Mike Stern | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Stern in 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1953-01-10)January 10, 1953 (age 72) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz,jazz fusion,post-bop |
| Occupation | Guitarist |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Labels | Atlantic,Heads Up |
| Formerly of | Blood, Sweat & Tears |
| Website | mikestern |
Mike Stern (born January 10, 1953) is an American jazz guitarist. After playing withBlood, Sweat & Tears, he worked with drummerBilly Cobham, then with trumpeterMiles Davis from 1981 to 1983 and again in 1985. He then began a solo career, releasing more than twenty albums.
Stern was named Best Jazz Guitarist of 1993 byGuitar Player magazine. At theFestival International de Jazz de Montréal in June 2007, he was given the Miles Davis Award, which was created to recognize internationally acclaimed jazz artists whose work has contributed significantly to the renewal of the genre. In 2009 Stern was listed onDown Beat's list of 75 best jazz guitarists of all time. He receivedGuitar Player magazine's Certified Legend Award on January 21, 2012.
Stern was born Michael Sedgwick in Boston, Massachusetts, the son ofHelen Stern (née Helen Phillips Burroughs), a sculptor and art patron, andHenry Dwight Sedgwick V.[1] His adoptive stepfather was Philip M. Stern, the son of businessmanEdgar B. Stern Sr.[2] His half-sister is actressKyra Sedgwick. Stern is married to guitarist and vocalistLeni Stern.
Stern grew up in Washington, D.C., and began playing guitar at age 12, emulating the likes ofB.B. King,Eric Clapton andJimi Hendrix. However, it wasn’t until he entered theBerklee College of Music in Boston that he took guitar seriously.[3] When he was twenty-two, he became a member ofBlood, Sweat & Tears and spent three years with the band,[4] appearing on the albumsMore Than Ever andBrand New Day.
Simultaneously, he was lead guitarist of a D.C. glam-rock band, the Dubonettes, who later became Charlie and the Pep Boys. The quintet released one album, theNils Lofgren-producedDaddy's Girl, in 1976 before Stern left the group.[5]
In 1979, he joinedBilly Cobham'sfusion band. Two years later he joinedMiles Davis, making his public debut in 1981, a performance recorded on the albumWe Want Miles. He remained with Davis through 1983 until he was replaced by guitaristJohn Scofield. At the time, Stern was a heavy drinker and heroin user. In a 2009 interview, he said, "If Miles wants to put you in a rehab, you know you've got something wrong".[6] From 1983 to 1984 he toured withJaco Pastorius (a period also characterized by heavy drug use)[7] and in 1985 returned to tour with Davis. Stern and his wife were in rehabilitation; they were also helped byMichael Brecker and others.[6]
Stern's solo debut,Upside Downside, with Jaco Pastorius,David Sanborn, andBob Berg, was released onAtlantic Records in 1986. From 1986 through 1988, he was a member of Michael Brecker's quintet, appearing onDon't Try This at Home. His second Atlantic album, 1988'sTime in Place, featuredPeter Erskine on drums,Jim Beard on keyboards, Jeff Andrews on bass,Don Alias on percussion andDon Grolnick on organ. His next album,Jigsaw, was produced by guitaristSteve Khan and included the song "Chief", Stern's tribute to Miles Davis.
In 1989, Stern formed a touring group withBob Berg,Dennis Chambers andLincoln Goines. They remained together through 1992 and are featured on the albumOdds or Evens. In 1992, Stern joined a reunited Brecker Brothers Band for two years. His acclaimed 1993 album,Standards (and Other Songs), led to his being named Best Jazz Guitarist of the Year by the readers and critics ofGuitar Player. He followed that with 1994'sIs What It Is and 1996'sBetween the Lines, both of which receivedGrammy Award nominations. In 1997 he releasedGive and Take, with bassistJohn Patitucci, drummerJack DeJohnette, percussionist Don Alias and special guests Michael Brecker andDavid Sanborn. He won the Orville W. Gibson Award for Best Jazz Guitarist.
After fifteen years with Atlantic, Stern signed with ESC Records for the 2004 release ofThese Times, an eclectic album that included guest appearances by bassistRichard Bona, saxophonistKenny Garrett and banjoistBéla Fleck. He joined theHeads Up label with the August 2006 release ofWho Let the Cats Out? In 2008, he collaborated with theYellowjackets for theirLifecycle album, contributing two compositions and performing on most of the tracks, and toured with the Yellowjackets for much of 2008 and 2009. In February 2009, in the first of a series of articles celebratingDown Beat's 75th anniversary, Stern was named one of the 75 Great Guitarists of all time.
In August 2009, Stern releasedBig Neighborhood, which was nominated for aGrammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album.[8]
He was presented withGuitar Player magazine's Certified Legend Award on January 21, 2012. This was given to him at theMuriel Anderson All-Star Guitar night, where he performed withLee Ritenour.[9]
In 2014, Stern toured with guitaristEric Johnson in the Eclectic Guitar Tour. They recorded an album of the same name.
In the summer of 2016, Stern reported serious injuries to his shoulders and right arm after tripping and falling. It ended his European tour, and he had to modify his playing technique to keep performing.[10] In the summer of 2017 he returned to Europe on tour with a new formation called Mike Stern/Randy Brecker Band, featuringRandy Brecker (trumpet), Teymur Phell (bass guitar) andLenny White (drums).[11] In 2019, Mike Stern collaborated with theJeff Lorber Fusion to releaseEleven.
An early and important guitar for Stern was a hybrid 1950s/1960sFender Telecaster, previously owned byRoy Buchanan andDanny Gatton, which was stolen from him in an armed robbery in Boston. This guitar is the basis for a custom-made guitar built by Boston-based luthier Michael Aronson.[12]
The Aronson guitar is in turn the basis for theYamaha PA1511MS, the Mike Stern signature model.[12] The neck position pickup is aSeymour Duncan '59 and it has a Tele Hot Rail in the bridge.[13]
Stern uses a pair of Fender Twin amps or his Yamaha G100-212. Stern's recognizable chorused sound is created in part by a Yamaha SPX-90, split for stereo. His pedal board consists mostly of Boss pedals. He uses twoBoss DD-3 digital delays, one of which is set to a long delay time for "big, spacey sounds."[12] His distortion pedal is a Boss Distortion DS-1.[12]
WithMiles Davis
With others
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