Keith Carlock, James Genus, Etienne Stedwick, Brannen Temple, Paul Socolow, George Brooks, Deron Johnson, Audry Martell, Keith Fluid, Morley Kamen
Influences
Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix (God), Bob Dylan, Mike Stern, Vilayat Khan, Youssou N'dour, Bill Frisell, Ry Cooder, James Blunt, Aretha Franklin, Ralph Towner, Joanie Mitchell, Ali Farka Toure, Taj Mahal, Oumou Sangare, Jim Campilongo, Sting, Kanye West, Stevie Wonder, Seal, Sly and the Family Stone, Sarah McLachlan, Morley, Angie Stone, Donald Fagan, U2, Brian Eno, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, John McLaughlin, Mark Knopfler, Emmylou Harris, Medesky Martin and Wood, Aaron Neville, The Neville Brothers, Elvis Costello, Randy Newman, Tom Waitts, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Lucinda Williams, Bob Dillon, Daniel Lanois, Joe Zawinol, Jaco Pastorius, Billie Holiday, Mahalia Jackson, Herbie Hancock, Mose Allison, Sonny Rollins, Jeff Beck, Paul Simon, John Scofield, Rolling Stones, Beatles, Robert Johnson, Branford Marsalles, Raul Midon, Bjork, Wayne Shorter, Jack DeJohnette, Duke Ellington, BB King, Zakir Hussein, Annie Lenox, Michael Brecker, Richard Julian, Caetano Veloso, Richard Bona, Peter Erskine, Nancy Wilson, Bruce Hornsby, Robert Johnson, Baba Maal, Steel Pulse, Pat Metheny, Brandon Ross, Ray Charles, Peter Gabriel, Bob Marley, Cannon Ball Adderley, Thelonius Monk, Bill Evans, Paco De Lucia, Morton Feldman, Samuel Barber, Olivier Messiaen, Hasaan Hakmoun, Diego El Cigala, Don Cherry, Jimmy Cliff, Sam Cooke, Toumani Diabate, Vincente Amigo, Wes Montgomery, Marvin Gaye, Moby, Bonnie Raitt, The Police, Eddie Van Halen, Tony Williams, George Benson, Charlie Parker, Shirley Horn, Donny Hathaway, Janis Joplin, Prince
Sounds Like
Salif Keita, Baba Maal, Ali Farka Toure, Bruce Hornsby, Norah Jones, Robben Ford, Macy Gray
"It's a risk, listening to Leni Stern: You risk losing the comfortable
distance between artist and audience to share the emotions of someone who dares to feel deeply. Her sensual soulfulness, her hummingbird melodies and the family camaraderie of her band, though, make the gamble virtually inevitable." Greg Burk LA WEEKLY
"j'aime la guitar de leni
j'aime la musique de leni
j'aime leni"
("i love leni's guitar
i love leni's music
i love leni")
Salif Keita
News!
Leni Stern's 'AFRICA,' two years in the
making, integrates African and Western
music forms with such authenticity that it
may come to be regarded as an 'Audio
Documentary' of African musical life.
Recorded in Africa, playing with local
musicians at the pace of life in Africa, Stern
invites listeners to immerse themselves in
African culture as she experienced it, first-
hand. She comments: "I want people to hear
what Africa sounds like. Africa deserves our
respect, not just our mercy. And out of respect
for the music, I felt compelled to record the
album in Africa."
With its robust percussion and asymmetrical
song structure, 'Africa' showcases the
indigenous sounds of brilliant African instrumentalists and singers, as well
as Stern's acclaimed electric guitar and vocals. Stern recalls: "As a white
woman in a Muslim country, playing an electric guitar, my presence had an
powerful impact." In fact, her African colleagues gave Stern a name of honor:
'MOUSSA GUITAR FOE' – and she is the only one. "My gold Strat became
popular," Stern recalls. "Guitar Dechire, they’d say in Mali - distorted guitar.
The 13-song CD 'Africa' grew out of the Stern EP 'Alu Maye (Have You
Heard),' which was recorded in Mali, at Salif Keita's Bamako Studios. The EP
was the latest step in Stern's evolution as a musician's musician, without
boundaries. In a recent, rave review in JAZZIZ Magazine, critic Philip
Booth praised: "As an artist, she has become practically unclassifiable. To
everyone but the bean counters, that’s a strength...Stern effectively allies her
throaty vocals and thoughtful six-string playing with the hypnotic rhythms,
percussive textures and singsong choruses of West African music. The
kaleidoscopic flickering of multi-stringed instruments makes an entirely
natural sonic backdrop for the leader."
On 'Africa,' Stern pays tribute to the late Michael
Brecker on '1000 Stars' and showcases two of his
final recordings on 'Saya (Farewell)' and 'Ousman'.
Other collaborators include Ami Sacko and Mah
Soumano
Stern's strong bond with Mali was chronicled in a
Guitar Player Magazine photo essay last year.
The photos and first-person commentary described
Stern's visit to Mali's Festival In The Desert. A
follow-up feature, on the making of 'Africa', will
run soon. In the mean time, here is a look at
Stern's journey: http://www.guitarplayer.com/story.asp?storyCode=13913
CHOPS:
Five consecutive wins of Gibson’s Female Jazz Guitarist of the Year might make anyone hunker down and focus on going ‘six for six’. But Leni Stern has always defied expectations, and her diverse, 20-year career in music is a textbook example of growth under a self-imposed fire. From the expert instrumentalist, a singer-songwriter emerged, with observations to share from her travels throughout the world. Stern adds: “Why deny the impulse to put words to these experiences? I couldn’t think of a reason.”
DIVERSITY:
Indeed, with the May 11th release of ‘When Evening Falls’, Stern evokes recent travels to Kenya, India and New Orleans to deliver a haunting singer-songwriter album. Mix in her trademark bluesy guitar solos and the jazz-infused “On The Outside” and “Dancin’ With the Devil”, and a burst of creativity is revealed – ten songs which reflect an artist who has seen the world, experienced life, recorded 13 albums, and continues to grow.
RENAISSANCE WOMAN:
Born in Munich, Germany, Leni started playing piano at the age of six and guitar at eleven. At seventeen, she formed her own acting company, and her radical productions sold out houses across Europe. In 1977, she turned her attention to music and left for the United States to study film scoring at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Scoring gave way to her love for guitar and in 1981, Leni moved to New York to play in a variety of rock and jazz bands. In 1983, she formed a group of her own with Paul Motion on drums and Bill Frisell on guitar. As a recording artist, she originally made a name for herself in jazz circles (her first nine albums were instrumental,) then crossed her talents over into the singer-songwriter realm, garnering consistent praise in the process. Critics have said her music incorporates “intelligent lyrics and beautifully drawn vignettes” (Washington Post), “crystalline, jazz-meets-blues guitar lines” (Guitar Player), and “thoughtful structure, evocative moods, attention to groove” (San Francisco Bay Guardian). Leni runs her own label, LSR/Ryko Distribution partners.
"Exotic and Solemnly Beautiful" "Stern Sees the Poetry in Incidents Both Large and Small."
- JazzTimes
“Leading the Charge in...the New ‘Folk Jazz’”; “A Mature and Worldly Composer”
-The Boston Herald
“An Impressive Singer-Songwriter in the Joni Mitchell-Meets-Marianne Faithfull Mode”
- Albany Times Union
Public Radio's Saturday Fade... the place to hear Leni Stern.
June 6: Black Guitar
Catch the free live stream for our next show, June 20 from 9pm to midnight EDT. No commercials, no static...just great music that other radio stations won't play.
Hello Leni, thanks a lot for adding me. I appreciate the high quality of your music, please, keep sharing your talent with the rest of us, it's a gift. Greetings from Barcelona Antonio
Thanks for the add! As a special thank you for our newest fans and friends, we’d like to send you a free MP3 album of ours. Just send me your email address and let me know which album you’d like. Thanks.