William Chernoff is a Canadian jazz bassist from Vancouver, British Columbia. Will is known for his original instrumental music and for playing bass on the Vancouver jazz scene since his teens.
On Will’s newest album, Maybe Eventually – his second as a leader – he presents the William Chernoff Trio with Francis Henson on guitar and Carson Tworow on drums. The trio's music is often described as mainstream, accessible, and unfussy; jazz journalist Chris Wong writes that "swing and melodicism" are "at Chernoff's artistic core". Though Will’s repertoire often begins firmly straight-ahead with warmth and confidence, deeper album cuts like “154” and the title track bring the trio into ECM-inspired sounds beyond swing, drawing particularly from the legendary electric bassist Steve Swallow.
Will released his debut album, Aim to Stay, digitally and on CD in 2020 with radio airplay across Canada. The album captures Will in a quartet with trumpet, piano, and drums, drawing inspiration from the Brad Turner Quartet. Critics observe the strong influence of Frisell on the compositions – indeed, Will wrote the music of Aim to Stay after Turner and Frisell performed together at his alma mater, Capilano University.