Steve Berndt

Steve began performing musically as a vocal soloist in elementary school music competitions in the Ottawa region and chose the trombone as his main instrument in high school. Steve decided to pursue a career in music after being chosen by Chuck Mangione for inclusion in the 1976 Canadian Stage Band Festival All Star Band and attending The Stan Kenton Creative World Clinic that summer hosted at Toronto’s York University. Steve then enrolled in the music program at Toronto’s Humber College, graduating in 1982. In 1983, Steve settled in Ottawa after returning to join a swing cover band called The Blue Current Preserve.

THE JIVEWIRES
In 1989 Steve formed The Jivewires, a “jump blues” band patterned after the satirical style of the early R&B groups from the late 40’s/early 50’s. Steve and bassist Kurt Walther wrote and arranged compositions for the band that recorded 5 albums of original music over 25 years as well as an album of Louis Jordan favorites called “Jives Do Jordan”. “I Hate TO”, a song from the band’s first album “No Vacancy” that satirized Canada’s love/hate relationship with Toronto, gained the band national airplay on CBC and a first national media interview on CBC’s “Gzowski & Company”. The Jivewires have toured throughout central Canada, the UK and the northeastern US, appearing in major festivals as well as concert & club dates. “Jazz, Blues & Dancin’ Shoes”, a track from 2015’s “Drive Me Sane” received ongoing rotation on CBC Radio 1’s “Tonic” with Tam Tamishiro.

RUDEBOY
In 1997 Steve joined Rudeboy, a 2nd wave Ska band that produced two albums and topped the Canadian college radio charts in 1998 with their first effort “Shut Up And Dance”. Performing in the band as “Stevie B. Bones”, Rudeboy played venues in Central Canada and toured western Canada after the second recording “Rudeboy 2”. Rock/pop music icon Gene Simmons was impressed with the band and considered Rudeboy for a recording contract in 2009. Rudeboy enjoys a cult following that continues to grow despite disbanding in 2014.

THE LEGENDARY FUNK BROTHERS
Starting in 2008 Steve had the honour of touring with Detroit’s Legendary Funk Brothers as a trombonist, joining the original Motown session musicians in front of huge crowds at outdoor concert venues and festivals. Steve performed with the Funk Brothers at their last performance in Hamiton Ontario in 2011.

SONGS FROM A DRUNKEN PIANO
In 2011 Steve and vocalist Christine Fagan formed a group to perform a review of songs by the legendary Tom Waits. Naming the project “Songs From A Drunken Piano”, the group’s main goal is to perform their own arrangements of Tom’s material that are completely different from his original recordings. The band consists of singers and multi-instrumentalists incorporating a very wide variety of musical styles and instruments.

DÉJÀ VU ALL OVER AGAIN
In 2012 Steve asked Steinway Pianist Brian Browne to accompany him on a jazz vocal/piano recording project. Steve produced a two album set of standards with one original composition as the title track for each. “Déjà Vu” was well received being listed in the Ottawa Citizen’s 2012 top ten jazz recordings and gaining rotational airplay on “Tonic”, CBC Radio 1. In 2014 as a follow up to “Déjà Vu” Steve recorded “All Over Again”, that recording receiving the same exposure on CBC and receiving a very favourable review in the LA Jazz Scene by legendary jazz critic Scott Yanow.

BLUE SKIES ON MARS
The Jivewires were approached in 2015 by Siloam Entertainment to appear in their feature film called “Prisoner Of Time”. Offered a small speaking role in Siloam’s next production “Blue Skies On Mars”, Steve wrote a title song for the movie and was featured under his own name as a fictional member of the Rat Pack who just released a new single. His song “Blue Skies On Mars” won Best Original Song at the International Independent Film Awards in Los Angeles and was nominated in the Orinos Independent Film Awards in Rome. Steve was cast for a third small roll in “Painted Sharks”, another Silaom feature.

SAFE LOW LIMIT
In 2016 Steve formed Safe Low Limit, an experimental jazz quartet using only bass clef pitched instruments playing original compositions and cover material in an eclectic variety of styles. Comprised of trombone, cello, tuba and drums the band got viral exposure with a CBC article reporting on a debut concert they performed at the bottom of a drained swimming pool in Vanier Ontario. Safe Low Limit recorded a first album named “High On Low” in 2018 after playing festivals and club dates in the Ottawa region. An original composition “Chasing The Rainbow” has received rotational airplay on CBC’s Saturday Night Jazz with Laila Biali.

TEACHING
Steve began offering trombone and vocal lessons in 2015, teaching at private music academies in the Ottawa region. In 2017 Steve began offering private in-home lessons and in 2018 began teaching trombone clinics in local high schools.