David Bernstein, who grew up in Point Dume, died in San Francisco on May 6 after a three-and-a-half year battle with oral cancer. He was 45.
Bernstein was born in New York and moved to Malibu with his family in 1973. He attended Point Dume Elementary School (graduating with the first class to attend K-6), Malibu Park Junior High and Santa Monica High School in 1980. He attended UC Santa Cruz and earned a bachelor’s degree with honors from Berklee College of Music in Boston.
Bernstein taught himself to play guitar at age 16 by practicing a few notes at a time of a given song as he listened to it on tape until he perfected the entire song. It was this methodical work ethic that he applied to everything he mastered, including skiing. Bernstein moved to San Francisco in 1985 and achieved acclaim and respect as a technically diligent and masterful blues and jazz guitarist, and brilliant musicologist. An elegantly fluid musician, by turns driving, muscular and lyrical-and always deeply and broadly schooled-Bernstein played his last gig on April 29, a week before his death, with the Dave Bernstein Duo at Cafe Divine in San Francisco’s North Beach.
Three hundred friends, family, fellow musicians, and even rivals, came to remember Bernstein at his funeral on May 13 in San Francisco. A musical tribute memorial service is pending.
Bernstein is survived by his wife, Siobhan Gleeson of San Francisco; his parents, Arnie and Ellie Bernstein of Malibu; his sister, Debbie of Santa Monica; his brother, Danny of Vancouver and a record collection of 8,000 LPs.