Ask a jazz pro the guitarist they’d ask to sit in on a set, and at the top of the dream team is Peter Bernstein. A part of the jazz scene in New York and abroad since 1989, he has played on more than 80 recordings with top artists, and has released nine recordings of his own, including his 2016 Let Loose (Smoke Sessions).

Born in New York City on September 3, 1967, Bernstein began playing piano when he was 8 but switched to guitar when he was 13, learning the instrument primarily by ear. He studied jazz at Rutgers University with Ted Dunbar, and Kenny Barron. He completed his degree at the New School in New York City, where he met and studied with one of his mentors and influences, the guitar legend Jim Hall. Throughout the 1990s, Bernstein was at the forefront of contemporary jazz; he played with Joshua Redman, Diana Krall, Sonny Rollins, Roy Hargrove, Joe Lovano, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, and others.

Known for his clean, warm guitar tone and his lyrical melodic lines, Bernstein makes fans everywhere he plays. “Bernstein personalizes every note and makes them glow,” raves JazzTimes; The New York Times calls him “the man to watch…a fluidly improvising guitarist” with “a beautiful sound.”