Mike Stern - These Times
ESC Records 4911, January 13, 2004 release
On
These Times, his auspicious debut on ESC Records
(distributed by Ryko in the U.S.), three-time
Grammy-nominated guitarist Mike Stern joins forces with
stellar saxophonist Kenny Garrett (a fellow Miles Davis
alumnus), drummer Vinnie Colaiuta and a string of
stellar bass players in Will Lee, Victor Wooten and
Richard Bona. Along with percussionists Arto
Tuncboyaciyan and Don Alias, drummer Dennis Chambers,
tenor saxophonists Bob Franceschini and Bob Malach,
vocalist Elizabeth Kontomanou and keyboardist-producer
Jim Beard, Stern -- one of the true guitar greats of his
generation -- places his signature fluid and lyrical
lines into the fabric of highly appealing vocal and
instrumental numbers that strike a splendid balance
between memorable melodies and burning fusillades.
Special guest Bela Fleck also adds his inimitable
virtuosic touch on banjo to one tune.
"This album
was a bit of a continuation of Voices but with some
strong instrumental tunes as well", says Stern,
referring to his Grammy-nominated album from 2001. "I
definitely wanted to continue working with Richard Bona,
who played such a big part on Voices. And I've always
wanted to play and record with Kenny Garrett. He's a
very special musician. I wrote a couple of instrumental
tunes for him on this cd and he sounded great."
Kontomanou, who also played a key role on Voices, brings
her ethereal vocal talents to bear on four tunes from
These Times. "I think she has got a very special voice",
says Stern. "She has such an amazing range and her whole
vibe fit perfectly with some of these tunes."
While the vocal presence is significant on These Times,
there is also considerable stretching instrumentally by
Stern and company -- world class soloists all. "I was
really happy with the results because everybody played
their asses off", says Mike. "That's the most fun for
me... to write something and then have great musicians
come in and get excited about playing the material with
each other. And that kind of energy you can kind of grab
onto and go from there, which is what happened in the
studio this time out. Basically, the bulk of the
recording was done in three days so it's got a very live
feeling to it. There was a really positive vibe
throughout the whole session and everybody played
beautifully."
One of the goals for These Times,
says Stern, was to balance that excitable raw energy of
a live performance with the production values necessary
to build pieces to dramatic peaks. "We did a lot of live
playing in the studio as a band and afterwards I did add
some extra guitar parts, more so on this one than I
usually do on my recordings. So you get the live feel
from the interaction of bass, drums and soloists, and
all the natural dynamics and excitement that occurs when
people play together in a live situation, and then we
added some production to the tunes. Not too much
production but hopefully just enough. And that
successful balance is due in large part to Jim Beard.
He's produced several of my albums and that whole hookup
has worked great for me. There's a good kind of give and
take between the two of us and at the end of the day it
really works out. He's amazing at knowing how to keep it
live-sounding and still have production values without
being over-the-top or too slick-sounding. He preserves
the raw vibe of the live playing but is really great at
building up the tracks from there."
These Times
opens with the slamming Chatter, the title being a
reference to a term that has become increasingly
familiar in these troubled times. This aggressive
amalgam combines an Arabic vibe in Kenny Garrett's snaky
soprano sax lines with a Monkish attitude in Jim Beard's
choppy piano voicings and a kind of New Orleans second
line groove provided by drummer Colaiuta. As Stern
explains, "This was loosely inspired by (Pakistani
qawwali singer) Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who I had been
listening to a lot during the time of this recording.
It's kind of a quirky groove tune with that Middle
Eastern melody and a second line feel underneath. And I
thought Kenny's soprano laying fit perfectly with that
Middle Eastern vibe we were going for. I just explained
to him what I wanted and he dealt. Also, Arto brings a
lot to the whole thing with his vocals at the very
beginning of the piece. He really helps to establish a
vibe for the tune."
"Silver Lining", a briskly
paced, surging number that reveals a decided Joe Zawinul
influence, is an excellent showcase for Bona, a former
member of the Zawinul Syndicate whose melodic vocals and
unerring sense of groove on the electric bass propel the
track. "I've always been a big fan of Joe's", says Mike.
"This tune has some of his flavor and it's also the kind
of thing that Richard sings so well. When he really
likes a tune he gets into it so deeply and always adds
some extra special stuff to it with regards to harmony.
And Vinnie sounds great on this tune. I thought he
sounded really terrific on Voices but that was almost
more of a supportive role for him. I wanted more drums
upfront on this record, I wanted him to be a little bit
more adventurous on the kit and that's exactly what we
got from Vinnie, particularly on this track". Catch
Mike's ferocious six-string wailing on this exhilarating
workout.
"I Know You", a delicate and lyrical
ballad that Mike wrote for his wife --
guitarist-singer-songwriter Leni Stern -- again features
Bona's angelic falsetto vocals along with a guest
appearance from banjo virtuoso Fleck. As Mike explains,
"Bela is somebody I've dug for a long time and always
wanted to play with. I remember hearing him back when
the Flecktones had just formed. We played on the same
bill at a radio industry convention and I was really
impressed with the whole band back then. It was very
fresh sounding and I was just amazed at what Bela could
do on the banjo. But when I heard them again more
recently, a couple of years ago at a nightclub in New
York, I was just blown away. They were playing at such a
high level... some very fresh and very different stuff.
And so I would ask Bela from time to time about doing
some recording together and we were finally able to do
this one piece for this album."
Adds Mike of his
banjo counterpart, "He's such a terrific musician and
certainly knows his instrument amazingly well. And as
far as I'm concerned, this is just the beginning. We're
actually talking about doing more together in the future
where we actually stretch out more and really play
something where you get to hear him solo more.
Hopefully, we'll do that on the next record."
The
exotic-sounding "Mirage" (also influenced by the music
of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan) features Stern doubling the
alluring melody with vocalist Kontomanou. "It's a
fresh-sounding groove that has more of a world music
vibe and also has a little bit of the Police kind of
feel to it. Elizabeth sounds great on it. She's got just
the right voice for this piece. And I think Bob
Franceschini also really shines here. He plays a great
tenor solo on the fade, kind of jamming on the way out."
In the middle of this vibrant piece, Mike dazzles with a
burning solo of his own, combining melodic inventiveness
with fiery intensity.
Stern's moving minor key
ballad "If Only" serves as a vehicle for Bona's
thoughtful lyrics (sung in his native Douala dialect)
about a real life incident that touched him as a boy
growing up in Africa. "I wanted Richard to write lyrics
for one of the ballads and this is the one he thought he
could definitely write for. His lyrics describe how as a
boy he was going to go someplace with some friends. As
it turned out they all took the van ahead of him so he
had to wait and catch another ride. The first van got
into an accident and all his friends died. So it's a
story about fate and how little control you have in the
world. Things happen and there's only so much you can do
about it, so you just have to put one foot in front of
the other and keep going on through life, and whatever
happens happens. It's a very sad but poignant story and,
of course, Richard sings it beautifully."
Kontomanou returns for the buoyantly infectious groover
"Street Rhyme", which Mike says was inspired by some of
the jump roping rhymes he remembers kids singing on the
playground in his hometown of Washington D.C. "Those
kind of jump rope rhymes had a soulful rhythm to them",
he recalls, "so that's the kind of vibe we were after
here -- just a cool, fun kind of groove tune. It's a
street rhyme with a little bit of a world music vibe
from the Indian flavored thing that Arto puts on it.
Elizabeth also sounds so great, almost like Tina Turner
on this one. And Bob Malach kills on this tune." So does
Mike, whose own triumphant solo is marked by the kind of
scorching abandon that has become a Stern trademark over
the past 20 years.
"Avenue B" is a profoundly
blue number highlighted by some earthy exchanges between
Stern's urgent guitar and Garrett's robust alto sax. "I
almost put a voice on that tune", says Mike, "but Kenny
sounds so much like a singer when he plays that I really
didn't need one. He's definitely got a vocal quality
happening in his playing, which is also something that
Miles had. He's got a very beautiful singing kind of
sound on his horn that I just love."
The uptempo
burner "Remember" was dedicated to Stern's late comrade,
tenor saxophonist Bob Berg, who died last December in a
car accident near his home on Long Island. As Mike
explains, "To me, this tune sounds like something Bob
Berg would've played. I actually wrote it a while ago
and titled it after the fact. I wanted to title
something on this record for him and at first I was
leaning toward one of the ballads but then I thought
that this tune was more like Bob. It's an 'Impressions'
kind of groove. It's the kind of modal stuff that Bob
used to write and just burn on. He always played great
over everything and was an amazing, soulful ballad
player as well, but I remember him just tearing up over
a tune like this. So it just felt like an obvious choice
to me to name it in memory of Bob."
Both Stern
and Franceschini unleash on this incandescent vehicle,
which is spurred on by the superb rhythm tandem of
bassist Victor Wooten and drummer Dennis Chambers.
"That's really a special rhythm section", adds Mike. "We
recorded this just before we had a three-night
engagement at the Bottom Line in New York. That gig
turned out to bean incredible experience. With those
cats you just kind of solo real quick and get out of the
way. Dennis, of course, is someone I've played with a
lot over the years, including the band I co-led with Bob
Berg. And Victor is just amazing. He does some stuff
I've never heard anybody do on the bass or any
instrument, for that matter. And together, these guys
are scary."
The title track, "These Times",
carries a mysterioso vibe and once again highlights
Garrett's plaintive, singing quality on alto sax while
"What You Believe" is a kind of folky tune buoyed by
Bona's soaring falsetto vocals and peerless fretless
bass playing and is underscored by Stern's warm touch
and lyrical approach. By overdubbing several tracks of
harmony vocals, Bona creates the uplifting sweep of a
full choir as the piece gradually builds to a more
dramatic crescendo. And as Mike points out, "Richard
plays some smaller percussion on the first part and then
at the end Don Alias adds a bunch of bigger drums to
really build the sound to by the time it fades out with
the guitar solo it sounds huge. It's amazing how big a
track can sound just with great percussion playing.
There are no drums on that track and you don't miss
them."
The album's energized closer, "Last One
down", is a seriously funky number replete with Mike's
vicious wah-wah guitar lines, Colaiuta's insistent
backbeat, Beard's nasty clavinet playing and Wooten's
low-end groove. Mike really erupts on this urgent
workout.
These Times is another triumphant blend
of searing chops, engaging melodies and infectious
grooves, enhanced by the inspiring sound of the human
voice in all its glory. Like its predecessor, Voices, it
demonstrates Mike's openness for new directions and new
influences in his music and further establishes his
place at the top of the jazz guitar world.
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