I have been closely tracking COVID deaths. (My morbid confession.) On average, 1,000 deaths are realized daily. By January, if we don’t assume basic public health approaches, new models predict 3,000 daily deaths. I’m not a numbers gal. (I barely passed algebra 2 and was thrown into delinquent geometry where I have fond memories of the goth guy who taught me how to apply lipstick flawlessly.) Although told ad nauseam numbers are clear-cut, I despise mathematics, finding the subject difficult to comprehend.

GRAMMY Award-nominated guitarist Will Bernard knows a thing or ten about holding down the groove with a community of instrumentalists who've defined the influential improv-based music scene of New York City. Bernard's latest power-punch of funk hits on his new album, Freelance Subversives (Ropeadope), shows a dedication to multidimensional and introspective compositions with deep pocket-rhythms at its foundation.