was something I would actively seek to do no matter what my professional career ended up being. I submitted twice to the ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer competition and have won two awards in 2016 and 2020. Both of my colleges I attended were so supportive in playing my compositions at concerts, this gave another incentive to pursuing music. There’s nothing quite like having a piece of your own performed and received by an audience. 

Denver’s music scene has presented so many opportunities to me since I moved to Colorado. I’ve been able to play in so many different genres of music, from jazz to funk to blues and even EDM (Electronic Dance Music.) I’ve also been presented to the opportunity to teach younger and beginner musicians to play musical instruments, which is something I never thought I would try to incorporate so heavily in my career. It feels great to be giving back in a way, for all the great experiences I’ve had so far. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I try not to take for granted the good fortune I’ve had throughout my journey. Of course, there have been struggles, but I’ve had less than others. Despite not coming from a particularly wealthy background, my parents and the rest of my family always were very supportive and made sure that I had the means to take the opportunities that I earned or were accessible to me. In particular, my grandpa was a huge inspiration to me and supportive of my goals, so when he passed away in 2016 it was a difficult thing to process. I was raised by my single mother until I was about 5 years old when my stepdad came around, so my grandpa was kind of my father figure up to that point. We would live near my grandpa often throughout his life and even in his house for the majority of my youth so it was a closer relationship than some are able to have with their grandparents. He was a very giving man. He would spend the entire holiday season fixing donated bikes for orphanages and kids who couldn’t afford them, and often would volunteer at food pantries for the homeless. He was also a devout member of Alcoholics Anonymous and would help many out of their struggles with addiction. This is likely part of the reason I’ve never really struggled with excessive substance abuse, despite being in a field where it is somewhat common. 

The pandemic of course was another struggle for myself and everyone else in the music industry. I was incredibly lucky to have access to enough resources I needed. During the quarantine my work almost entirely dried up, I was excluded from unemployment benefits, and my parents living in New Mexico at the time were unable to cover my expenses from a state away if I ran out of money. It was incredibly shaky, but just as I would think it was about to get to a point I couldn’t recover from, something would come through that would give me the ability to look forward. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My career has a few facets as many young self-employed people do. I’m saxophonist, composer, and a music educator. I perform in a variety of genres, like jazz, funk, Latin, classical, blues, and even EDM (Electronic Dance Music.) I’ve played in the Denver area, and during the summer I spend plenty of time working in the Rocky Mountains. I also have my own projects that I use to play my compositions and express myself artistically. A collaborative trio I play with some of my best friends, Calvin Davis and Alex Heffron is called Seahorses Forever. I also occasionally like to set up performances to play straight-ahead jazz on my baritone saxophone with what I call my Bari/Organ Trio. 

I’ve just recently started my career as a recording bandleader as well with my debut record “Never-Ending Cycle” releasing March 10th, 2022. I’m so proud of this record as it represents my compositions over the 10 years I’ve lived in Denver, and is a representation of all of my experience and studies so far. My quintet on the record is one of the most fun groups I’ve had the pleasure to play with, consisting of Greg Gisbert on Trumpet, Tom Amend on Piano, Gonzalo Teppa on Bass, and Michael D’Angelo on Drums. Physical copies for this album are available online at my band camp page. 

https://davidbernot.bandcamp.com/releases 

The record is also being produced in partnership of Nocturne Jazz and Supper Club, located in Denver’s RiNo Arts District. In support of the new album, Nocturne will host the David Bernot Quintet Thursday evenings throughout March of 2022 – reservations are available at 

www.nocturnejazz.com/reservations 

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
It’s important to be a part of a community as a creative. In the jazz community there is no shortage of events to meet fellow jazz musicians, even in this current world dealing with a pandemic becoming an endemic, there are almost as many opportunities as there were pre-covid in Denver. These events in the jazz world are usually events where musicians can play together called jam sessions, so finding an outlet to do your craft side by side with others can be a great way to network and find mentors. But also seeking out professionals and showing interest in their work can be substitute if nothing else is available. When I’m not crazy busy putting together music for gigs and working on an album release, I try to take the time to check out musicians at local venues doing the things I’d like to do. 

Pricing:

• $60 private in-person lessons
• $50 virtual lessons
• $20 plus shipping CDs

Contact Info:

• Email: davidbernot@davidbernotmusic.com
• Website: https://www.davidbernotmusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidbernot_music/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/davidbernotmusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXgZgbI707H-_vRJq9pYJfw
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/david-bernot
• Other: https://davidbernot.bandcamp.com/releases

Image Credits
Brittany Teuber