BIO

“Alex is so steady and funky, if James Brown was here tonight, Alex would be his new drummer”.
-Robert Coleman (James Brown guitarist)

Alex Bernath is a drummer, musical director, producer, booker and manager based in Cologne Germany.
Having worked with greats of this business such as Fred Wesley (James Brown), Chuck Leavell (Rolling Stones), Ray Greene( Carlos Santana/ Tower Of Power) and Jamal Thomas (Maceo Parker), Alex is feeling the most at home in Jazz, Funk and Soul music, but his styles are also strongly influenced by Hiphop, RnB, World- and Pop music.

Born in Mannheim, Germany in 1986, Alex grew up in classical orchestras and Big Bands from the age of 12, then studied Jazz-drums at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague (NL) at the age of 19, in 2005.
During his study he received drum-lessons by Eric Ineke (Dexter Gordon/Lee Konitz) and Stefan Kruger (Caro Emerald). The peak of his studies was performing with Branford Marsalis (Miles Davis/Sting) and the Royal Conservatory Big Band.

During his study he met polish guitarist Wojtek Justyna and bassist Daniel Lottersberger (AT), they formed a band together with percussionist Diogo Carvalho (PT) and the Wojtek Justyna TreeOh! was born.
3 Albums, many tours through Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, and South Korea followed up to this day.
Towards the end of his study he met Maceo Parker’s drummer Jamal Thomas (USA), whom he followed drum lessons of, and co-founded The Jamal Thomas Band in 2009. 3 Albums, extensive touring throughout Europe and the world followed, as well as collaborations with Fred Wesley (James Brown, Tina Turner) and Chuck Leavell (Rolling Stones) among many others. Their new album, produced, co-composed and arranged by Alex, will be released in 2023.
It was during that production of the new album when Alex made the acquaintance of lead vocalist and trombonist Ray Greene (Santana/Tower Of Power). Their immediate click resulted in a management, booking and drumming collaboration to bring Ray’s debut Solo Album to Europe and USA in 2023.

This collaboration has led to the launch of Alex’s Artist Agency, the "Alexander Agency", in 2022.

Apart from these major events, Alex performs regularly on tours with Walter Fischbacher (NYC) and his many projects throughout Europe, as well as Theater & Musical productions and many other groups.

Alex is proudly endorsing Zildjian cymbals and Vic Firth sticks.

His compositional work is internationally acknowledged, it's been reviewed in acknowledged music magazines (Jazzthing/Soultrainonline.de), Drum magazines (Sticks), was listed in "Deutsche Schallplattenkritik's Bestenliste" and voted "Best Jazz Album of Poland 2018"

Performance List

International Percussion Festival “Groove Alentejo” (PT), Grant’s Lounge, Macon (GA, USA), Koktebel Jazz Party, Crimea (UA ), Langnau Jazznights, (CH), Summer Jazz Nights Cracow, (PL), Jazzfest Gronau (GER), Elbjazz Festival Hamburg, Paradiso, Amsterdam (NL), Cali Club-Brussels (BE), Resonanz Musik Festival- Eupen, (GER), Jazz Comes To Town, Epe (NL), Jazzablanca, Casablanca (MA), Zwart Huis, Bruges (BE), White Nights Drum Festival , Perm (RU), Musig am Zürisee, Zurich (CH), Jazz a Lunel (FR), Jazz Behind The Beach, Zandvoort (NL), Zeeheldenfestival, Den Haag (NL), 12on14, Warsaw (PL), Metrum Jazz Club, Bielsko Biala (PL) Sarmata Pub, Olsztyn (PL), Zmiana Klimatu, Bialystok (PL), Piwnica Kulturalna Spichlerz, Kwidcyn (PL), Club Format, Lodz (PL), Bugsy's Jazz Club, Pszczyna (PL), Muzyczna Owczarnia, Szczawnica (PL), Jazz Club Muzeum, Jaworzno (PL), Blue Note Poznan (PL), Club ALIVE!, Wroclaw (PL), Klub Muzyczny Bogart, Gomunice (PL), Kameleon Jazz Club,Kędzierzyn-Koźle (PL), Pub Max, Zary (PL), Green Town of Zielona Gora Jazz Festival (PL), Jazz et barbecue a l'abbaye St.Quentin (FR), Hockey World Cup The Hague (NL), Breda Jazz Festival, (NL), Oisterwijkt Swingt, (NL), Swinging Groningen (feat. Fred Wesley), Hot Jazz Club Münster (feat. Fred Wesley), Colos Saal, Aschaffenburg, (GER) (feat. Fred Wesley), Paradox, Tilburg (NL), Perron 55, Venlo (NL), Paard Van Troje, Den Haag (NL), 5 Mei Festival, Den Haag (NL), Groningen The Dogs Bullocks (ESNS Showcase) (NL), GroningenDe Kar(Freesonic) GroningenCafe Buckshot(NL), The Hague Paard Cafe(NL) Hilversum Freaknacht 3FM (NL), Rotterdam La Vagabond (NL) ,Rotterdam Cafe Dizzy (NL), The Hague FAST Surfdorp (NL), The Hague Den Haag FM/Stork On Air(NL), Amersfoort't Nonnetje (NL),The HagueHaSchiBa Festival (NL), Cologne (DE)Heimathirsch, Leimuiden Cafe Ruimzicht (NL), AmsterdamCafe Alto (NL), Opole Dworek Artystyczny (PL),KrakówHarris Piano Jazz Bar (NL), Mikołów Rynek Mikołów (PL), Wrocław Vertigo Jazz Club (PL), Łódź Lokal (PL), Heemskerk Stoeppop (NL), The HagueClub Rootz (NL),The Hague Rootz Scheveningen(NL), Amsterdam Bourbon Street(NL),Rotterdam BIRD (NL), LeidenPicknick Festival(NL), Hoorn Hoornse Stadsfeest(NL),The Hague German Embassy (NL), Schijndel Ander festival (NL), AmsterdamAmsterdam Kookt(NL),Noordwijk Kiteboard Open(NL), Poznań (PL) Blue Note,Łódź (PL)Klub Szafa,Warszawa (PL)Oratorium im. Św. Jana Bosko,Warszawa (PL)Klub Harenda,Kraków (PL), Jaworzno (PL), Jazz Club Muzeum, Kluczbork (PL), Jazz Pub, Częstochowa (PL), Klub Paradoks,Wałbrzych (PL), Klub A'propos,AmsterdamKing's Night(NL), LeidenDe Twee Spieghels(NL),The HagueBusiness Women Congress 2016 (New Babylon)(NL),Leiden Stukafest Afterparty (NL), The Hague Connected Festival (NL),Münster Hot Jazz Club (DE), Minden Jazz Club (DE),MannheimJugendkulturzentrum FORUM(DE),Jena (DE)Jazzmeile Thuringen,ThornThe Abbey Sessions (NL),The Hague Jazz & Art Market(NL),Kraków Letni Festiwal Jazzowy (PL),BiałystokHary Motorcyckle Pub, Utrecht't Oude Pothuys(NL),AlkmaarGrand Café Koekenbier (NL),Hilversum Radio 1 Nog Steeds Wakker(NL), Sassenheim Havenfestival (NL),The Hague Bevrijdingsfestival (NL),Amsterdam Cafe Cox (NL), Eindhoven Feel Good Market(NL) Eindhoven Cafe Kraaij & Balder(NL), Torburg Köln ,Purpur Müllheim, Mehlsack Emmendingen, Chabah,Kandern, Tschuppis Wonderbar CH Luzern, JUKZ Lahnstein, Pfingstbergschule Mannheim, Jazz a Bourg Madame, (FR), Syke Jazz Bike, ItS Festival, Amsterdam(NL)
....and many more

Artist List

Ray Greene (Santana, Tower Of Power) Chuck Leavell (Rolling Stones), Jamal Thomas (Maceo Parker, SOS Band),
Fred Wesley (James Brown, Tina Turner), Branford Marsalis (Miles Davis/Sting),
Rodney “Skeet” Curtis (Parliament Funkadelic), Bruno Speight (Maceo Parker), Oz Noy,
and many more...

Discography

Jamal Thomas Band

Future (2013)
Funk Don't Move (2018)
TBA (2023)

Wojtek Justyna TreeOh

Definitely Something (2015)
Get That Crispy (2018)
Thrice (2022)

Sophies World Music

TBA (2023)

Pape Samory Seck

TBA (2022)

Phillip Czarnecki & Mike Herting

TBA (2021)

Åstrand/Berglund/Bernath

Colorfall (2021)

Jon Tarifa

Free to be (2013)