mike stern...your thoughts

[st.bede]

I like the guy but, many people I run into don't....someone once said "he has one lick only"....your thoughts

[Quill]

There's no denying his chops. He may play "just one lick" - but it sure is a looooooong lick!

(and speaking of which ... just going to cut out all the rest of my reply and leave it at that ...)

[st.bede]

Originally Posted by Quill

There's no denying his chops. He may play "just one lick" - but it sure is a looooooong lick!

(and speaking of which ... just going to cut out all the rest of my reply and leave it at that ...)

thank you, at least you responded....I like stern...I think that the heads he writes are nice melodies and he uses some odd time sig stuff....in my book he can play, like himself and, in my mind that is all that really matters....but, as I said, a lot of people just do not dig him...each to thier own...

[Sony Oengui]

Mike Stern

I like him. Love his "how on earth does he follow the tempo?" style of playing.

May be people don't like him because he uses non-tube amps.

[Quill]

To be honest, I spent a couple of hours working on my original post - I've seen Stern a few times, met him and talked to him; over the years he's been an important example, and I've thought a lot over a long time about why, exactly, in the end I don't care for his playing - typed it all out - then I thought you were ignoring my reply! felt embarrassed and cut it out! Oh well, it's gone ... my approach to posting in this forum needs some work, it seems ...

[GNR'Goldtop]

I'm not into that type of music but my dad and brother were going to see him so I went. I thought he was actually pretty damn good. Definetly has chops

[R8R6Ben]

I bought a few of his album a while back but I just can't get into him, his playing is excellent but the songs just feel unoriginal or something.

[st.bede]

Originally Posted by Quill

To be honest, I spent a couple of hours working on my original post - I've seen Stern a few times, met him and talked to him; over the years he's been an important example, and I've thought a lot over a long time about why, exactly, in the end I don't care for his playing - typed it all out - then I thought you were ignoring my reply! felt embarrassed and cut it out! Oh well, it's gone ... my approach to posting in this forum needs some work, it seems ...

no problem...I understand how you feel about stern's playing, I like it but a lot of "jazz" people have mixed feelings....in my mind that is not a bad thing....I think it demostarts that he has has own voice and I find that a lot of time you can appercate a persons ablities with out nessarly liking their voice....

[Quill]

Well ... a summing-up of my lost long-windedness would be that, to my ear, he lacks an original voice. He has absolutely everything else ... he's an astonishing technician, and can play his wild (largely, I think, Coltrane-derived) lines all day long. He's got a powerful, almost mathematical mind, sharp as can be, totally alert, musically. Wonderful hands. He has a unique sound, I'll give him that. Not just the combination of pedals, but his touch. And I did like him with Miles Davis, but even that does not endure, for me.

Which is, for me, the point of the matter. That is - an original voice is a voice that says new things to me, every time I hear it - even if, in a recording, I'm hearing it for the hundredth time or the thousandth time. Jim Hall playing anything; Angel Eyes, on Live!. Roy Buchanan playing anything; Sweet Dreams. Or, to be contemporaneous, Metheny ... not anything but on, say, 80/81, or the trio recording with Haden and Higgins.

But Stern? His music seems to me to be sitting on some kind of surface. And I want the depths.

[es345guy]

He has played for Miles Davis and with Jaco Pastorius' word of mouth group -enough said.

[st.bede]

Originally Posted by Quill

But Stern? His music seems to me to be sitting on some kind of surface. And I want the depths.

well, that is interesting...I goes aganist my thoughts but, I feel like, at the very least, there is some truth there....it does feel like there shoud be more depth....but, as a friendly discontented person, I will say that so much jazz fusion sound like that....most of it I really love so do not hear that I am bagging on the genre...for example, holdsworth, carlton, and even martino when he is doing that type of stuff sound surfacy....I will veture a guess...I think it has to do with the tonal sound of the recording....it seem like jazz guitar works best without fx....just guitar and amp...only one IMHO is scofield that can get away with it...and he uises fx very one wayish...

[Quill]

I love Scofield. (Almost as much as I love Martino.) Sco's a player who just doesn't seem to need any particular guitar or gadgetry or whatever to play great. It's worth digging for old, low-budget recordings, stuff he did before he was well known. They are something else.

Stern is a monster and I was going to start going on and on again - because actually I'd love to get into a long, deep talk with you about Stern - but the fact is we aren't sitting down in a pub here, fun as that would be - and the fact is, it's outright ungenerous to disparage Stern's music in any way, given what else is getting air time, out there. And forum time. In here. Really: to say that Stern's music doesn't really touch me is to say a completely different thing than to say that John Mayer's music doesn't really touch me - for example - and maybe it's more important (for long-winded me) to keep distinctions like that in mind than to go raggin' on Mike because he isn't Sco'.

Thanks, st. bede, for starting the thread, by the way.

[st.bede]

Originally Posted by Quill

Stern is a monster and I was going to start going on and on again - because actually I'd love to get into a long, deep talk with you about Stern - but the fact is we aren't sitting down in a pub here, fun as that would be - and the fact is, it's outright ungenerous to disparage Stern's music in any way, given what else is getting air time, out there. Thanks, st. bede, for starting the thread, by the way.

you can alway PM me....and, I would never disparage any player...I have a philosophy that belives anyone who plays guitar with any wellness has put in work and I will always respect effort....to transenced chops and become an artist is great but, being a hack is cool too...and just having fun...everyone gets my respect...

[Grand Pappy in Chandler]

About 25 years ago Bass phenom Jaco Pastorius came through town on tour w/ the "Amazing Mike Stern". At the time I had never even heard of Mike Stern, but he was billed as the next jazz/fusion guitar guru.
They played in a little dive bar/concert venue next to ASU called Chewy's. A cellar, really, that used to book the likes of the Dixie Dregs, Little Feat and other college type band of the time.
I always loved Jaco, so me and a buddy of mine got tickets and got there when doors opened, because back then it was still all general admission.
So, we get a table pretty close to the stage and order some brews when we notice this dirty, smelly, unshaved dude w/ a knit hat on sitting @ the table next to us noisily eating stinky Italian sub, pounding down beers. Holy Shiite it's Fu*king Jaco !!!
He seemed pretty drunk, or under the influence something else! We said hi to him and tell him we admire his music and he was like "Good, I'm glad. How about buying me a beer? So we did. W.T.F!!!
Anyway while this is happening there's this other drunk going around the bar hitting on all the chicks that aren't with dates. Staggering around, loud and obnoxious. Really hassling all the single women. What a joke, right? So we pay no more attention and about a half hour later the show starts and the drunk guy hitting on all the chicks turns out to be friggin Mike Stern!!! W.T.F. again!!!!
Any way they were pretty whazooed and they really didn't have it together that night, obviously. Basically they sucked...... What a waste of our money and their talent.
A while later I hear poor ole Jaco is beat to death in some Florida bar, Anyway after that disaster of a show, I never paid much attention to Mr. Stern. ---- Jaco R.I.P!

[es345guy]

That is a hell of a story Grand pappy!!

[st.bede]

...what a drag...I have seen some great players sound like total s*** for the same exzact reason...

[mattymel]

i think to be in jaco's band back then, you'd HAVE to be into some shit. ive never been blown away by stern. then again i cant get into anybody that uses chorus on their guitar. ewwww. instantly back to 1987.

[st.bede]

Originally Posted by mattymel

then again i cant get into anybody that uses chorus on their guitar. ewwww. instantly back to 1987.

that make a lot of sense too me.....even more so with jazz for me.... except sco seems to be able to pull it off...he tends to use very "persicely"