Elias Bernet is a Swiss pianist and organ player. He is also songwriter, band leader and vocalist. His brand new album is entitled Better Off With the Blues.

David Mac (DM): Thanks for getting your brand-new CD Better Off With the Blues in my ears. I enjoyed it very much and it has made it into a small group of new CDs that will be featured in this month’s Recommended Listening in BLUES JUNCTION.

Elias Bernet (EB): Thank you very much. I’m glad you like our music! It is a big honour for us that we made it into that illustrious circle of new recordings.

DM: This isn’t unprecedented but a bit unusual for me, in that I’m conducting an interview based entirely on my affection for your new album. I don’t know anything about you. Would you mind giving me some very quick biographical information on you?

EB: Certainly…I am 37 years old and I live in Switzerland.

DM: Do you remember some of your earliest exposures to music?

EB: Yes, I do. When I was a child of about 5 years old, I was inspired by street musicians. I built some of my own instruments and played on the village street. So, I earned my first fee of over 70 Swiss Francs which was huge for me at that time. At the age of nine I started to play the clarinet. I started to play the piano at the age of twelve.

DM: It sounds to me like you had a well-rounded musical education.

EB: Later on, I visited a music high school with a classical education. I was fascinated by the virtuosity and energy of boogie woogie and by the honesty of the blues.

DM: American blues and boogie wooogie is very different from European classical and even folk traditions.

EB: In my childhood I was not raised with blues music but felt that there is some kind of music that pulls me in. But I didn’t know which one it was. So, I spent hours and hours of listening to different kind of music in record stores. Until I heard B.B. King.

DM: That’ll do it.

EB: That was gravity. Then I knew that it was the blues that would play an important role in my life.

DM: The blues has taken you to some pretty impressive places and some big showcases.

EB: Yes, I’ve played at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2007 and the Lucerne Blues Festival in 2009. In 2013, I started a new crossover project with Nicolas Senn, who is a Swiss dulcimer player. We mix traditional Swiss folk music with traditional American folk music. In this case boogie woogie and blues. We have had several gigs at the Swiss national TV and had several tours of Switzerland. We even had a gig at a society ball at the Swiss consulate in New York City.  

DM: That is marvelous. I’d like to talk about the new album. Let’s start with the band.

EB: Thanks for bringing that up. Our drummer, Bernhard Egger says hello. So funny that you met my drummer at the Doheny Blues Festival. When I read your email last night, I was in the car with him, driving back home from a gig. He told me about the great time he had in Dana Point.

DM: That was fun indeed. That goes all the way back to 2008 when he was playing with B.B. and the Blues Shacks.

EB: Since his time with B. B. and the Blues Shacks, he played with Meena Cryle and me. He also has his own show, Auf dem roten Stuhl where he regularly combines talks and music with Austrian stars at the Wiener Stadtsaal. He lives in Wien himself.

DM: I was very impressed with the double bass playing of Markus Fritzsche. I am not familiar with him.

EB: Markus is 67 years old. He lives in Switzerland and played with several bands. He has played jazz, fusion, country, folk as well as blues. He also worked as a film music composer. He created soundtracks for Swiss and German TV series and commercials among many other projects.

DM: While this is a very impressive trio of musicians. Nobody can overcome bad material no matter the high level of talent. This isn’t an issue on Better Off With the Blues. That’s where you and your songwriting partner come into play. Let’s talk about Lilly Martin.

EB: Lilly is my writing partner. She was raised in New York and has lived in Switzerland for many years. It helps a lot that her mother tongue is English. And of course, we talk about the content.

DM: Let’s talk about that content, starting with the first song on the album, the title track.

EB: The song Better Off With the Blues is important to me. To be better off with the blues means for me better to risk being hurt or to fail, instead of denying life. In other words, it is better to accept the pain instead of refusing it.

The lyrics are personal thoughts and views about life, certain situations and stories that impress me. It’s very important to me not to moralize. I don’t want to teach my audience, that’s too paternalistic in my eyes. I’m happy if some listeners recognize themselves in some lyrics or smile about some stories. I often talk to myself when I sing the songs. That gives me the chance to focus on some topics on different levels, intellectually, emotionally and also haptically when I play the music.

DM: As I listen to the new album I continue to come away with the impression that despite the eclectic nature of the CD there is somewhat of a Gospel tinge to the proceedings. Is that a fair assessment?

EB: Yes, you’re totally right. I love Gospel music. However, those Gospel influences didn’t get there consciously. I think the influences of Gospel just slid into my music somehow.

DM: That’s interesting.

EB: David, music accompanies me all the time. Music is also a mirror of my life. When I’m tense, I play tense, when I’m balanced, I feel and hear that while I’m playing.

DM: Speaking of tense…what is the live music scene like these days in Switzerland?

EB: Live music is getting more and more difficult in Switzerland due to a new COVID-19 wave. But I’m doing very well though.

DM: Do you have any plans for Christmas?

EB: I’ll spend some time with my family of origin. I will also spend time with my children, which are my organ and piano. I’m married to the music. My plans for the holiday season are playing music.  If I have some free time I’ll walk in the forest, which is a wonderful source of strength to me.

DM: Thanks very much for visiting with me today. I wish you good health, good fortune and a Merry Christmas.

EB: Thank you. It means a lot to me that you have taken an interest in my music. Thanks for reaching out. Thank you very much for your support. Best wishes…