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Mike Stern
Biography
One of the premier guitarists of his generation, the three-time
Grammy nominee was born on January 10, 1953 in Boston. After growing up in Washington
D.C., he returned to Boston to study at the Berklee College of Music and got
his start as a guitar player with Blood, Sweat & Tears at the age of 22.
Following a stint with Billy Cobham's powerhouse fusion band from 1979-1980,
Mike moved to New York City and was recruited by Miles Davis and played a key
role in his celebrated comeback band of 1981 (which also included bassist Marcus
Miller, drummer Al Foster, percussionist Mino Cinelu and saxophonist Bill Evans).
During his three-year period with Miles, Mike appeared on three recordings with
the jazz maestro - "Man With The Horn", "Star People" and
the live "We Want Miles". From 1983 to 1984, he toured with Jaco Pastorius'
Word of Mouth band and in 1985 returned to Miles' lineup for a second tour of
duty that lasted close to a year.
In the summer of 1986, Stern went out on 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. Stern made his
first recording as a leader for the Japanese Trio label (1985's "Neesh")
before making his debut on Atlantic Records in 1986 with "Upside Downside",
featuring such celebrated colleagues as Sanborn, Pastorius, saxophonist Bob
Berg, bassists Mark Egan and Jeff Andrews, keyboardist Mitch Forman and drummers
Dave Weckl and Steve Jordan. From 1986 through 1988, Mike was a member of Michael
Brecker's potent quintet, appearing on "Don't Try This At Home".
Stern's second Atlantic album, 1988's "Time In Place",
continued the promise of his debut. He followed that in succession with 1989's
"Jigsaw" and 1991's "Odds Or Evens", both of which ably
showcased his legendary guitar prowess and musicality. During this period he
also formed a touring group with saxophonist Berg that included drummer Dennis
Chambers and bassist Lincoln Goines. They remained a working unit from 1989
to 1992, at which point Stern joined a reunited Brecker Brothers Band, appearing
on 1992's "Return of the Brecker Brothers". (Other notable sideman
credits include work with the late, great tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson and
the recent live recording "4 Generations of Miles", in which the guitarist
joins with other Miles Davis alumni George Coleman on tenor sax, Jimmy Cobb
on drums and Ron Carter on bass).
Mike's acclaimed 1993 Atlantic Jazz release, "Standards
(And Other Songs)", led to him being named Best Jazz Guitarist of the Year
by the readers and critics of Guitar Player magazine. He followed that up 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 recorded
"Give And Take" with bassist John Patitucci, drummer Jack DeJohnette,
percussionist Don Alias and special guests Michael Brecker and David Sanborn.
Their freewheeling covers of Sonny Rollins' "Oleo", John Coltrane's
"Giant Steps" Cole Porter's "I Love You" and Jimi Hendrix's
"Who Knows" helped Mike earn the Orville W. Gibson Award for Best
Jazz Guitarist that year. Stern's ninth release for Atlantic was a six-string
summit meeting with colleagues Bill Frisell and John Scofield that was appropriately
titled "Play". 2001's "Voices", his first foray into vocal
music, earned Mike his third Grammy nomination. And now he ups the ante with
"These Times". Stern's 12th release as a leader and debut on ESC Records
stands as one of the best of his career.
Discography:
Neesh / Upside Downside (1986) / Time in Place (1988) / Jigsaw
(1989) / Odds or Evens (1991) / Standards and Other Songs (1993) / Is What It
Is (1994) / Between the Lines (1996) / Give and Take (1997) / Play (1999) /
Voices (2001) / These Times (2004)
Contacts:
Roy Holland, e-mail: reph@nyc.rr.com
marc@mikestern.org
www.mikestern.org
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