Mike Stern
Echoes and Other Songs
***and1/2 out of *****
The NYC based, veteran guitarist Mike Stern hadn't released any new music since pre-pandemic, so here comes Echoes and Other Songs, a long running record that plays with Stern's love of fusion, jazz and rock. Having played with everyone from Miles Davis to Bela Fleck, Stern is adaptable but retains his sound.
Stern has brought in an all-star supporting outfit of jazz musicians for this release. Backing Stern's guitar work are Chris Potter - tenor saxophone, Jim Beard - acoustic piano, keyboards, Christian McBride - electric/acoustic bass, Antonio Sanchez and Dennis Chambers - drums, Leni Stern - ngoni, Arto Tunçboyacian - percussion Richard Bona - bass guitar, vocals and Bob Franceschini - soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone. This powerhouse lineup keeps things moving even when Stern pauses his six string assault as the main artist allows his guests plenty of time to shine.
Tracks on Echoes and Other Songs, set a sonic tone, as they move towards rock led by Stern's guitar, then towards a groove, then back to the main theme. The opening three fit into this style as "Connections" uses a soft intro, with lots of twinkling instrumentation, as a dancing trumpet settles into easy jazzy sounds before, things kick up a bit rocky, then dip back to twinkling before a high speed ending and a big sax solo.
"Stuff Happens" fits into the same basic formula with lots of solos and a big groove, touches of easy listening jazz moments, while the title track goes more for a smokey late night feel to start, then morphs into ominous rock with sax before dripping back to the smokey groove. "Space Bar" is Stern's biggest exploration into fusion while "I Hope So" features Leni's ngoni and a more world music feel.
The second half of the album is lighter overall, but starts out with the funky "Where's Leo?" which is well done with horn work that is the best on the record. The soft, slower ballad "Gospel Song" and the wandering "Crumbles" are less successful without much direction, but "Curtis" is light and airy with a decent groove around vocalizations.
McBride's bass shines bright on the solo during "Climate" while the free form "Could Be" ends the album on a positive note, fading out and proving the artists could do this all night. Stern had a lot of music backed up for this release and some editing may have tightened the overall flow, but as it stands Echoes and Other Songs manages to display Stern's dynamite guitar and the top notch ensemble he is working with this go around.
No comments:
Post a Comment