Musical Director and Producer Evan Taylor

Gives “Greenpoint” a Live Feel

on Bernie Worrell: Wave from the WOOniverse

“Greenpoint, with its muted trumpet and skittering electric piano,

could be the soundtrack to a noir film.” — NJ Arts

Taylor Talks about the Making of “Greenpoint”

From the Parliament/Funkadelic and Talking Head Funk Legend’s

Posthumous Double Album

 

Album Now Available Digitally

And on CD and Vinyl, HERE

LOS ANGELES —   The mark of a great instrumental song is when it tells a story despite not having lyrics. Such is the case with “Greenpoint,” featuring Steve Bernstein, Mauro Refosco, Smokey Hormel, Scott Hogan, and Michael Jerome Moore, from Bernie Worrell: Wave from the WOOniverse, the late Parliament/Funkadelic and Talking Head funk pioneer’s posthumous double album.

The story this song tells, at least to one music critic from NJ Arts, is this: “‘Greenpoint,’ with its muted trumpet and skittering electric piano, could be the soundtrack to a noir film with a smartass gumshoe wisecracking his way through the late-night streets of not-quite-gentrified Brooklyn.”

“I found a DVD with a Pro Tools session that just said ‘Bernie’— I was immediately intrigued,” explains musical director and producer Evan Taylor, who was granted access to Worrell’s archives of unfinished songs to put together the 13 tracks that make up Bernie Worrell: Wave from the WOOniverse. “I gave it a listen, and it was Bernie playing along to some sort of hip-hop loop; pretty hip, and he was very much improvising. I knew it had more potential. Finding songs that I wanted to include on the album was the easy part; figuring out the musical treatments were more intuitive. I like to work with the immediate.”

For this one, Taylor decided to go a different route. “I thought Bernie loved performing live, so why not give this song the feel of a live cut? I just figured live instrumentation would bring that club experience,” he says. “So, I had Michael Jerome Moore cut some dynamic drums at Loantaka Sound, and then we moved the operation to Studio G in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Steven Bernstein [trumpet] was recommended a while back to be a guest, and I called him up to be the guiding force of the track. I had him and bassist Scott Hogan record simultaneously to have more of a dialogue, which gave it that live feel.”

Next, Taylor brought in Smokey Hormel on guitar and Mauro Refosco on percussion to round it out. “They gave it some harmony and groove. It’s actually a deceptively complicated track for sounding like a live jam,” adds Taylor.

Bernie Worrell: Wave from the WOOniverse was released on Org Music initially on vinyl on Record Store Day (April 20, 2024) and then digitally and on CD in August 2024 at all DSPs (linktr.ee/bernieworrell). The lineup includes Bootsy Collins (James Brown, P-Funk), Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads), Fred Schneider (the B-52s), Mike Watt (The Minutemen, The Stooges), Leo Nocentelli (The Meters) and Sean Ono-Lennon, Leo Nocentelli, Miho Hatori, Steve Scales, Marc Ribot, Fred Wesley, Marco Benevento, Stanton Moore, Steven Bernstein, Daru Jones, Will Calhoun, Buckethead, Norwood Fisher, and many more.

  “Greenpoint” Production Credits:
Bernie Worrell: Keyboards
Steven Bernstein: Trumpet
Smokey Hormel: Guitar
Mauro Refosco: Percussion
Scott Hogan: Bass
Michael Jerome Moore: Drums
Engineered by Tony Maimone and Spencer Guerra
Mixed by Tony Maimone
Produced by Evan Taylor
Mastered by Steven Berson at Total Sonic Media, Cedar Park, Texas (digital tracks) and Dave Gardner (vinyl tracks)

In addition to the new album, fans can catch Evan Taylor on April 16 at Nublu in New York City as the Bernie Worrell Orchestra reunites for a performance in honor of Bernie’s birthday at a party sponsored by Black Rock Coalition.

 

Bernie Worrell: Wave from the WOOniverse track listing:

1. Intro (Reflections on a Bird) – Feat. Nick Montoya
2. Distant Star – Feat. Jerry Harrison, Paul Dooley, Alecia Chakour, Invisible Familiars
3. What Have They Done To My Funk – Feat. Bootsy Collins, Michael Moon Reuben, Ouiwey Collins, Buckethead
4. Heapin’; Bowl Of Gumbo – Feat. Leo Nocentelli, Fred Wesley, Stanton Moore, Lonnie Marshall
5. Re-Enter Black Light (Phase II) – Feat. Sean Ono Lennon
6. The Big WOO – Feat. Fred Schneider, Binky Griptite, Marco Benevento, Jaleel Bunton, Kyp Malone, Ana Becker
7. Greenpoint – Feat. Steve Bernstein, Mauro Refosco, Smokey Hormel, Scott Hogan, Michael Jerome Moore
8. Soldiers Of The Stars – Feat. Daru Jones, Eric McFadden
9. When The Rain Subsides – Feat. Will Calhoun
10. Pedro WOO – Feat. Mike Watt
11. Contusion – Funkadelic
12. Transcendence – Feat. Marc Ribot, Norwood Fisher
13. Wave From The WOOniverse – Feat. Miho Hatori, Sarah La Puerta, Invisible Familiars

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