Home » Jazz Articles » Leni Stern
Jazz Articles about Leni Stern
Leni Stern: 3
by Jim Worsley
For her critically acclaimed Dakar Suite (Leni Stern Recordings, 2016), Leni Stern presented her African enhanced sounds with lavish 10-piece orchestrations and arrangements complete with horns and violins. For this 2018 release, Stern's compositions were written specifically for a 3 piece, as opposed to adapting a 10 piece composition. Hence the title.The “Khavare" (party) gets started with the sabar (a Sengalese drum) cadence of percussionist Alioune Faye. This lively tune is broadened by bassist Mamadou Ba and buoyed ...
Continue ReadingMonika Herzig: Sheroes
by Jim Worsley
Composer and pianist Monika Herzig embarks on carefully scored passages against a bevy of broad sonic palettes on her 2018 release Sheroes. Herzig has long championed female empowerment in jazz, as well as other forms of music. For Sheroes she assembled an international cast featuring many of the finest musicians in the world. A total of nine musicians, including Herzig, brought their wealth of talent and band leading skills into the studio. The results are rewarding and sophisticated ...
Continue ReadingMonika Herzig: Sheroes
by Hrayr Attarian
Pianist and composer Monika Herzig pays tribute to women in jazz, on her captivating Sheroes. The artistically superlative, all-female band explores various cadences, harmonies and moods on this exquisite album, all the while deftly maintaining thematic unity. Eight of the tracks are originals by ensemble members, and two are Herzig-arranged covers. These are the traditional “House of the Rising Sun" and singer-songwriter Valerie Simpson's (of Ashford/Simpson fame) classic “Ain't No Mountain High Enough." The latter opens ...
Continue ReadingA Six-String Travelogue
by Geno Thackara
Leni Stern 3 Leni Stern Recordings 2018 If it's an exaggeration to say that Leni Stern's gone native after her life-shaping time in Senegal, it's probably not by much. 3 isn't the result of merely studying and and learning a few new forms, but an unrestrained immersion in the life and traditions of a region that's grown close to her heart. The short-ish running time still makes room for a touch of flamenco, some cross-pollination ...
Continue ReadingLeni Stern: Finally The Fame Has Come
by Jim Worsley
Leni Stern has long been a triumphant voice of inspiration. The truth and steadfast beauty of her lyrics and music has touched many hearts around the world. Recognition is a slippery slope, especially when one is not seeking or prioritizing it. Stern has stayed true to her roots and focused her impressive compositions, vocals, and guitar skills in a manner befitting of a woman steeped in authenticity and artistic vision. Still, it is also befitting that her critically ...
Continue ReadingLeni Stern: Smoke, No Fire
by James Nadal
In March, 2012, a military coup overthrew the government in the western African nation of Mali, disrupting life for the civilian population--repetitively the victims in such situations of political turmoil. Guitarist Leni Stern was living in Mali at the time of the coup, and though she could have departed the country, she decided to stay and record Smoke, No Fire amidst chaotic circumstances in the capital city of Bamako.This record is the stark counterpart to her production of ...
Continue ReadingLeni Stern: Sabani
by James Nadal
The West African country of Mali is positively identified as a primordial source of the stringed instrumentation of American popular music rooted in blues and jazz. Renowned guitarist Leni Stern first sought out Mali's rich musical culture years back, and now comes full circle with the release of Sabani--composed, performed, and recorded entirely on African soil.Though Stern has been leaning towards a strong African influence since releasing Africa (Self Produced, 2007), she states that Sabani is the result ...
Continue Reading
