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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 ...
read moreLeni 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 ...
read moreLeni Stern: Africa
by John Kelman
While her husband, guitarist Mike Stern, has been bringing a fascination with the music of Africa to his own projects since the early part of the decade, they've always remained undeniably jazz recordings, with conventional instrumentation. Guitarist/vocalist Leni, on the other hand, has made a more definitive dive into the continent's musical pool with Africa.
Leni Stern's early records were, like Mike's, more definitively jazz-centric, but in recent years she's evolved into a singer/songwriter, albeit one ...
read moreLeni Stern: When Evening Falls
by Terrell Kent Holmes
Guitarist and singer Leni Stern, an observant and sensitive world citizen, has drawn on her fascinating experiences for When Evening Falls , a musical journey that traverses the globe to examine an eclectic range of emotions and themes. The soul and heart of the Munich-born artist wends through Kenya, India, Louisiana, Palestine, and the East Village, infusing her poignant songs with world music influences and textures. The delightful Ice Cold Water $1" is a humorous peek into a ...
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