Stern, Mike (actually, Michael)
Stern, Mike (actually, Michael)
Stern, Mike (actually, Michael ), jazz-fusion guitarist; b. Boston, Mass., Jan. 10, 1953. Married to guitarist Leni Stern. He began playing guitar at age 12. He studied with Pat Metheny at Berklee for three years, then joined Blood, Sweat, and Tears alongside Jaco Pastorius. In the mid-1970s, his fine playing with Bob Berg and others attracted attention in the Boston area. In 1978, he joined Billy Cobham’s band; during their gig at the Bottom Line, N.Y, Miles Davis dropped in to listen and offered Stern a spot in his band. He played with Davis for three years. He has also worked with David Sanborn, Steps Ahead, and the Brecker Brothers. He was less active for a few years due to self-described drug problems, hi 1993, he was voted Guitar Player magazine’s “Best Jazz Guitarist.” His albums Between the Lines and Is What It Is earned Grammy nominations. In 1997, his quartet included Dave Weckl, Lincoln Goines, and Bob Sheppard.
Discography
Upside Downside (1986); Time in Place (1987); Jigsaw (1989); Odds or Evens (1991); Standards (and Other Songs) (1992); Is What It Is (1993); Between the Lines (1996); Give & Take (1997).
Writings
Jazz Guitar Solos (Aebersold, 1992).
Bibliography
G. Varlotta, Mike Stern Standards (Aebersold).
—Lewis Porter