Leni Stern

"It’s a risk, listening to Leni Stern: You risk losing the comfortable distance between artist and audience to share the emotions of someone who dares to feel deeply. Her sensual soulfulness, her hummingbird melodies and the family camaraderie of her band, though, make the gamble virtually inevitable." Greg Burk LA WEEKLY

"j’aime la guitar de leni j’aime la musique de leni j’aime leni" ("i love leni’s guitar i love leni’s music i love leni") Salif Keita

News!

Leni Stern’s ’AFRICA,’ two years in the making, integrates African and Western music forms with such authenticity that it may come to be regarded as an ’Audio Documentary’ of African musical life. Recorded in Africa, playing with local musicians at the pace of life in Africa, Stern invites listeners to immerse themselves in African culture as she experienced it, first- hand. She comments: "I want people to hear what Africa sounds like. Africa deserves our respect, not just our mercy. And out of respect for the music, I felt compelled to record the album in Africa."

With its robust percussion and asymmetrical song structure, ’Africa’ showcases the indigenous sounds of brilliant African instrumentalists and singers, as well as Stern’s acclaimed electric guitar and vocals. Stern recalls: "As a white woman in a Muslim country, playing an electric guitar, my presence had an powerful impact." In fact, her African colleagues gave Stern a name of honor: ’MOUSSA GUITAR FOE’ – and she is the only one. "My gold Strat became popular," Stern recalls. "Guitar Dechire, they’d say in Mali - distorted guitar.
The 13-song CD ’Africa’ grew out of the Stern EP ’Alu Maye (Have You Heard),’ which was recorded in Mali, at Salif Keita’s Bamako Studios. The EP was the latest step in Stern’s evolution as a musician’s musician, without boundaries. In a recent, rave review in JAZZIZ Magazine, critic Philip Booth praised: "As an artist, she has become practically unclassifiable. To everyone but the bean counters, that’s a strength...Stern effectively allies her throaty vocals and thoughtful six-string playing with the hypnotic rhythms, percussive textures and singsong choruses of West African music. The kaleidoscopic flickering of multi-stringed instruments makes an entirely natural sonic backdrop for the leader." On ’Africa,’ Stern pays tribute to the late Michael Brecker on ’1000 Stars’ and showcases two of his final recordings on ’Saya (Farewell)’ and ’Ousman’. Other collaborators include Ami Sacko and Mah Soumano Stern’s strong bond with Mali was chronicled in a Guitar Player Magazine photo essay last year. The photos and first-person commentary described Stern’s visit to Mali’s Festival In The Desert. A follow-up feature, on the making of ’Africa’, will run soon. In the mean time, here is a look at Stern’s journey: http://www.guitarplayer.com/story.asp?storyCode=13913
CHOPS:
Five consecutive wins of Gibson’s Female Jazz Guitarist of the Year might make anyone hunker down and focus on going ‘six for six’. But Leni Stern has always defied expectations, and her diverse, 20-year career in music is a textbook example of growth under a self-imposed fire. From the expert instrumentalist, a singer-songwriter emerged, with observations to share from her travels throughout the world. Stern adds: “Why deny the impulse to put words to these experiences? I couldn’t think of a reason.”
DIVERSITY:
Indeed, with the May 11th release of ‘When Evening Falls’, Stern evokes recent travels to Kenya, India and New Orleans to deliver a haunting singer-songwriter album. Mix in her trademark bluesy guitar solos and the jazz-infused “On The Outside” and “Dancin’ With the Devil”, and a burst of creativity is revealed – ten songs which reflect an artist who has seen the world, experienced life, recorded 13 albums, and continues to grow.
RENAISSANCE WOMAN:
Born in Munich, Germany, Leni started playing piano at the age of six and guitar at eleven. At seventeen, she formed her own acting company, and her radical productions sold out houses across Europe. In 1977, she turned her attention to music and left for the United States to study film scoring at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Scoring gave way to her love for guitar and in 1981, Leni moved to New York to play in a variety of rock and jazz bands. In 1983, she formed a group of her own with Paul Motion on drums and Bill Frisell on guitar. As a recording artist, she originally made a name for herself in jazz circles (her first nine albums were instrumental,) then crossed her talents over into the singer-songwriter realm, garnering consistent praise in the process. Critics have said her music incorporates “intelligent lyrics and beautifully drawn vignettes” (Washington Post), “crystalline, jazz-meets-blues guitar lines” (Guitar Player), and “thoughtful structure, evocative moods, attention to groove” (San Francisco Bay Guardian). Leni runs her own label, LSR/Ryko Distribution partners.