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Mike Stern: Trip
by Jeff Winbush
In the blink of an eye an accident can happen and when it does it can be a life-altering event. Think of a brain surgeon or a pro quarterback. Think of what it would mean it they suffered some sort of injury which made it impossible to grasp a scalpel or throw a football with the same accuracy as before. Then think of what it an accident like that means for Mike Stern. On July 3, 2016, the ...
read moreMike Stern: Trip
by James Nadal
Having established himself as an imaginative technical wizard in the forefront of the fusion movement during the 1980's, guitarist Mike Stern has left an indelible mark on the way the instrument is utilized in the jazz idiom. But there would be an unforeseen event that would test his physical and emotional will to overcome adversity. In July of 2016 Stern suffered a serious accident when he tripped over construction debris leaving his apartment in New York City. This led to ...
read morePeter White: Groovin'
by Jeff Winbush
Some musicians simply have an affinity for certain genres. Peter White, having assumed the crown from George Benson has established himself as the gold standard for smooth jazz guitarists and this means he now has the freedom to do whatever he wants. What White wants to do with Groovin' is demonstrate how deft a touch he possesses in not simply covering classic pop and soul music, but putting an individual signature to his interpretations. There's a certain inherent ...
read moreFourplay: Silver
by Jeff Winbush
Any band in any genre of music, be it rock, country, classical or jazz can't make it two and a half decades based solely on pure dumb luck. Fourplay defied the critics who dismissed them as pop schlock when they debuted in 1991 and shook off the haters who never thought they would still be here 25 years later. The secret for the quartet's staying power is right there in the name: Fourplay. Four talented, versatile and experienced master musicians ...
read moreMindi Abair: Wild Heart
by Jeff Winbush
Courtney Love courted controversy in a Rolling Stone interview when she shrugged off Clarence Clemons, the late and great Big Man" saxophonist of Bruce Springsteen's E-Street Band, My Springsteen problem is just that saxophones don't belong in rock & roll," she said. They just don't belong." Mindi Abair would like a word with you Miss Love. The fusion of jazz and rock was not the most beloved of hybrids. As practiced by bands like Chicago and ...
read moreJeff Lorber Fusion: Hacienda
by Jeff Winbush
If the word fusion" is a dirty word don't tell Jeff Lorber. In 1977, the Jeff Lorber Fusion made the scene and 36 years later there's a new incarnation of the band built around Lorber's keyboards, synths and occasional guitar, Jimmy Haslip on bass, and Eric Marienthal on saxophone. What's changed in nearly four decades later in the current version is a vastly improved model, but Lorber's energy and exuberance for funky, rollicking jams is undiminished.A perfect summation ...
read moreGeorge Duke: Dream Weaver
by Jeff Winbush
The end comes eventually for us all with only the time and method to be determined. Dream Weaver is an album constructed around death, loss, healing and moving on. George Duke lost his wife, Corine, in 2011 as well as guitarist Jef Lee Johnson, and vocalist Teena Marie who passed away in 2010 as she was collaborating with Duke on a jazz album.Despite the sense of loss and sorrow hanging over the recording, Dream Weaver is hardly a ...
read moreFourplay: Esprit De Four
by Jeff Winbush
FourplayEsprit De FourHeads Up International2012Bands don't last over two decades with minimal turnover in personnel and continued success if they're composed of egotists, prima donnas, drama queens or people that just don't play nice together. Fourplay has endured and thrived because it is an egalitarian coalition of seasoned professionals who set aside private agendas to serve the group dynamic.When a new guitarist joins Fourplay it typically takes their sophomore recording ...
read moreMike Stern: All Over The Place
by Glenn Astarita
Guitarist Mike Stern projected a stylish, chops-heavy impression on the general jazz populous during his auspicious entry into the circuit, supporting jazz-fusion era Miles Davis. Indeed, one of the more distinctive guitarists spanning several decades, the artist enlists a who's who of current bass greats amid appearances by longtime associates, trumpeter Randy Brecker and former Davis drummer Al Foster. With a proverbial star-studded cast, Stern ventures into non-jazz circles, covering blues, West African themes, country rock, and other genres.
read moreDavid Benoit: Conversation
by Jeff Winbush
If a touch of grey makes a man look distinguished, his full head of hair gone grey makes David Benoit positively aristocratic. The knock on Benoit is he makes music that is pleasant yet not memorable and, at times, is dismissed as being lightweight. It's time to reassess that somewhat harsh appraisal as time has been kind to Benoit, as his playing grows stronger and his ideas more interesting.Benoit makes it look effortless, but Conversation works hard at ...
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