MIKE STERN COVERS ALL CORNERS
OF THE MUSICAL SPECTRUM ON NEW CD
All Over the Place features guest appearances by Randy
Brecker, Richard Bona Kenny Garrett, Esperanza
Spalding, Victor Wooten and many others
For
Immediate Release – Since his days with Blood
Sweat & Tears in the mid-1970s, followed by stints with
Billy Cobham and Miles Davis’ band in the ‘80s, and a
solo career that now spans more than 25 years, guitarist
Mike Stern has used his jazz roots as a starting point
for exploring a range of alternate territories that
include R&B, rock, swing, funk, world music and numerous
other regions along the musical topography. The
recipient of Guitar Player magazine’s Certified Legend
Award for 2012, he’s an artist who’s not afraid to bring
numerous styles and ideas – however diverse – into the
same place just to see what happens.
All Over the
Place is Stern’s new recording on Heads Up
International, a division of Concord Music Group. Set
for release on June 19, 2012, the 11-song set aligns the
characteristically diverse and adventurous guitarist
with a cadre of brilliant guests, including trumpeter
Randy Brecker; saxophonist Kenny Garrett; and drummers
Dave Weckl, Keith Carlock and Lionel Cordew. Also on
hand is a delegation of high-caliber electric and
acoustic bass players: Esperanza Spalding, Richard Bona,
Victor Wooten, Anthony Jackson, Dave Holland, Tom
Kennedy, Will Lee and Victor Bailey.
“I’ve been
playing a lot of different kinds of great music with a
lot of different musicians on some of my more recent
records,” says Stern, whose Big Neighborhood – released
on Heads Up in 2009 – followed a similarly eclectic
vibe. “I love bebop, swing, rock, all the stuff that a
lot of guitar players – especially jazz players – tend
to include in their music. It’s the nature of the
instrument, but very much a part of my nature as well.
There’s a lot of music that really inspires me, and it
usually covers quite a few territories.”
It’s all
here, starting with the mysterious funk groove of the
leadoff track, “AJ,” which Stern wrote specifically for
contrabass guitarist Anthony Jackson. Other personnel on
board for the opener are saxophonist Chris Potter,
keyboardist Jim Beard, rhythm guitarist Leni Stern
(Mike’s wife), drummer Keith Carlock and percussionist
Tim Keiper.
Leni returns a couple tracks later on
“Out of the Blue,” this time playing an exotic
three-stringed Malian instrument called a n’goni. Her
opening riffs segue into the high-powered free-for-all
featuring Brecker, Beard, Kennedy, Keiper and drummer
Kim Thompson.
A tempo changeup comes in the form
of the much leaner and quieter “As Far As We Know,”
featuring Spalding on bass and vocals. “I like drama,”
says Stern. “I like a lot of dynamics. I like music that
has a lot of heart, and I hope this priority comes
through in my playing and in my writing, especially on
this tune.”
Stern is joined by drummer Al Foster
on three engaging songs that land squarely in the center
of the album: the funky and swinging “Blues for Al,” the
energetic and colorful “OCD,” a song loaded with solo
work by Stern and Garrett; and the much more understated
and reflective acoustic piece, “You Never Told Me.”
“Halfway Home” is a gritty blues piece that
showcases Stern’s slide guitar chops and deftly
juxtaposes them against Wooten’s funky bass work and
Cordew’s relentless backbeat.
The mellow groove
of “Flipside” throws the spotlight on saxophonist Bob
Malach, who joins Stern in some solid solo work. Malach
is back for the title track, which closes the set on a
fiery note as Stern leads a groove that’s reminiscent of
his high-energy collaborations with the Brecker Brothers
in the early ‘90s.
“The guitar tends to keep you
open-minded, because you hear it in so many places,”
says Stern, listing many places he himself has ventured
along the way – not just on All Over the Place, but in
earlier work as well. “You hear it in rock, in country,
in pop, in funk, in classical, you hear it in jazz, you
hear it in so many kinds of music that you can
immediately identify it on one level or another.”
Stern is ready at a moment’s notice to go to all of
these places and more, and he’s ready and willing to
bring anyone along for the ride. “Music, to me, is a
language of the heart,” he says. “I hope people will get
some emotional payoff from what I’ve done on this
recording. That’s the vibe that I continue to go for
with all of my music.”
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