Jazz Articles about Mike Stern

Mike Pope: The Lay of the Land

by Alexander M. Stern
August 25, 2003

In a year that has already produced a number of excellent recordings, Mike Pope's The Lay of the Land may well be one of the best. It's certainly one of the most exciting new albums this reviewer has heard in a long time. Pope, who excels on both acoustic and electric bass, has surrounded himself with major label talent for this indie label release: both Randy and Michael Brecker make appearances, saxophonist Seamus Blake appears on two tracks; guitarist Mike ...

Mike Pope: The Lay of the Land

by Phil DiPietro
November 15, 2002

Mike Pope plays a mean piano. He's also a noted inventor, designing and building pre-amps for the boutique bass builders Fodera. But really he's a bassist; and not surprisingly, a skilled, er... pontif--icator on both electric and acoustic. He's also a fine mainstream jazz composer and has assembled an all-star cast of musicians here, including heavy hitters the Brecker Brothers, Mike Stern, Joe Locke, Jeff “Tain" Watts and his doubling double John Patitucci to assist in expressing his vision. Bloomdaddy ...

Mike Stern: Voices

by Mike Perciaccante
June 7, 2002

Mike Stern has had the makings of Voices within him for quite some time. Only now has it come to the surface. Voices is his tenth recording for the Atlantic Jazz label. With Voices, Stern has poised himself for popular (i.e. commercial) acclaim. Always a critical darling, Stern has remained somewhat unknown to the CD buying public. If you hadn't been turned on to his music, he flew under your radar.

Much like Carlos Santana did with Supernatural, Stern is ...

Mike Stern: Voices

by Todd S. Jenkins
September 1, 2001

Mike Stern voyages around the musical world, taking many crib notes. Stern has been one of the foremost guitarists in fusion since his service with Miles Davis in the 80s, and with each album his musicianship and compositional sensibilities grow more appealing. This album ventures further from mainstream jazz than is usual for Stern, as he dives headfirst into world-music fusion with appealing results.

On first listen, Voices is highly evocative of the Pat Metheny Group, due largely to some ...

Mike Stern: Play

by Jason West
October 1, 1999

For fans of Mike Stern, recommending his latest CD is like preaching to the choir, but for those unfamiliar with Stern’s guitar, PLAY maybe the music that calls you to the church-house door.

Teamed up with guitar-buds John Scofield and Bill Frisell, Stern offers music lovers, and guitar devotees especially, a cornucopia of killer riffs, funky licks, soulful blues, and kick-ass solos--making PLAY one of his most diverse and accessible releases to date.

Recorded in New York and Seattle, Stern’s ...

Mike Stern: Play

by Douglas Payne
October 1, 1999

If Mike Stern were a guitarist coming out of the 1960s, he'd be a hero today. Sure, there's always John McLaughlin. But not many other guitarists then - or now - could play rock guitar with the high degree of intimacy and the non-assaulting technical prowess that Mike Stern has always possessed.Plus, if there was any kind of justice in jazz, Miles Davis's Star People (1983) would be regarded as one the great records of the Eighties it ...

Mike Stern: Give And Take

by Ed Kopp
February 1, 1998

It took a while for me to get into this one, probably because I'm a huge fan of Stern's fusion stuff. At first I thought there was a lot of needless noodling on Give And Take, but repeated listens have helped me appreciate the complexity and intensity of the playing. This is a purer jazz outing with fewer rock tendencies than I'm accustomed to from Stern. Jazz heavyweights Michael Brecker, John Patitucci, Jack DeJohnette and pianist-producer Gil Goldstein ...