The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
  1. #1

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    Last night I saw the Mike Stern band with Leni Stern also on guitar and a guitar-esque African instrument the name of which Mike told us but I can't remember, Bob Franceschini on tenor sax a bassist whose name I don't remember and Dennis Chambers on drums. It was really great, though I was a bit daft in that I didn't get my bottle filled with water as soon as I got in, so eager was I to get a good spot close to the stage, so my appreciation was dimmed a bit by the thought of 'I'm really thirsty'. However oftentimes the music was so great that I could forget about my thirst. First impressions were: Dennis Chambers really is a mofo! I mean, I already knew that from records but experiencing him live really is a different kettle of fish. And of course Mike is brilliant, really whipping the music up ecstatically and the audience into a frenzy. I think, personally, his genius best shines in the very lyrical way he plays standards like Stella, but then admittedly I am not that au fait with the many disks of his own compositions, and his really extrovert raunchy playing definitely owes something to his knowledge of standards, harmonically speaking. So, he didn't tell us any of the titles of the tunes, though there was one that was based around a blues but with lots of different changes, and to my immense pleasure (especially so since he didn't play this the last time I saw him) he ended the set with 'Chromazone', and I was stood next to a guy who videoed it! So here it is:



    And the obligatory photo (also bought an album of his 'Trip', which he signed for me):


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  3. #2

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    My son went to this gig, he said it was great.

  4. #3

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    A Mike Stern gig is always great !
    Saw him with Jeff Lorber, Jimmy Haslip and Dennis Chambers just before the lockdown in Paris and that is one of the best concerts I've seen

    BTW, nice shirt James !

  5. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by 339 in june
    A Mike Stern gig is always great !
    Saw him with Jeff Lorber, Jimmy Haslip and Dennis Chambers just before the lockdown in Paris and that is one of the best concerts I've seen

    BTW, nice shirt James !
    Thanks! And agreed.

    Also mention should be made about what I nice guy Stern is. After one song he seemed to actually ask me how it was, and all I could do was smile and nod!

  6. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by James W
    Thanks! And agreed.

    Also mention should be made about what I nice guy Stern is. After one song he seemed to actually ask me how it was, and all I could do was smile and nod!
    Funny this happened to me too in another occasion (a kind of clinic organised by Yamaha France and our local Yamaha dealer)
    After the "lesson" and all the stories he has to tell, there was time for a concert
    He didn't seem to be happy with the sound he got and went to me asking "Do you like the sound ?"
    But how can Mike's sound not be good ?

  7. #6

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    I've just found out via Mike's website, for those interested, that the bass player is Chris Minh Doky.

    edit - and oh yeah, the stringed instrument Leni played for the first tune was a N'goni.

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    I was wondering if anyone who was at the gig got the name of the support band - they were also superb and I'd like to check them out further.
    Last edited by mountjoy; 07-14-2022 at 12:41 PM. Reason: typo

  9. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by mountjoy
    I was wondering if anyone who was at the gig got the name of the support band - they were also superb and I'd like to check them out further.
    Yeah, I thought they were good too! Their name is St Barbe.