One of the great jazz guitarists of his generation,
Mike Stern has the unique ability to play with the
finesse and lyricism of Jim Hall, the driving swing of
Wes Montgomery and the turbulent, overdriven attack of
Jimi Hendrix. Growing up in the Washington, D.C. area,
Stern revered all three of those guitar immortals, along
with such potent blues guitarists as Albert and B.B.
King. Aspects of those seminal influences can be heard
in his playing on the 18 recordings he has released as a
leader or in his acclaimed sideman work for Miles Davis,
Billy Cobham, the Brecker Brothers, Jaco Pastorius,
Steps Ahead, David Sanborn, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Joe
Henderson and the all-star Four Generations of Miles
band.
Stern’s
latest Concord Jazz release, Eleven, is an encounter
with Grammy-winning keyboardist-composer-producer Jeff
Lorber. Co-produced by bassist Jimmy Haslip, who had
previously worked with the guitarist on the
Yellowjacket’s 2008 album, Lifecycle, this lively
collaboration finds Stern at the peak of his powers,
following on the heels of 2017’s acclaimed Trip, his
triumphant return to recording after a freak accident
that threatened to end his career. The multiple
Grammy-nominated guitarist was hailing a cab outside his
apartment in Manhattan July 3, 2016 when he tripped over
some hidden construction debris left in the street,
fracturing both of his humerus bones (the long bones
that run from the shoulder to the elbow) in the fall.
Left with significant nerve damage in his right hand
which prevented him from doing the simplest tasks,
including holding a pick, Stern faced a series of
surgeries and subsequent physical therapy before he
could regain control of his nerve-damaged picking hand.
And while Trip represented a strong comeback, the
intrepid guitarist takes things up a notch on Eleven.
“When the idea was floated for this project, I asked
a bunch of cats who worked with Jeff, like Randy
Brecker, Dave Weckl and Bob Franceschini, and they all
said, ‘He’s cool, he throws down, he can really get it
going.’ And they’re right,” said Stern. “Jeff’s got a
strong rhythmic groove and he comps really well on the
Fender Rhodes, which is kind of his signature sound. And
I feel like his music really comes more from soul music
than smooth jazz. That Philly soul thing is definitely
in some of his tunes on this record.”
Added Lobber of their first collaboration
together, “Mike’s just a bebop wizard, he’s got an
incredible jazz feeling. And by the same token, he’s got
the rock and blues thing covered too. He’s on both sides
of the musical spectrum. So when I heard he was up for
it, I was delighted to have a chance to work with him in
the studio on this project. And I think we really hit it
off musically as well as personally.”
One of the
top guitarists in jazz since his breakthrough days with
Miles Davis' celebrated comeback band of
the early 1980s, Stern has earned the respect of
colleagues and critics alike while also exerting a
towering influence on a generation of aspiring players.
A guitarist of formidable technique, he continues to awe
and inspire six-string aficionados with his seamless
blend of bebop facility, scorching rock intensity and
uncommon lyricism. As Jon Chappell of Guitar magazine
noted, “Stern is not only a magician of the fretboard
but a heartfelt and mature composer of great depth.” By
combining the legato approach of jazz saxophone greats
like John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins and Joe Henderson with
a few touches from the rock camp (i.e., distortion and
delay pedals along with some urgent string bending,
courtesy of his boyhood blues heroes B.B. King and Buddy
Guy), Stern has successfully fashioned a singular voice
that comfortably occupies both rock and jazz worlds.
Born on January 10, 1953, he began playing guitar at
age 12, emulating the likes of B.B. King, Eric Clapton
and Jimi Hendrix. “I liked the feel of the guitar and I
got hooked on it,” he recalled in an interview. “But I
didn't really get serious about it until I went to
Berklee in 1971.” At the Berklee College of Music in
Boston his focus shifted to jazz as he began an
intensive period of woodshedding, immersing himself in
records by Miles Davis, John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner and
Bill Evans while studying with guitarists Mick Goodrick
and Pat Metheny. During his stint at Berklee, he
developed a keen appreciation for jazz guitar greats Wes
Montgomery and Jim Hall, both of whom would exert a huge
influence on his own playing. On a recommendation from
Metheny, Stern landed a gig with Blood, Sweat & Tears in
1976 and remained with the band for two years, appearing
on the BS&T albums More Than Ever and Brand New Day.
That gig is also significant for introducing the
guitarist to two musicians who would later figure
prominently in his life — percussionist Don Alias and
bassist Jaco Pastorius.
Following
his stint with BS&T, Stern returned to Boston and began
studying privately with local jazz guru Charlie Banacos.
In 1979, he joined Billy Cobham's powerhouse fusion band
and two years later he joined Miles Davis' group, making
his public debut with the band on June 27, 1981 at the
Kix nightclub in Boston (a performance that was
documented on the CBS live album, We Want Miles). Stern
remained with Miles through 1983, also appearing on Man
With The Horn and Star People). From 1983 to 1984, he
toured in Jaco Pastorius' Word Of Mouth band and in 1985
returned to Miles for a second tour of duty that lasted
close to a year.
In
1985, Stern made his recording debut as a leader with
Neesh on the Japanese Trio label. A year later, he made
his Stateside debut as a leader on Atlantic Records with
Upside Downside, which featured such celebrated
colleagues as alto saxophonist David Sanborn, tenor
saxophonist Bob Berg, bassists Mark Egan, Jeff Andrews
and Jaco Pastorius, keyboardist Mitch Forman and
drummers Dave Weckl and Steve Jordan. In the summer of
1986, Stern took to the road with David Sanborn and
later joined an electrified edition of Steps Ahead,
which featured Mike Mainieri on midi vibes, Michael
Brecker on the Electronic Wind Instrument (EWI), Darryl
Jones on electric bass and Steve Smith on drums. That
powerhouse fusion outfit was documented on Live in Tokyo
1986. Over the next two years, Stern was a member of
Michael Brecker’s potent quintet, appearing on the tenor
titan’s 1988 album, Don’t Try This At Home.
Stern's second Atlantic album, 1988's Time In Place,
continued the promise of his debut and featured Peter
Erskine on drums, Jim Beard on keyboards, Jeff Andrews
on bass, Don Alias on percussion and Don Grolnick on
organ. He followed that success with 1989's Jigsaw,
which was produced by fellow guitarist Steve Khan.
Following the release of 1991’s Odds or Evens, Stern
joined a reunited Brecker Brothers Band in 1992 and
became a key factor in the success of that popular group
for the next two years. His decidedly jazzy 1993
Atlantic release, Standards (And Other Songs), led to
Stern being named Best Jazz Guitarist Of The Year by the
readers and critics of Guitar Playermagazine. He
followed that success with two hard-hitting offerings in
1994's Is What It Is and 1996's Between The Lines, both
of which received Grammy nominations.
In 1997,
Stern returned to a jazzier aesthetic with Give And
Take, a looser, more spontaneous session featuring
bassist John Patitucci, drummer Jack DeJohnette,
percussionist Don Alias and special guests Michael
Brecker and David Sanbom. On the strength of that
superbly swinging effort, which included freewheeling
covers of Sonny Rollins' “Oleo,” John Coltrane's “Giant
Steps” and Cole Porter's “I Love You,” along with a
scintillating trio rendition of Jimi Hendrix's “Who
Knows,” he was awarded the Orville W. Gibson Award for
Best Jazz Guitarist.
Stern’s ninth release on
Atlantic, 1999’s Play, was a six-string summit meeting
with fellow guitarists John Scofield and Bill Frisell.
He followed with 2001’s Voices, his first album to
employ singers (Arto Tuncboyaciyan, Elizabeth
Kantomanou, Richard Bona) and 2004’s These Times, which
featured guest turns from banjo ace Bela Fleck and alto
saxophonist Kenny Garrett. 2006’s Who Let The Cats Out?
featured a bevy of bassists in Meshell Ndegeocello,
Anthony Jackson, Richard Bona and Victor Wooten along
with drummers Kim Thompson and Dave Weckl and harmonica
ace Gregoire Maret and the late, great trumpeter Roy
Hargrove.
At
the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal in June
2007, Stern was honored with the Miles Davis Award,
which was created to recognize internationally acclaimed
jazz artists whose body of work has contributed
significantly to the renewal of the genre. Stern was
also the artist in residence at the festival that summer
of 2007, joining the renowned Yellowjackets for some
electrifying live performances. Their kinetic chemistry
was later documented on the 2008 studio collaboration
Lifecycle, which was nominated for a Grammy for Best
Contemporary Jazz Album.
The following year saw
the release of his Grammy-nominated Big Neighborhood,
which found Stern with guitar heroes Eric Johnson and
Steve Vai, trumpeter Randy Brecker and jamband
godfathers Medeski, Martin & Wood on a few tracks.
Stern was presented with Guitar Player magazine’s
Certified Legend Award on January 21, 2012. In June of
that year, he released All Over the Place, which
featured a delegation of high-caliber electric and
acoustic bass players, including Esperanza Spalding,
Richard Bona, Victor Wooten, Anthony Jackson, Dave
Holland, Tom Kennedy, Will Lee and Victor Bailey. On
2014’s Eclectic, Stern went toe-to-toe with Texas guitar
slinger Eric Johnson, cutting a wide stylistic swath on
eleven originals while showcasing their mutual love of
Jimi Hendrix on a cover of his slow blues classic, “Red
House.” Recorded in three days at Johnson’s studio in
Austin, Electric was hailed as “a dazzling outing from
two formidable, well-matched guitar heroes” by Jazz
Times magazine.
The guitar great continued to
play with peerless authority while flaunting prodigious
chops on 2017’s Trip and now exhibits that same
impressive six-string prowess on Eleven.
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