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Mike Stern Band @ Catalina Jazz Club 
For the non-musician/Jazz fans... One of the premier guitarists of his generation, the three-time Grammy nominee was born on January 10, 1953 in Boston. After growing up in Washington D.C., he returned to Boston to study at the Berklee College of Music and got his start as a guitar player with Blood, Sweat & Tears at the age of 22. Following a stint with Billy Cobham's powerhouse fusion band from 1979-1980, Mike moved to New York City and was recruited by Miles Davis and played a key role in his celebrated comeback band of 1981 (which also included bassist Marcus Miller, drummer Al Foster, percussionist Mino Cinelu and saxophonist Bill Evans). During his three-year period with Miles, Mike appeared on three recordings with the jazz maestro - Man With The Horn, Star People and the live We Want Miles. From 1983 to 1984, he toured with Jaco Pastorius' Word of Mouth band and in 1985 returned to Miles' lineup for a second tour of duty that lasted close to a year. In the summer of 1986, Stern went out on the road with David Sanborn and later joined an electrified edition of Steps Ahead which featured Mike Mainieri on midi vibes, Michael Brecker on the Electronic Wind Instrument (EWI), Darryl Jones on electric bass and Steve Smith on drums. Stern made his first recording as a leader for the Japanese Trio label (1985's Neesh) before making his debut on Atlantic Records in 1986 with Upside Downside, featuring such celebrated colleagues as Sanborn, Pastorius, saxophonist Bob Berg, bassists Mark Egan and Jeff Andrews, keyboardist Mitch Forman and drummers Dave Weckl and Steve Jordan. From 1986 through 1988, Mike was a member of Michael Brecker's potent quintet, appearing on Don't Try This At Home. Stern's second Atlantic album, 1988's Time In Place, continued the promise of his debut. He followed that in succession with 1989's Jigsaw and 1991's Odds Or Evens, both of which ably showcased his legendary guitar prowess and musicality. During this period he also formed a touring group with saxophonist Berg that included drummer Dennis Chambers and bassist Lincoln Goines. They remained a working unit from 1989 to 1992, at which point Stern joined a reunited Brecker Brothers Band, appearing on 1992's Return of the Brecker Brothers. (Other notable sideman credits include work with the late, great tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson and the recent live recording 4 Generations of Miles, in which the guitarist joins with other Miles Davis alumni George Coleman on tenor sax, Jimmy Cobb on drums and Ron Carter on bass). Mike's acclaimed 1993 Atlantic Jazz release, Standards (And Other Songs), led to him being named Best Jazz Guitarist of the Year by the readers and critics of Guitar Player magazine. He followed that up with two hard-hitting offerings in 1994's Is What It Is and 1996's Between The Lines, both of which received Grammy nominations. In 1997, Stern recorded Give And Take with bassist John Patitucci, drummer Jack DeJohnette, percussionist Don Alias and special guests Michael Brecker and David Sanborn. Their freewheeling covers of Sonny Rollins' "Oleo", John Coltrane's "Giant Steps" Cole Porter's "I Love You" and Jimi Hendrix's "Who Knows" helped Mike earn the Orville W. Gibson Award for Best Jazz Guitarist that year. Stern's ninth release for Atlantic was a six-string summit meeting with colleagues Bill Frisell and John Scofield that was appropriately titled Play. 2001's Voices, his first foray into vocal music, earned Mike his third Grammy nomination. And now he ups the ante with These Times. Stern's 12th release as a leader and debut on ESC Records stands as one of the best of his career. http://www.mikestern.org/biography.html =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= His latest album... 
...is up for a Grammy this year in the Best Contemporary Jazz Album category. Of special interest to paligap is the fact that the album was produced (and keyboards played) by Jim Beard. A few other musicians you may have heard of that were involved: Richard Bona - bass Victor Wooten - bass Chris Minh Doky - acoustic bass Meshell Ndegeocello - bass Anthony Jackson - bass Kim Thompson - drums (25 year old female phenom) Dave Weckl - drums Bob Franceschini - sax =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The live band consisted of... Victor Wooten - Bass Victor is the loving husband and devoted father of four; the youngest sibling of the amazing Wooten brothers (Regi, Roy, Rudy and Joseph), and the bassist in their famed family band; the student in the martial art of Wing Chun and the nature survival skill of Tracking; the teacher of dozens of bass players at his acclaimed annual Bass & Nature camp; and the master magician. In 1988 Victor moved to Nashville, where he worked with singer Jonell Mosser and met New Grass Revival banjo ace Béla Fleck. A year later, Fleck enlisted Vic, his brother Roy (a.k.a. Future Man) and harmonica-playing keyboardist Howard Levy to perform with him, and the Flecktones were born. After three highly successful albums, Levy departed in 1993, and the band’s new trio format enabled Victor to develop and display a staggering array of fingerboard skills that turned him into a bass hero of Pastorian-proportions and helped earn the band a Grammy. With the Flecktones in full flight, Victor set his sights on a solo career, first forming Bass Extremes with fellow low-end lord Steve Bailey (leading to an instructional book/CD and two CDs, to date), and finally releasing his critically-acclaimed solo debut, A Show of Hands, in 1996. Soon after, Vic took his solo show on the road with drummer J.D. Blair. Momentum and accolades built with successive tours and the release of What Did He Say? in 1997, the Grammy-nominated Yin-Yang in 1999 and the double CD, Live In America in 2001. Wooten won two Nashville Music Awards for Bassist Of The Year and is the only three-time winner of Bass Player magazine’s Bass Player Of The Year. With the honors came sideman calls, leading to recordings and performances with artists like Branford Marsalis, Mike Stern, Bruce Hornsby, Chick Corea, Dave Matthews, Prince, Gov’t Mule, Susan Tedeschi, Vital Tech Tones (with Scott Henderson and Steve Smith), the Jaco Pastorius Word Of Mouth Big Band, and the soundtrack of the Disney film Country Bears. Fresh off sold-out tours with the Flecktones and Bass Extremes (with Bailey, Watson and Oteil Burbridge) in 2004, Victor is re-focusing on his solo side in 2005 thanks to a remarkable new CD, his Vanguard Records debut, Soul Circus. A three-ring affair, the disc boasts such guests as the Wooten brothers, Bootsy Collins, Arrested Development rapper/vocalist Speech, Howard Levy, Dennis Chambers, Saundra Williams, J.D. Blair, Derico Watson, Flecktone Jeff Coffin, and a who’s-who of bassists, including Bailey, Burbridge, Will Lee, Rhonda Smith, Christian McBride, T.M. Stevens, Bill Dickens and Gary Grainger. On Soul Circus, Victor performs his usual high-wire act on a bevy of basses, but the real ringmaster here is his collection of songs: The poignant “Prayer” and Prince-charged flipside “Natives” provide a thought-provoking look at our native Americans. The epic “Bass Tribute” pays homage to great thumpers past and present. “On and On” is an instant soul classic. “Cell Phone” makes a chuckle-filled, cutting-edge connection. “Higher Law” stands as a stadium-ready, rock-funk protest anthem in the best Sly Stone tradition. “Back to India” currys up simmering musical flavors. And the hip hop/jazz title track marks the sonic coming-out of the long-rumored eight-armed character seen on the CD’s cover and in the liner notes: Yes, Virginia (and the rest of the world), there is a funktopus! http://www.victorwooten.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Dennis Chambers - Drums Dennis Chambers started playing drums at the age of 4 and by the age of 6 he was playing in nightclubs. Chambers had no formal schooling in music. All his musical training came from playing in nightclubs. At the age of 18 he went from High School to a band called Parliament and Funkadelic. He joined the band in 1978 and played until 1985. From that point he joined Special EFX in 1985. In 1987 Chambers joined the David Sanborn Band and the John Scofield Band, which ended in 1989. Shortly afterwards he joined the Mike Stern/Bob Berg Band. From that time he has played in other bands and with bandleaders such as: Bill Evans, Mike Urbaniak, George Duke, Stanley Clarke, Steve Kahn, The Brecker Brothers Band and many others. He also recorded his own record Getting Even with Pioneer Records and instructional video with DCI. http://www.dennischambers.com/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= A few other musical associations of interest to me not mentioned in the bio are...    
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Bob Franceschini - Sax A native New Yorker, Bob attended public schools in Harlem and Washington Heights. He begun his musical education in junior high, then entered the High School of Music and Art where he met and played with Kenny Washington, Marcus Miller and Omar Hakim. In the summer following their graduation, these young lions formed a jazz group which played an extended engagement at a club owned by George Benson. This opportunity gained Bob immediate recognition and led to tours with a number of outstanding artists including Tom Browne and Chaka Khan. He then went on to play with George Benson, Woody Shaw, Dave Valentine, Kenny Kirkland, Eddie Palmieri, Michel Camilo, Jorge Dalto, Barry Rogers and others. In 1986 he began touring with Willie Colon. There he had the chance to focus on his Puerto Rican roots and learn about arranging and soloing in latin music. Eventually he became Musical Director for Willie Colon. At the same time he continued doing studio work and jingles and continued to play and record with jazz and fusion groups with such noteworthy musicians as Victor Bailey, Dave Weckl, Anthony Jackson, Darryl Jones and Charlie Sepulveda. In 1992 he went on a world tour with Latin American pop star Emmanuel teaming up with trumpeter Barry Danielian and trombonist Ozzie Melendez. They formed a now highly successful horn section, called "911". They appear in many popular R&B, pop and salsa recordings. http://www.ejn.it/mus/francesc.htm His website, http://www.bobfranceschini.com/, is currently "Under Construction". =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= A group of top-flight musicians playing challenging music. 
  
 
 
One of the highlights was a Dennis Chambers drum solo. The tune was in 4/4 and reguired Mike Stern and Victor Wooten to maintain an accented pattern. During this time DC's solo took on the vibe I can only describe as time travel. He's playing in different tempos/time signatures while Stern/Wooten do their best to keep the pattern happening. At one point I noticed Victor mouthing the time to stay in place (1-2-3-4). You almost had to not pay attention (impossible) to what Chambers was playing. I got to speak with Victor Wooten and his buddy Steve Bailey (another fine bassist) after show and they informed me of a website they're running together. www.thebassvault.com - It's a pay site. One of the things available is Victor explaining (via video clips) how he went about learning some tunes he had to play for a Chick Corea gig last month. If you like to see/hear real musicians work, this is a show well worth attending. tA  Tribal Disorder
http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431 "Ya see, we're not interested in what you know...but what you are willing to learn. C'mon y'all." | |
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Sounds like I need to check him out... No tour dates listed yet on his website for 2007. Why do you guys in LA get all the good stuff? 
 "Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive."
Dalai Lama | |
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cubic61052 said: Why do you guys in LA get all the good stuff? What like earthquakes and mudslides? Oh yeah, and the occasional good concert. 
tA Tribal Disorder
http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431 "Ya see, we're not interested in what you know...but what you are willing to learn. C'mon y'all." | |
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Atlanta actually gets decent live music....I should not complain.
At least living in a large metropolitan area provides us those options...I cannot imagine living in a small town with little or no live music available. "Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive."
Dalai Lama | |
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theAudience said: Oh yeah, and the occasional good concert.
"Occasional" 
Man, You've seen more outstanding performance in the last two years than....ahhh, nevermind,  Great post!!!!! I know that was a smokin' band!!!
Yeah, Stern and Beard go way back, he's produced or co-produced a lot of Mike's stuff over the years...Jim also produced Dennis Chambers' last album, they go way back, too!! ... " I've got six things on my mind --you're no longer one of them." - Paddy McAloon, Prefab Sprout | |
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paligap said: Man, You've seen more outstanding performance in the last two years than....ahhh, nevermind,
...It's just been a lucky streak coming out of looooong dry spell. 
tA Tribal Disorder
http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431 "Ya see, we're not interested in what you know...but what you are willing to learn. C'mon y'all." | |
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I saw Mike on the "Voices" tour in Buffalo, and it was great! He did so much stuff that spanned all genres. Awesome show by an awesome musician! | |
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http://www.youtube.com/wa...7IOqS4nxnQ
Here he does his thing on a "regular" tele: http://www.youtube.com/wa...4urazL5zkU [Edited 12/19/06 13:47pm] My author page: https://www.amazon.com/au...eretttruth | |
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guitarslinger44 said: I saw Mike on the "Voices" tour in Buffalo, and it was great! He did so much stuff that spanned all genres. Awesome show by an awesome musician!
He uses Richard Bona's vocals on the tunes he plays with him on the new album. tA Tribal Disorder
http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431 "Ya see, we're not interested in what you know...but what you are willing to learn. C'mon y'all." | |
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JesseDezz said: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7IOqS4nxnQ
That's Tumble Home from the new album and was the opening number of the show. tA Tribal Disorder
http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431 "Ya see, we're not interested in what you know...but what you are willing to learn. C'mon y'all." | |
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