[Cover photo credit to Sandrine Lee]
6-time Grammy-nominated Jazz guitarist Mike Stern has shared his latest single “Gospel Song,” featuring 9-time Grammy Award winner Christian McBride. The track is taken from Stern’s forthcoming album Echoes And Other Songs out on September 13th, 2024. Marking his debut release on Mack Avenue Music Group/Artistry Music, Stern’s album has elements culled from African music, Gospel, and other influences.
Stern explains:
’GospeI Song’ is a ballad. It has kind of a gospel vibe so I just stuck with the working title and it seems to fit the song. I really like the way this came out and Christian McBride sounds great on acoustic bass. And Jim Beard played beautiful piano.
Stern has performed 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 Christian McBride, Chris Potter, Antonio Sanchez, Richard Bona and Dennis Chambers.
This is Stern’s first release since the loss of longtime producer and keyboardist Jim Beard (who played on and produced the album), the closure of Stern’s beloved 55 Bar, and his 2016 injury, which he continues to face physical hurdles from.
Echoes and Other Songs could be considered a loving farewell to Jim Beard, who passed away in March 2024. Beard acted as Stern’s go-to producer for over three decades, and as a favorite keyboardist for even longer. He was also a close friend.
Echoes also marks the first album Stern has released as a leader since the West Village Jazz haunt 55 Bar closed its doors in 2022, a casualty of the pandemic. Stern had a 55 residency that provided a physical-therapy regimen of sorts after he broke both of his humerus bones in 2016. He stumbled over construction materials on the street in New York and fell, and the aftermath included potentially career-ending nerve damage that threatened his picking hand.
The road to recovery has been long, hard and ongoing. Advised by another pal, the drummer Ray Levier, Stern came up with an efficient system for holding his pick, using wig glue and tape.
Stern says:
It was a challenge and a half, and it still is, sometimes, just to accept it. It gets me really upset and frustrated because I used to play stuff with my fingers. I had to change certain things about my technique.
2024 Tour Dates:
August 19-23 – Big Indian, NY @ Alternative Guitar Summit
August 24 – New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge (Alternative Guitar Summit celebration)October 26 – Stupsk, Poland @ Komeda Jazz Festival
October 27 – Opole, Poland @ Drum Festival Opole
October 29 – Muenster, Germany @ Hot Jazz Club
November 1 – Prague, Czech Republic @ Jazz Dock
November 3 – Plovdiv, Bulgaria @ Plovdiv Jazz Festival
November 5 – Leverkusen, Germany @ JAZZTAGE
November 7 – Graz, Austria @ Orpheum Graz
November 8-9 – Milian, Italy @ Bluenote Milano
December 13-14 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Baked Potato
December 16-17 – Oakland, CA @ Yoshi’s
2025 Tour Dates:
January 29-31 – Baltimore, MD @ Keystone Korner
February 1 – Baltimore, MD @ Keystone Korner
February 4-8 – New York, NY @ Birdland Jazz Club
