Berliner began playing as a studio musician in the early 1960s. Since then he has logged more than 13,000 recording sessions for records, commercials, films, etc. He has played on albums by Charles Mingus (including The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady) and Ron Carter, George Benson’s White Rabbit, Stephane Grappeli’s Uptown Dance, Deodato’s Also Sprach Zarathustra, Milt Jackson’s Sunflower, and many other Creed Taylor recordings. Berliner has recorded with numerous Singers including Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Jerry Vale, Astrud Gilberto, Sammy Davis, Jr., Sergio Franchi, Rupert Holmes, Frankie Valli, Debby Boone, Andrea Bocelli, Russell Watson, Harry Connick, Jr., Bernadette Peters, Kristin Chenoweth, Blossom Dearie, and LaTanya Hall.

He played on Van Morrison's 1968 album, Astral Weeks, and on November 7 and 8, 2008 joined with Morrison to play Astral Weeks in its entirety at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California. A vinyl LP and CD from these concerts entitled Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl were released in February 2009.

Berliner has won seven NARAS Most Valuable Player awards as well as the NARAS MVP Virtuoso Award in 1986.

In 2009, he played banjo, mandolin, and baritone ukulele onstage in the hit Broadway show Chicago at the Ambassador Theatre.

Berliner is an original member of Rob Fisher's Coffee Club Orchestra on Garrison Keillor’s American Radio Company and later at City Center’s ENCORES series. Berliner is also an original member of the Guys All-Star Shoe Band on Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion. Berliner has performed in concert with william Warfield and Earl Wild at the old Lewisohn Stadium, at Town Hall with Andrea Velis, and with Charles Bressler, playing the American premier performance of songs for tenor and guitar by william Walton and Benjamin Britten.