The Journey Within

Without question, New York Yankees superstar Bernie Williams is one of the most popular and talented players in major league baseball, a potential hall-of-famer, and one of the most popular and well known athletes in pro sports. But ask Bernie Williams what he wanted to be when growing up, and he’ll say it was to be a professional musician. A classically trained guitarist, playing and composing music is Bernie’s first true passion with influences that include jazz, classical, pop, Brazilian, and Latin sounds.

His major label debut, The Journey Within reflects his lifelong passion for music and encompasses his rich and varied musical palette. In addition to playing lead and rhythm guitar, Williams composed seven songs for the album. Tracks like “La Salsa En Mi” and “Desvelado” mix Bernie’s love of jazz with the sophisticated Latin rhythms of his Puerto Rican heritage.

The first single, a remix of his “Just Because” featuring David Benoit, is poised to be a hit at smooth jazz radio while covers of Kansas and Billy Joel demonstrate Williams’ ability to freshly reinterpret classic pop ballads. Other highlights include Williams’ heartfelt tribute to his father, “Para Don Berna”, a reworking of the Baden Powell song, “Samba Novo”, and “La Salsa En Mi”, featuring background vocals from 2003 Grammy Winner Ruben Blades and salsa legend Gilberto Santa Rosa. Also joining Williams is an all-star ensemble of musicians including multiple Grammy-winning banjo player Bela Fleck, keyboardist David Sancious, percussionist Luis Conte, bassist Leland Sklar, guitarist Tim Pierce, and drummers Kenny Aronoff and Shawn Pelton, among others.