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Originally Posted by jzucker
I saw a clinic in 1992 and he played straight jazz/bebop the whole time. That's all he talked about. His straight ahead jazz chops were mind blowing. So yes, I'd love to hear him on an L5 for five minutes.
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06-10-2011 10:24 AM
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Picasso and Stern can do whatever they want. However, I reserve the right to either like or dislike their work, based on my tastes. Originally Posted by jzucker
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Write to him about this...:-) Originally Posted by Kman
I do not think he like to play hollow-body guitar.
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Years ago, Mike Stern was the first guy who got me interested in playing jazz. His style bridges the gap, and opened the doors. Robben Ford and Larry Carlton are additional "gateway" guitarists. I honestly feel like I owe something to these players for introducing me to this sound and genre.
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We're getting awful heated about matters of opinion and someone else's guitar tone. Silliness, gents.
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Randy Brecker says in that Brecker Brother's Live in Brazil movie that Mike is one of the hardest workers in the business - which I think says a lot of his work ethic. Originally Posted by Jake Hanlon
As a side note - I read in guitar player a while back - while he was living with Jaco - Jaco was telling Mike to slow down on the partying (Mike was apparently on junk, Jaco didn't do needles as the story goes)...that's gotta say something. I know a couple people who are addicts (and if they are honest, always will be, they'll be sober addicts if they quite), and I think I have even more respect for him, knowing the challenges that he overcomes everyday, and to still be one of the most respected musicians in the industry.
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i really wish he'd do an album on xylophone
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Originally Posted by jzucker
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I don't think I'd enjoy that. I feel that the "processed" sound of the xylophone would get in the way of his expression. Originally Posted by jzucker
Now, thumb piano - maybe he'd have a chance.
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truthfully though, I do get tired of stern's sound.
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Dang, now i know why i can never get my emails answered by you Jack!!!
How about Metheny with a Strat and Marshal stack?
Sorry about stirring the pot.
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I love Mike Stern. He is one of those guys I can just dig into. I love his clean sounds. I'll admit that his dirty sound is over processed. It can get old after a period of time, but his tunes are killer. One of my favorites.
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I used to have a clip of him sitting around playing an acoustic, doing Django licks. He nailed em cold. Very cool to see him play that way. I am not a fan of his dirty sound, but I sure am a fan of him.
Last edited by brwnhornet59; 07-06-2011 at 12:24 PM.
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For me it's all about personal expression and using that to connect to your listener.
He has such an incredible and genuine jazz and blues-rock vocabulary that he can draw from at anytime. To me that's what makes his "voice" so unique. I have seen him many times and always feel like he's "speaking" to the audience about his love of music and expression.
While I have no hope of ever being that good (I talked to him not too long ago after a concert and he said all he does is practice ) there are concepts to learn from listening to or studying his melodies, or parts of solos, that one can intergrate into one's own playing style. Not to learn "licks", or copy his style, but to get a better understanding of how he uses the notes available in unique way.
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I don't really like Tom Cruise, but I might think differently if he could ride a unicycle and juggle 20 spinning plates on sticks. If he'd married Taylor Swift I'd nominate him for a Nobel. Originally Posted by A Fellow Guitarist
I remember the first time I saw Mike. I was blown away. It was around the time of Miles; he'd play a lot with Steve Slagle. I thought "this amazing energy and he can really connect with every single person in the crowd!"
Some players grow on me, each time I see them they shock me with their evolution: Sco, Monder, Mehldau and Binney come to mind. I reached a plateau with Mike fast though, his idea of growth was different from mine I suppose. I love the guy but I don't seek out his music.
His generosity and positive attitude are singular though.
There's a story told to me by another guitarist. This guitarist was playing a club in New York, maybe it was with Paul Motian or maybe Brecker, I'm not sure, but he plays with his eyes closed. The vibe in the room was solid and everything was locked in. A good night. Then in the middle of his solo, he felt the room change, it got lighter and the energy went up several degrees, like magic. When he opened his eyes, he saw Mike had walked in the doorway and he had a huge grin on his face. Mike has done that every time I've seen him.
David
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Mmm hmmm. Right. Originally Posted by TruthHertz
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I think the “development” side of this discussion is the most interesting because it’s bigger than just one player.
As listeners we have it easy because we get a 1-2 year snapshot of a player through CDs, concerts, clinics, etc. From this we decide what we like, dislike, what we wished they did, or played. But we may not appreciate that this is only the tip of the iceberg. We don’t see all the work that went into getting there. A friend of mine went to Berklee the same time as Mark Whitfield and made the comment that the guy was on a whole other level. That he practiced more and even took lessons from other instructors on the outside while doing all of his work at Berklee.
To use a lame analogy: I don’t expect an Olympic athlete to be world class at multiple sports or to break a world record every time they compete. Just to see them perform at the level they do in their chosen sport is amazing. But all I see is the great performance, I probably have no appreciation for the amount of day to day work it takes to get and stay at that level.
No doubt each of us has players we like more than others. But we should be fair in our expectation of how their sound may or may not change over time. Holdsworth sounds the same every time I see him, and he’s amazing. Same with Tuck Andress. Stern, McLaughlin, Sco, Pat…we can all recognize them in a few notes and they have signature licks they use (this is even more prevalent in blues obviously). But what must it take to even develop a personal playing style that is at such a high level?
Hopefully it spurs us all on to greater development of our own playing abilities.
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But what must it take to even develop a personal playing style that is at such a high level?
Love, devotion and many thousands of hours practice to start. I admire any artist that put the time in. You can tell right away. Even if you don't know who they are.
Hey truth, I loved your story about Mike. Have anymore?
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I saw Stern two nights out of a four night stint at Catalina Jazz Club last time he was here in L.A. His positive energy and joy for the music were only upstaged by his command of the instrument. Nice guy too!
Last edited by Jazzpunk; 07-06-2011 at 07:34 PM.
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I have seen him multiple times at Catalina Jazz Club including the stint Jazzpunk refers to. After the concert I asked him what he does to relax, he started smiling and said "I sit around playing my guitar". I was like "I mean just hanging out stuff" and that got a laugh and he said "Well I spend time with Leni, but she's a guitarist...so I end up playing guitar".
Guy is one of the nicest people you ever want to meet and very humble.
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