Verified Global Musician

Peter Bernstein

Peter Bernstein is a guitarist, composer, and bandleader whose work joins his own quartets with a long-running organ trio and extensive ensemble collaborations.

GuitarComposerBandleader13 current shows

Photo source · Photo: Jazz Guy, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Career Overview

About Peter Bernstein

Bernstein's official biography traces his recording career from 1990, when he began working with Lou Donaldson and the organ trio of Larry Goldings and Bill Stewart. It places more than a dozen leader albums alongside long associations with groups led by Donaldson, Joshua Redman, Sonny Rollins, and others.[1]

His recent catalog documents several distinct settings: a quartet assembled during the 2020 shutdown for What Comes Next, a first-time session with Brad Mehldau, Vicente Archer, and Al Foster on Better Angels, and the 2026 return of the Goldings-Bernstein-Stewart trio on Rhombus.[2][3][4]

Ensembles and Career Threads

Bands & Projects

Leader, guitarist, and composer

Peter Bernstein leader quartets

Bernstein's leader recordings use changing quartets for original music and standards, including the Sullivan Fortner group on What Comes Next and the Brad Mehldau group on Better Angels.[1][2][3]

Co-leader and guitarist

Larry Goldings / Peter Bernstein / Bill Stewart

Active since 1990

The organ trio began at Augie's Jazz Bar and has continued recording and touring for more than three decades, with Rhombus marking thirty-five years of shared work.[1][4]

Guitarist and collaborator

Long-running ensemble work

The artist biography records ten years with Lou Donaldson, a 1995–97 run with Joshua Redman, and extensive recording work with Jimmy Cobb, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Diana Krall, Bobby Hutcherson, and others.[1]

Selected, Not Exhaustive

Recordings to Know

2020 · Smoke Sessions Records

What Comes Next

Leader, guitarist, and composer

Recorded during the 2020 shutdown, the album brings Bernstein together with Sullivan Fortner, Peter Washington, and Joe Farnsworth.[2]

Release details

2024 · Smoke Sessions Records

Better Angels

Leader, guitarist, and composer

Better Angels is the first recording by Bernstein's quartet with Brad Mehldau, Vicente Archer, and Al Foster.[3]

Release details

2026 · Smoke Sessions Records

Rhombus

Co-leader and guitarist

The Goldings-Bernstein-Stewart trio combines original music with pieces by Keith Jarrett, Wayne Shorter, Abdullah Ibrahim, Thelonious Monk, and Irving Berlin.[4]

Release details

Live Calendar

Upcoming Jazz DateBook Shows

Sat, Aug 22, 6:30 PM

Goldings / Bernstein / Stewart – Rhombus New Record Release

Smoke Jazz Club · New York

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Sat, Aug 22, 8:30 PM

Goldings / Bernstein / Stewart – Rhombus New Record Release

Smoke Jazz Club · New York

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Sat, Aug 22, 10:00 PM

Goldings / Bernstein / Stewart – Rhombus New Record Release

Smoke Jazz Club · New York

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Sun, Aug 23, 6:30 PM

Goldings / Bernstein / Stewart – Rhombus New Record Release

Smoke Jazz Club · New York

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Sun, Aug 23, 8:30 PM

Goldings / Bernstein / Stewart – Rhombus New Record Release

Smoke Jazz Club · New York

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Wed, Aug 26, 6:00 PM

Caleb Tobocman Quartet

Smalls Jazz Club · New York

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Wed, Aug 26, 7:30 PM

Caleb Tobocman Quartet

Smalls Jazz Club · New York

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Fri, Aug 28, 7:30 PM

Guitarist Peter Bernstein & His All-Star Quartet

Chris' Jazz Cafe · Philadelphia

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Fri, Aug 28, 9:30 PM

Guitarist Peter Bernstein & His All-Star Quartet

Chris' Jazz Cafe · Philadelphia

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Sat, Aug 29, 7:30 PM

Guitarist Peter Bernstein & His All-Star Quartet

Chris' Jazz Cafe · Philadelphia

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Sat, Aug 29, 9:30 PM

Guitarist Peter Bernstein & His All-Star Quartet

Chris' Jazz Cafe · Philadelphia

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Sun, Sep 6, 8:00 PM

Cologne Jazzweek: Peter Bernstein Quartet

Stadtgarten · Cologne

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Thu, Sep 17, 8:00 PM

Peter Bernstein Quartet

Jazz Station · Brussels

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Sources

Career copy is original synthesis from the artist, label, and project sources below. Current dates come from Jazz DateBook event inventory.

  1. [1] Official biography and career guide

    Peter Bernstein

  2. [2] What Comes Next album and personnel notes

    Smoke Sessions Records

  3. [3] Better Angels album and personnel notes

    Peter Bernstein / Smoke Sessions Records

  4. [4] Rhombus album and trio history

    Goldings / Bernstein / Stewart