Legendary guitarist Mike Stern has been celebrated for his versatile playing style since he first hit the scene in the 1970s, transcending genre by performing with Blood, Sweat & Tears, Miles Davis, Jaco Pastorius, The Brecker Brothers, David Sanborn, Béla Fleck, Yellowjackets and more.
With Echoes and Other Songs, Stern brings together an all-star group of musicians (including Chris Potter, Jim Beard, Christian McBride, Antonio Sanchez, Richard Bona & Dennis Chambers) for 11 brand-new originals that will captivate and unite guitar and jazz fans of all generations.
The death of keyboardist Jim Beard at the age of 63 in March this year left many in deep shock, such was his continuous presence in the highest echelons of jazz as both player and producer with everyone from Steely Dan, to John McLaughlin and Wayne Shorter. He appears here as both player and producer on this effusive latest set from another indefatigable jazz fusion figure, Mike Stern.
No stranger to adversity himself, Stern has made an emphatic comeback from a near career-ending fall in 2017 that broke both his arms, and if anything Echoes and Other Songs is something of a late-career high for the eternally energetic six-stringer, who’s now 71 years young.
Joined by one of his hardest hitting bands in recent years – the ubiquitous Chris Potter firing from the off, McBride and Sanchez the perfect simpatico rhythm section, there’s a suitably uplifting vibe permeating these sessions, with everyone sounding overjoyed to be backing up their guitar hero Mr Stern.
This is an album that calls for both celebration and commiseration. The celebration comes from the fact that we have yet another new album from Mike Stern, and one which shows that his playing is as fresh, exciting and inventive as ever.
In 2016, Stern suffered a horrific accident on a New York street, when he tripped over a pile of hidden construction material. He broke both of his upper arms, required replacement surgery in one shoulder, and suffered nerve damage to his right arm, leaving him unable to hold a guitar pick.
Opener ‘Connections’ begins with some plucked ngoni from Mike’s wife Leni, which soon gives way to Stern’s patented minor riffing and tight unison melody lines with Potter. Stern’s solos still beguile with his artfully in-n-out lines, with the blues and his overdrive pedal never far away. His association with Cameroonian bass star Richard Bona goes back to 2001’s Voices, and they’re reunited here on three songs: the grinding funk of ‘Space Bar’, skipping vocal-harmony soaked ‘I Hope So’ and vocal-infused ‘Curtis’ – this trio of tracks also replete with guesting old chums Chambers and Franceschini on drums and sax respectively.
Echoes and Other Songs also sounds superb – taped at Power Station at Berklee NYC – Beard’s skills steering this production also extends to mixing duties alongside engineer Roy Hendrickson; more reasons to feel his loss even more keenly.
And while this set doesn’t break much new musical ground for Stern, the sheer quality of the material and performances, which are fuelled by an obvious collective joy, all amount to one of the guitarist’s strongest sets in years. It’s the perfect tribute to a much-missed friend.
Lesser people would have given up, but through a combination of surgery, physiotherapy, and sheer hard work and determination on Stern’s part, he was able to play the guitar again – in fact, just three months following the accident. It took a long time however, for Stern to adjust to the new normal and bring his playing back up the level it was before the accident.
Now, Stern uses a combination of wig glue and tape to hold the pick in place. Obviously, Stern no longer utilises finger picking in his playing, but you’d be hard pushed to hear any difference between Stern’s playing before and after the accident. On this album, the signature Stern elements are evident: the bright, thin, explosive guitar sound; the lightning runs, jazz-fusion phrases mixed with bebop lines, and the accompanying chorus pedal effects. But if you watch a YouTube video of Stern playing post-accident, you can see the impact (definitely no pun intended) on the angle of his right wrist. It’s amazing that he is able to play as dazzlingly as he does.
In 2017, Stern released the album Trip, an obvious reference to his accident. Now, we have Echoes and Other Songs (in 1992, he released an album called Standards and Other Songs). The commiseration arises from the fact that this is the last project Stern did with his long-time friend and musical collaborator, keyboardist Jim Beard.
In March 2024, Beard died, aged just 63. Jim Beard, like Don Grolnick – another highly talented jazz keyboardist who died far too soon – was one of those musicians who weren’t a household name, but who were revered by their peers and appreciated by anyone who bothered to read album credits. His first appearance with Stern was on the guitarist’s 1988 album Time in Place. Three years later, Beard produced Stern’s Odds or Evens, and would go on to produce many of Stern’s subsequent releases.
Jim Beard also played with John McLaughlin, Pat Metheny, John Scofield, Bob Berg, Steely Dan, Michael and Randy Brecker, Wayne Shorter and many more. He was also involved in the mixing of this album. This was one of Beard’s final projects and it’s a testament to his musical talent and exacting standards.
Stern has put together a monster of band – in fact, two bands, because while the core band includes Jim Beard, bassist Christian McBride, saxophonist Chris Potter, drummer Antonio Sanchez and percussionist Arto Tunçboyacian, on three numbers he is reunited with several old friends – bassist Richard Bona, saxophonist Bob Franceschini and drummer Dennis Chambers.
His wife Leni plays the ngoni, a West African stringed instrument, on several tunes, including the opener, ‘Connections.’ The plucked ngoni, combined with pounding drums, bursts of weeping guitar, tinkling piano chords and jangling percussion, evoke the image of an African landscape coming to life after a long, dark night. The track evolves into an uptempo jazz-fusion number, with rousing solos from both Stern and Potter.
The title track is built around a bass figure and a steady cross-stick beat which weaves its way into your ear. Stern and Potter double-up on the main melody, and both players delivering scorching solos. Antonio Sanchez’s playing on this number deserves being highlighted, with his splashing cymbals and explosive fills providing great support to both soloists. ‘Stuff Happens,’ a bluesy number, could be a reference to Stern’s accident (on Trip, he has a track called ‘Scotch Tape and Glue’). It starts with a short, but powerful bass solo by McBride, and ends in a similar fashion to the Steely Dan track ‘Aja,’ with a series of dramatic drums fills played over a guitar/keyboard vamp.
Bona, Franceschini and Chambers first appear on ‘Space Bar,’ which has the drummer laying down a heavy backbeat, Franceschini blowing hard on tenor sax (including a powerful solo) and Stern offering a gritty, angular solo. The same band plays on ‘I Hope So,’ which sounds like a Zawinul Syndicate number. An atmospheric ngoni/synth intro leads into Chambers playing a metronome-like beat with brushes, Bona singing his trademark wordless, self-harmonized vocals, Franceschini playing a scuttling solo on soprano sax and Stern displaying the sensitive side of his playing. The song has a bright, breezy feeling.
Their third and final collaboration is ‘’Curtis,’ a breezy gospel-tinged homage to Curtis Mayfield. Bona provides more wordless vocals (with Stern on background vocals). Stern plays a solo that slowly builds up before reaching fever pitch and Potter solos at the coda like a preacher man delivering a sermon.
‘Where’s Leo?,’ is dedicated to Argentinian jazz pianist Leo Genovese and has a theme with a Middle Eastern flavour. ‘Gospel Song’ showcases the mellow side of Stern’s playing, which is often overlooked – one of my favourite Stern performances is on the title track ballad from the album Time in Place. ‘Crumbles’ is more like a suite, starting off with Leni Stern’s ngoni playing over a shuffling rhythm, before transforming into a funky, bass-driven piece, followed by dark, abstract section. It’s one of the most interesting compositions by Stern.
‘Climate’ has a driving cross-stick beat, shimmering guitar lines and an outstanding acoustic bass solo by McBride. The closing number, ‘Could Be’ is a contrafact , combining a new Stern melody with the changes from the standard ‘It Could happen To You.’ Miles Davis covered the original song on his 1958 album, Relaxin’ with the Miles Davis Quintet, and Dexter Gordon’s ‘Fried Bananas’ is based on the song’s changes. It’s a swinging jazz performance, with Stern and Potter soloing at the top of their game, and ending this excellent album on a high.
1.Connections 8:10
2.Echoes 7:31
3.Stuff Happens 6:57
4.Space Bar 7:38
5.I Hope So 7:06
6.Where’s Leo 6:53
7.Gospel Song 4:56
8.Crumbles 7:32
9.Curtis 5:31
10.Climate 7:27
11.Could Be 7:33
Mike Stern (electric guitar, backing vocals on 9)
Chris Potter tenor saxophone on except 4, 5, 9)
Jim Beard (acoustic piano, keyboards)
Christian McBride (electric bass, acoustic bass on 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 7, 10, 11)
Antonio Sanchez (drums except 4, 5, 9)
Leni Stern (ngoni on 1, 5, 8), Arto Tunçboyacian (percussion except 6, 7)
Richard Bona (bass guitar on 4, 5, 9, vocals on 5, 9)
Dennis Chambers (drums on 4, 5, 9)
Bob Franceschini (soprano saxophone on 5, tenor saxophone on 4, 9)