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Bern Nix

Bern Nix has played the guitar since the age of 11. Bern studied music and graduated with a degree in music education from the Berklee College of Music. Since 1985, he has led The Bern Nix Trio. Before leading his Trio, Bern performed and recorded with Ornette Coleman from 1975 to 1987 as an original member of the Prime Time Band. The Prime Time Band recorded six albums including Dancing in Your Head, Of Human Feelings and Body Meta and performed hundreds of concerts around the world. The Bern Nix Trios first recording, Alarms and Excursions (New World Records) was released in 1993, making many top ten critics lists. Bern has performed with artists such as, Ornette Coleman, John Zorn, Marc Ribot, Elliott Sharp, Jemeel Moondoc, Ronald Shannon Jackson, James Chance, Jayne Cortez and Kip Hanrahan. Hailed as one of the greatest jazz guitarists of our time, Bern was voted among the top ten jazz guitarists poll by Down Beat magazine. Most recently, Bern composed and recorded the score for the feature length documentary, A James Lord Portrait. Bern has a solo album coming out this fall on Tompkins Square Records.

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Extended Analysis

Bern Nix Quartet: Negative Capability

Read "Bern Nix Quartet: Negative Capability" reviewed by Florence Wetzel


Guitarist Bern Nix has participated in many fine groups over the course of his career, most notably saxophonist Ornette Coleman's historic Prime Time, where Nix became one of the foremost interpreters of Coleman's groundbreaking harmolodic approach. These days Nix has created a quartet that's exploding onto the jazz scene in a big way. After a fiery set at the 18th Vision Festival, musician-blogger John Pietaro declared, “The Bern Nix Quartet is everywhere and exactly-where, and the overall effect is dizzying ...

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Profile

Bern Nix

Read "Bern Nix" reviewed by Martin Longley


The guitarist Bern Nix is principally known as a key member of Ornette Coleman's Prime Time band, the almost sole practitioners of harmolodic funk. The exact “rules" of harmolodic funk have never been completely clear to anyone other than its creator, but remnants of Ornette's head-heart-groin style are still discernible in Nix' current playing approach, even though he now sounds increasingly rooted in the jazz tradition. In fact, this New York resident cites Charlie Christian as a significant influence and ...

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Interview

Bern Nix: A History In Harmolodics

Read "Bern Nix: A History In Harmolodics" reviewed by AAJ Staff


New York-based free jazz guitarist Bern Nix is one of the few people who are well-versed in Ornette Coleman's “harmolodics" style. He played with Coleman from 1975-1987, and now leads the Bern Nix Trio in New York City. In his compositions and his intriguing covers of standards, he is always looking in the corners of the music for something new.Described recently by a viewer on YouTube as being “the Billy Bang of the guitar," Nix's sound is both ...

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Event

Arts For Art Opens March With Evolving Music

Arts For Art Opens March With Evolving Music

Source: Chris Rich

Evolving Music in March from Arts for Art and Vision Festival opens the lion and lamb month and unfolds over the course of four days from March first to the fourth. involving Friday & Saturday nights, a Sunday afternoon family friendly adventure to let the kids do live action drawing and a concluding Monday evening Evolution. It’s all for the purpose of showcasing the best un-compromised avantjazz in NYC. Among those featured will include the Bern Nix Quartet,the Blood Trio, ...

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Video / DVD

The Bern Nix Outpost 186 Reunion Is Recorded by ImprovLive 365

The Bern Nix Outpost 186 Reunion Is Recorded by ImprovLive 365

Source: Chris Rich

When guitarist Bern Nix visited Outpost 186 and his old friend,keyboardist Dave Bryant in January, the occasion was given special attention by ImprovLive365.“Created and hosted by Tom Hall, ImprovLive 365 is dedicated to exploring, documenting, and sharing the improvisational, spontaneous creativity of life, through public performances, community based educational programs, and a daily web series. Visit us daily for interviews with creative people from all professions and walks of life, impromptu performances, practical tips about creativity and improvisation, and the ...

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Event

2012 Arrives at Outpost 186 with Bern Nix and Much More

2012 Arrives at Outpost 186 with Bern Nix and Much More

Source: Chris Rich

Having shaken off holiday torpor and distractions, the Boston area array of gifted musicians roosting at Outpost 186 are shaping their event streams for the beckoning year. The highlight for January will be a reunion of colleagues from Ornette Coleman's Prime Time, guitarist Bern Nix and keyboardist Dave Bryant with help from Jacob Williams on bass and Eric Rosenthal on drums. This happens on Saturday, January 28th at 8pm with a suggested donation of $10.00. In the week leading up ...

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Interview

Harmolodic Guitarist Bern Nix Interviewed at AAJ

Harmolodic Guitarist Bern Nix Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz

New York-based free jazz guitarist Bern Nix is one of the few people who are well-versed in Ornette Coleman's “harmolodics" style. He played with Coleman from 1975-1988, and now leads the Bern Nix Trio in New York City. In his compositions and his intriguing covers of standards, he is always looking in the corners of the music for something new.

AAJ Contributor Simon J. Harper spoke at length with Nix, about his early roots, the life-changing experience of working with ...

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Recording

Bern Nix's Low Barometer Heats Up

Bern Nix's Low Barometer Heats Up

Source: All About Jazz

Maverick guitarist Bern Nix, who famously collaborated with Ornette Coleman as a member of Prime Time, has released his first new album in ten years and his only solo acoustic guitar recording, the eMusic-only Low Barometer. The album has received recent nods in Time Out NYC and Downbeat. A limited CD-R version of the album, sold exclusively by Downtown Music Gallery in NYC, sold out within hours on DMG's site and will not be re-pressed. Downtown Music Gallery's Bruce Lee ...

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Recording

Bern Nix releases Low Barometer

Bern Nix releases Low Barometer

Source: All About Jazz


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Performance / Tour

Jeff Shurdut, Jameel Moondoc, Bern Nix (The Ornette Coleman Prime Time Band)

Jeff Shurdut, Jameel Moondoc, Bern Nix (The Ornette Coleman Prime Time Band)

Source: All About Jazz


Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Bern Nix Quartet:...

56kitchen Records
2013

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Low Barometer

Tompkins Square
2007

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