In the early '80s, after five years of musical silence, Miles Davis made a comeback. One stop on the tour was the Paramount Theater in Austin, where, in typical fashion, he barely acknowledged the adoring crowd. He spent most of the evening with his back to the audience, playing trumpet only sporadically, preferring to direct the interplay between band members from behind a small synthesizer on which he would occasionally stab two- and three-note chords. The music was a modern fusion of rock, blues, and jazz that ranged from raucous to spacey; the ensemble interaction between the players, which included Al Foster on drums, Bill Evans on sax, and John Scofield on guitar, was glorious to watch. Also glorious to watch was the other guitarist in the group, a young man with shaggy hair and monster chops named Mike Stern.
Stern had been attracting attention from the music world since his guitar teacher at Berklee College of Music, Pat Metheny, recommended him for a gig with Blood, Sweat, & Tears several years
Mike Stern |
Stern's work with artists like Miles, Jaco Pastorius, David Sanborn, and Michael Brecker helped define the sound of jazz in the '80s. Thousands of gigs and dozens of albums later, he is still synthesizing all those diverse influences to make great music. A skilled composer and an inspired ensemble player, his output as both a leader and a side
MIKE STERN WITH GERRY GIBBS & THIRD TRIO FROM THE SUN 8 & 10pm Thursday, April 24 $20 at the door Carmens de la Calle Cafe 720 E. Mistletoe 737-8272 (for reservations) |
Stern will be at Carmens on Thursday, April 24, for two shows. In the meantime, visit his Web site at www.mikestern.org for transcriptions of his solos and a guitar instructional video - just a reminder that behind every guitar god is a hell of a lot of hard work. •