Dance: All About Jazz #2 /  by Leni Stern

Leni Stern: Dance

By JIM WORSLEY
June 2, 2021

Play Leni Stern

Compelling is the word. If you are in search of a one word description of Leni Stern's new record, it is indeed the word. Then again, that aptly applies to her body of work over the past thirty-five years. Dance is as much a metaphor as it is a movement. Life, in its never ending struggle to survive and move forward, relies on the merriment of dance to inspire us, push us through the difficult times, and in turn enjoy the ride along the way. There is a dense inner-core to Stern's music that is plush with emotion, ripe with musicality, and adroitly maneuvers through cultural boundaries like a machete cutting through the densest African forest. While she has shared her voice within a host of creative platforms, Dance once again captures a fresh approach, allowing us to step inside these melodic and rhythmic original compositions.

Over the past fifteen years Stern has made Africa her home away from home. Her total immersion into African culture, language and music has uniquely integrated with her already deep comprehension and mastery of jazz and fusion. This artist and her craft have boldly continued to regenerate through new discoveries and an ever flourishing maturation. Stern, as all female instrumentalists, has battled the "Oh, you must be the singer" perception throughout her passionately driven career. Gender once again proves no match for Stern's empowered axe wielding skills. She is equally comfortable plucking a n'goni (a small African guitar like instrument), which yields the strains of traditional African music. That vibe is strengthened and wisely enriched by her more than decade long trio mates, percussionist Elhadji Alioune Faye and bassist Mamadou Ba. In 2020 the trio mushroomed to a quartet with the addition of Argentinian pianist Leo Genovese. While there are similarities to be found in African and South American beats, there are even more differences. Merging the two with the distinctive sound of jazz has raised the bar even higher for Stern.

Stern is an instrumentalist first and foremost. However, she is also a remarkable vocalist. While her voice is lovingly angelic and soothing, you hear the truth just as she sees it and feels it. Singing with the same confidence and concern in both English and an African language, Stern uses her voice as an instrument, as well as through lyrics. Moreover it's her phrasing that makes every story take on its own identity and beauty. The eight song set begins with a prayer entitled "Ya Rakhman/Prayer" that was conceived by Stern and Faye. It opens with Stern's serene voice and luscious octave drawing us into a mood of tranquility. The soon penetrating guitar and percussive drive become an unexpected lift, before a taste of n'goni, bass and keyboard sounds are all revealed to awaiting ears. "Aljouma/Friday" introduces happy and melodic rhythms, including Genovese's glistening piano solo. The Stern composition evolves into intelligent guitar lines interfacing with Genovese. The elegant piece combines jazz and classical with a carefree feel. Stern freely expresses herself with her voice as an instrument, before rolling it naturally into her guitar. With a strong percussive feel throughout, Stern and Genovese masterfully share the space. An intuitive composer, Stern dazzled with her strongest composition right out of the gate. She set out to capture you early—then never let go. In the past she has written all, or mostly all, of her own material. This time there was more of a shared narrative, with each member of the quartet contributing a song.

A Ba instrumental is next, and not surprisingly glows with the tapestry of Ba's inventive solo bass moving against the African beats of Faye's various percussion. Stern enters "Maba" with a zestful guitar solo that elevates Ba and Faye and leads into a full voice conclusion. The Genovese penned "Kani/Hot Pepper" is a scintillating instrumental that revels in highly rhythmic percussion, led by Faye. Stern takes the highly melodic piece out for a spin on her guitar that is as fun as it is ambitious. Genovese follows suit with his own vibrant keyboarding. The record was now in constant motion and kicks up another notch—now Stern playing with the contagious spirit of "Khale/Children." Genovese and Ba join in on the fun that was enhanced by the dynamic rhythms of Faye. The uninhibited joy and exuberance of children is what Faye set out to capture with this composition. As his infectious grooves signifiy their pure heartbeats and the feeling of them running about gleefully, the Dance party moves on.

A lyrical Stern then sings wantingly that "she wishes she could fly" like a "Kona/Bird." Accompanying herself with the delicate strings of her n'goni, she then tells the tale in African. The sure beauty of the n'goni is expanded by guest artist Harouna Samake. A well-known and highly respected musician from Mali, Samake solos with the grace of a bird in flight on a kamale n'goni. The beautifully melodic song was co-written by Stern and Samake. Next the ensemble respectively energizes a traditional African tune with powerfully paced percussion, which first Genovese takes for a ride, then ultimately Stern stretches on guitar with some impressive note selections. She takes full advantage of the rhythms presented and plays with heart and abandon.

Stern concludes with a tune that representative the adventurous spirit of all the musicians involved with this project. Treating us once again to the radiant tone of her voice, her n'goni, and the sweetly moving piano skills of Genovese, as well as with the never stop, continuous beat of her strapping rhythm section. "Fonio/Grain" just had to be a Stern composition. So clearly in touch with the necessary brush strokes to complete the canvas, and have everyone be a vital part as they had been from the beginning.

It has been long established that music is our universal language. Dance becomes the universally understood ensuing conversation. It evolves into part of our rich dialogue, that perpetually grows, develops, and matures, thanks to caretaker artists like Leni Stern.

WBGO: "Fonio" premiere and Leni + Dennis Chambers /  by Leni Stern

www.wbgo.org

"FONIO" PREMIERE: JAZZIZ / APRIL 12, 2021 - Leni Stern’s new single, “Fonio,” is named after a delicious grain found all over Africa that is a staple of Senegalese cuisine. It is also featured in the guitarist/vocalist/producer’s forthcoming album, Dance, as one of the songs of its joyful, multilingual set, colored with a blend of international rhythms. Dance will be released on June 4 and sees her fronting her cross-cultural New York quartet with Argentine keyboardist Leo Genovese and the rhythm duo of bassist Mamadou Ba and percussionist Eladji Alioune Faye, both originally from Senegal. Elhadji Alioun Faye, percussion Mamadou Ba, bass Leo Genovese, piano Leni Stern, guitar, voice, ngoni calabas Dennis Chambers, drums Leni Stern was named one of the “50 Most Sensational Female Guitarists of All Time” in Guitar Player magazine’s 50th anniversary issue in 2017, with the publication aptly dubbing her “a genre-defying adventurer.” Leni’s example shines beyond just prowess on her instrument. The pursuit of her career across more than four decades has been in effect a political act – a practice in strength and defiance to be a woman and a bandleader, a female electric guitarist and a composer, an artist who produces her own albums and manages her own career. Moreover, given our recent political climate, it is now more essential than ever to celebrate the immigrant experience that brought Leni to the U.S. from Germany and her bandmates from Senegal and Argentina. Leni’s inspiration has long been the interconnectedness of music, history and our humanity. She says: “Music is one of the truest, most beautiful expressions of the human spirit, crossing borders, dissolving tribalism, binding us together – if we let it.” https://www.lenistern.com/ Dennis Chambers is an American drummer who has recorded and performed with John Scofield, George Duke, Brecker Brothers, Santana, Parliament/Funkadelic, John McLaughlin, Niacin, Mike Stern, CAB, Greg Howe, and many others. Despite a lack of formal training, Chambers has become well known among drummers for his technique and speed.[citation needed]Chambers is particularly regarded for his ability to play "in the pocket" but can also stretch very far out of the pocket which is also a hallmark of his technique.[citation needed] Chambers exhibits a powerful style that is technically proficient, yet highly musical and groove-oriented.[citation needed] He can play in a wide variety of musical genres, but is perhaps most notable for his jazz-fusion, funk, and Latin music playing. He is mostly known for his fast hands and triplets on the bass drum. He has helped many young drummers, the most prominent being Tony Royster, Jr. https://www.dennischambers.com/ Showtime is 7 pm ET/6 pm CT/5 pm MT/4 pm PT/11 pm GMT A limited number of in-person seats are available for $25 each. Please email henry@andiemusik.com for stipulations. Streaming cost is $15 Donations are welcomed The link will be revealed to you 15 minutes before the show and will remain active through June 4

Dance: All About Jazz /  by Leni Stern

allaboutjazz.com

By GENO THACKARA
May 31, 2021

Play Leni Stern

If one key to a great dance is having the right partner, it must be a doubly (maybe even exponentially) better key to have several. Leni Stern began something of a sequence by forming a new trio for the straightforward 3 (LSR, 2018) and expanding to a quartet with 4 (LSR, 2020). The same group has further gelled, and everything is even more delightfully fluid—the sound palette from dusty guitar to sleek piano with some occasional n'goni harp for flavor, the constantly bubbling rhythms and melodic jazzy interplay, and the players themselves as they smoothly dance through it all.

While the trio-cum-quartet sounded plenty spirited before, there is an especially tangible and contagious joy through the program here. Leo Genovese feels completely settled in with the group, spurring the others with one frisky piano solo after another after another, while Mamadou Ba's bass and Elhadji Alioune Faye's rainbow of percussive colors offset the South American-flavored keyboard work with the deep rhythmic spice of their native Senegal. The group's ecstatic chemistry is something special, and getting out to rehearse and record after months in quarantine left them keenly ready to enjoy every moment.

Stern happily leads from the middle as always, without needing to stand out. Her weathered singing voice remains pleasantly rough around the edges, which is just right for the unpolished overall tone—the slinky opener "Yah Rakhman" dripping with the mystery a prayer deserves, "Koni" becoming prettier the more it stays simple and wistful, and the sort-of-scatty "Adjouma" simply playing with sounds for the sheer fun of it (a reflection of the cultural melting pot that is their home base of New York City).

While Stern's singing is as simple as needed, her guitar matches the others for smart sharpness as they continually bounce off one another with glee. Even the slower moments are subtly sunny underneath, while the particular highlights "Kani" and "Khale" have them all scampering like youngsters in a playground. This Dance is the best kind of response to times of isolation, celebrating the pure joys of connection and packed with life in every moment.

"Fonio" premiere: Jazziz /  by Leni Stern

Leni Stern’s new single, “Fonio,” is named after a delicious grain found all over Africa that is a staple of Senegalese cuisine. It is also featured in the guitarist/vocalist/producer’s forthcoming album, Dance, as one of the songs of its joyful, multilingual set, colored with a blend of international rhythms. Dance will be released on June 4 and sees her fronting her cross-cultural New York quartet with Argentine keyboardist Leo Genovese and the rhythm duo of bassist Mamadou Ba and percussionist Eladji Alioune Faye, both originally from Senegal.

Press for "3" /  by Leni Stern

Guitarist and vocalist Leni Stern has already made a personal study of West African folk music, on albums like Africa and Dakar Suite. Her latest is titled 3 – a declaration of faith in the bond she has with bassist Mamadou Ba and percussionist Alioune Faye. But the album, just out on LSR Recordings, lays out all the proof you need.

– Nate Chinen, “Take Five”, WBGO 88.3 FM

Recorded as if it's right inside your skull, guitarist-singer Leni Stern's long-marinated African trio with bassist Mamadou Ba and hand drummer Alioune Faye brings out the intensity of focused quiet. The rhythms scrub your heart, but please attend the melodic/harmonic element, especially on "Calabas," whose ingenious chromatic progression inspires brilliant solos by Leni and husband Mike Stern – hers delicately twisted, his hilariously crazed.

– Greg Burk, MetalJazz.com

 When it comes to the music of this disc, 3, by Leni Stern, we don’t need logic or any other intellectually-driven impulse. We are driven to “sing” and “dance” to every breathtaking possibility simply because of what is innate in this musical homage; indeed in every sonic image that is presented here by Miss Stern, Mamadou Ba and Alioune Faye. The vitality that comes from it – this music – is awakening, like being impacted by a series of solar flares from the nuclear corona of the sun. And this musical light is so special, so enormous and so dense that it might even enable to walk through a block of concrete should such an impediment arise en route to our celebrating this music . . . through her music and in her sublime artistry – has poured energy into the air around us. We, for our part, become changed forever because of her and the message she brings from Mother Africa.

– Raul da Gama, JazzdaGama

Leni Stern has long been a triumphant voice of inspiration. The truth and steadfast beauty of her lyrics and music has touched many hearts around the world.

– Jim Worsley, AllAboutJazz.com

Other newness to get excited about include tracks from Leni Stern’s new album simply called “3”…

– Ian Stewart, Community Idea Stations

 Leni Stern continues her journey of successfully melding sounds of Western Africa with American jazz on this latest album . . . takin you on a journey through the Dogon cliffs.

– George W. Harris, JazzWeekly.com  

When Leni Stern recorded her first album as a leader, Clairvoyant (Passport, 1985), she established herself as a lyrical and melodic jazz-rock fusion guitarist whose influences included Pat Metheny, John McLaughlin, Bill Frisell and Jim Hall. Stern has also embraced everything from pop-rock to world music and her exploration of West African rhythms continues on her latest recording 3

– Alex Henderson, The New York City Jazz Record

She's been making recordings for over 25 years and has won Gibson’s "Female Jazz Guitarist of the Year" award five times. But when Stern met ngoni hero Bassekou Kouyate and his wife Ami Sacko thirteen years ago at Mali’s Festival au Desert, she plunged into the study of the African instrument and started to interpret the rhythms and tonalities of West Africa through a jazz lens.

– John Floridas, “Musician’s Spotlight”, Montana Public Radio

For the past 12-13 years, she has consistently stuck his fingers down to the pot with African honey, and this new album, 3 , is bridge building between modern European / North American jazz and West African rhythms. The music on the album features . . . love for traditions and the ability to innovate.

– Ivan Rod

Leni Stern’s music was always good — her fluid, powerful electric guitar exercised in a variety of settings — but she has really bloomed since she began her collaborations with African musicians.

– Paul Weideman, Santa Fe New Mexican, Pasa Tiempo

Few artists unite the American jazz tradition with world influences more effectively than genre-defying guitar adventurer Stern.

– Guitar Player Magazine

Blurt Magazine /  by Leni Stern

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“I focused on the composing”: The gifted, celebrated jazz guitarist talks about her new album 3, additionally outlining her journey to date and the roadblocks—among them, the subtle but inherent sexism that the jazz milieu harbors—she had to overcome. (Photos by Sandrine Lee)

BY ROBIN E. COOK

Jazz guitarist Leni Stern’s musical journey has taken her from her native Germany to Berklee College of Music and the Sahara Desert. She’s a musical omnivore, happily absorbing disparate musical influences. On her new album, 3 (released on CD, vinyl, and digital this past April), Stern taps into African music along with Alioune Faye (djembe, sabar, calabas, backing vocals) and Mamadou Ba (bass). The result is a warm, seamless collaboration—an international sound in the very best sense. Stern talked about her music teachers, her discovery of jazz, and the assumptions that women in jazz still confront today.

 

BLURT: Could you give me some idea of your background? You were an actress before you became a musician, right?

STERN: Well, I was always a musician, but I also had a love for acting, so I actually had two roles in the acting company that I founded. I was a musical director and I was an actress. And I wrote music for theater and created music for film. But I was always a little singer-songwriter with a guitar and many songs that I wrote. And many Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan songs that I sang. The theater composing and film composing really took off, so I came to America because I had heard of a school in America—Berklee College of Music. It had an association with a film school, where you could score the student films and you could use all the musicians in the college to write your scores with. So that sounded perfect. And it turned out to be perfect.

So the music sort of took over from the acting. But I still worked as an actress. I was a VJ for BET—Black Entertainment Television—for many years. I went back and forth to do an acting project every once and a while. But it’s really hard to do both at the same time. And I really wanted to perfect my music in many directions, so I would take guitar classes and then I started playing percussion and took percussion classes. And I took singing classes and composition.

And also I married another guitar player—Michael Stern. And he didn’t want to move to Europe. And I actually liked America. I never decided to stop acting. And I would act again if there were an opportunity that is compatible with my music and touring and recording schedule. And right there is…a problem because I am now playing with many bands and I have my own band and many recording projects, so as it is there isn’t enough hours in the day. (laughs)

 

You’ve been working with African musicians lately. Could you tell me a bit about that?

You know, I had on my bucket list these festivals I want to play, and one of them was the Festival in the Desert, in the Sahara Desert, because it’s four hours away from any civilization. I had seen a film about it. And I said, “Okay, I want to play this festival.” And I got to play at the festival. And I met a lot of African musicians that asked me to play in their bands. So I ended up spending a lot of time in Africa and playing in that style of music, because they were interested in my guitar style. African guitarists play different. It’s not, how should I say? It’s a different kind of guitar, it’s different sound on the guitar. It’s a more percussive sound. They love our rock and blues sound, or jazz soloing. They love that. So they invited me to play in their bands, with them, to create a mixture of styles.

And I just did my best to learn their approach to it. It was a very cool exchange, because they were flipping out over my playing and I was flipping out over theirs. It was a continuous “Show me that!” “No, you show me that!” (laughs) “No, you show me that!”

I started writing in that style and combining our musical principles with theirs. In my band, I have two master musicians from Senegal and they all play in western bands because they’re based in New York. They’re originally from Senegal and they’re familiar with the rhythms of Africa, particularly Senegalese music, which is my project 3, what my new record is all about.

When you first came to American and to Berklee, was there a huge culture shock?

Yes, there was. There was, but I loved America. You know, Germans love American culture, because you liberated us from fascism, and protected us against the Russians. Now you got your own Russian problem, but you know, we were very afraid. I mean, there’d been a war for our main cities. The Americans protected us.

My mother was so happy when I married an American. I mean, I thought she’d be more unhappy about me being far away, but just the fact that I married an American…American culture, especially in Munich, was very present, ‘cause Munich had an army station and it had a big band. And all the musicians in the big band played in the jazz clubs around Munich.

When did you transition to playing jazz guitar?

I always loved jazz. I was a blues guitarist first. My little brother had an immense influence on me because he was an avid record collector. And he was crazy about certain things. If you wanted to make him freak out, you’d scratch one of his records. He would lose it completely. And he had an amazing blues collection. Like John Mayall. The English blues guys. But also like Mississippi John Hurt. He was a keyboard player. He is a keyboard player (laughs). He’s a very good keyboard player!  I played the guitar and he played keyboards, so I had first dibs at the blues, because those were guitar records that he was imitating on the piano. And I thought like, “Oh, I win. I got this! I got the blues!” So that’s how it first started.

And then I started hearing Wes Montgomery and jazz musicians. I was very intrigued by the way they could play long solos.

 

Just curious: was that the first instrument you started playing—the guitar? What was your first instrument?

My first instrument actually was the recorder. All German children played the recorder. And then I played piano. Because that’s also sort of a tradition in Germany, because it allows you the easiest way of understanding harmony. And we have a very big repertoire–classical music–that we’re very proud of. Generally in school, music is like a very important subject in school in Germany. If you flunk music, you have a problem, you know. It’s a major subject in school, just like math or history. And you have to sing in this choir, whether you can sing or not. And so it’s really encouraged to play an instrument. I played piano and classical music, but I always had a love for the guitar. And my mother had a guitar, so I took that guitar and I taught myself how to play it. But then she kind of realized after a while that my love was for the guitar.  So she organized for me to have guitar lessons. Classical guitar lessons. But I had a very understanding teacher. She was good with teaching kids. And she said, “What would you like to play?” And I played the blues for her. She said, “Oh, that’s so interesting!” She said, “So expressive”! She was a real artist. She encouraged me to play guitar and sing the blues. And I was like, eleven.

She had her soirees of all her students. Some of them would sing a classical repertoire. And I would get to sing the blues and play guitar.  But I still played piano at the same time. But the guitar was always my reward. If I finished my classical repertoire on piano, I could play guitar all I wanted. And then when I was fourteen my mother bought me an electric guitar and an amp to go with it, so that I could play with my brothers. Nobody could hear me in my acoustic guitar. So she bought me an electric guitar.

I know that you’ve been asked this before, but women playing jazz guitar is still very infrequent. Have you had people who ever tried to discourage you?

All the time. All the time. I actually just came from playing in [jazz pianist] Monica Herzig’s band.  And we were exchanging stories. And it’s funny how people insist that you are a singer. A guy in the audience came up. It was one of those universities. Monica is a professor at Indiana University. It was one of those university guys that came up and said, “Yeah, I’m here to see Monica Herzig. She’s the singer, right?” I said, “No, she doesn’t sing at all. I don’t even know if she can sing! She’s a pianist and a composer!” And he said, “Really? I thought she was a singer!” And I said, “What makes you think that she’s a singer?” And he said, “Well, I dunno, she’s a singer!”

We think that women are supposed to be singers. Even though there is no recording of Monica ever singing.

 

I imagine you must have had to learn how to take all that in stride. How did you deal with those reactions from people?

I founded my own band. Because I’m also a composer. Sometimes I think sometimes that’s my biggest gift, is composing. ‘Cause I’ve been composing since I’m very little. I didn’t call it composing, I would call it making songs, when I was six. “Make a song!” (laughs) And I was encouraged by my teachers. I had very, very special teachers. They were great artists themselves. And I guess they were entertained by me. My piano teacher—I really didn’t want to read. I really didn’t like to read. It had nothing to do with the music for me. And she recognized that I felt music deeply. So she didn’t scold me. She said, “What did you do at the piano?” I said, “I make up songs.” And she said, “Oh, so you’re going to be a composer! That’s easy!”

So you know, I focused on the composing. And actually, there’s been a lot of discrimination against women composers, too. Most of the people who know Mahler, for example, didn’t know that his wife was an equally good composer.

I came from a panel at South by Southwest and there was a guy that performed at the same showcase we played last night, and he was very funny. He said, “I was so surprised!” And I said, “How come you were so surprised?” And he said, “You look like a nice mommy, a nice lady, and then you come out onstage and you play like panther!” And I said, “That’s a very nice compliment!”

So I guess people still, when people see me, they assume I’m a nice mommy! Even though I have a side shave and a head tattoo. (laughs) That’s what we’re supposed to be! And they can’t imagine that we would be a complete human being with all sorts of feelings inside ourselves. You know, it’s very difficult. But I see it getting easier for the next generation. Because people like me raised the next generation of children.

All About Jazz: review of "3" /  by Leni Stern

By JIM WORSLEY
July 21, 2018

For her critically acclaimed Dakar Suite (Leni Stern Recordings, 2016), Leni Stern presented her African enhanced sounds with lavish 10-piece orchestrations and arrangements complete with horns and violins. For this 2018 release, Stern's compositions were written specifically for a 3 piece, as opposed to adapting a 10 piece composition. Hence the title.

The "Khavare" (party) gets started with the sabar (a Sengalese drum) cadence of percussionist Alioune Faye. This lively tune is broadened by bassist Mamadou Ba and buoyed by Stern's precise and melodic guitar. The song "Barambai" is based on the chanting and rhythms of the baby naming ceremony in Africa. Joined by accordionist Gil Goldstein, "Barambai" is steeped in character and authenticity.

Stern saves her soothingly beautiful singing voice for the romantic yearnings of "Wakhma." The lines "Tell me, was I the only one to feel this way?.....Tell me, do you miss me at all?.....Tell me, are you happy now?" are only a microcosm of the feelings exuded here. Moreover, Stern delivers with such a personal touch you may feel as if she is speaking just to you. She also deftly plays the n'goni (a West African stringed instrument) on this enchanting tune. The symmetry in line and phrasing is exquisite. The song "Calabas" (an African percussion instrument) securely wraps Stern's voice and instrumentation in a percussive foundation. Its incremental build takes us to a surging guitar solo by guest artist Mike Stern (Leni's husband).

A most bewitching piece is "Spell." Spirits, voodoo, jazz, and African rhythms collide in the night at the crossroads. In this vernacular the crossroads are the place you meet at night to ask the tough questions and reach out to the spirit world. The Robert Johnson-penned tune "Crossroads," more famously known as recorded by Cream in 1968, makes reference to these very same crossroads. Singing in both English and African, Stern again plays the n'goni, in this both mesmerizing and beguiling composition.

"Assiko" epitomizes the true fusion of traditional jazz with the sounds of Africa. Stern stretches out beautifully on guitar with some tasty licks. Flanked by Ba's pulsating yet understated bass lines, and driven by Faye's masterful and unrelenting percussion. Instrumentally they play as one, showcasing the fact that Stern, Faye, and Ba have played together for a number of years.

The record finishes as upbeat as it starts. An African legend has it that you can hypnotize and more easily drive away crocodiles from unwanted places with the sound of the drums and chants. "Crocodile" incorporates the chant and beats with Stern's soaring yet tranquil guitar.

Over the past several years Stern has successfully paid homage to our musical ancestors while integrating the complexities of African music with the sensibilities of jazz. 3 is a powerful embodiment and exploration of African roots that takes it to another level and creates a sound, style, and statement that is uniquely her own.

Track Listing: Khavare; Barambai; Wakhma; Calabas; Spell; Colombiano; Assiko; Crocodile.

Personnel: Leni Stern: electric guitar, n'goni, voice; Mamadou Ba: bass; Alioune Faye: sabar, djembe, calabas, voice.

Title: 3 | Year Released: 2018 | Record Label: Leni Stern Recordings

All About Jazz - Michael Bailey /  by Leni Stern

Leni Stern
Leni Stern:3 with Mamadou Ba and Alioune Faye 
Self Produced
2018

Traditionally, the most percussion-rich jazz music has been that infused with Caribbean and Latin influences. Guitarist Leni Stern has been studying West Africa as an alternate source of percussion driven music ever since having made the acquaintance of Massekou Kouyate and his wife Ami Sacko at the Festival au Desert in Timbuktu, Mali almost 15 years ago. That meeting led to Stern's swan dive into the culture, language, and music of West Africa and the intervening years of study have led to 3 with Mamadou Ba and Alione Faye. While Stern is the ostensible leader of this date, the recording is very much rooted in the percussion of Alioune Faye. To be sure, there is American (or better German-American) jazz here, but it is woven deeply into to the fecund rhythms of West Africa, her two musical partners coming from Senegal. Stern plays with a graceful restraint that augments and enhances the percussive elements of the performance. Integral to this percussive approach is the rhythmic anchor provided by bassist Mamadou Ba, whose Sympatico with Stern is palpable throughout. Stern's singing offers an interesting seasoning to the project, both in English and Senegalese. This recording is something larger than mere "World Music." It has a savory depth that is purely spiritual.

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/seven-women-plus-three-2018--part-vii-allegra-levy-by-c-michael-bailey.php

 

Metaljazz.com/Greg Burk - Spring Record Shorts (review) /  by Leni Stern

Metaljazz.com by Greg Burk and friends

Leni Stern, "3" (LSR). Recorded as if it's right inside your skull, guitarist-singer Leni Stern's long-marinated African trio with bassist Mamadou Ba and hand drummer Alioune Faye brings out the intensity of focused quiet. The rhythms scrub your heart, but please attend the melodic/harmonic element, especially on "Calabas," whose ingenious chromatic progression inspires brilliant solos by Leni and husband Mike Stern -- hers delicately twisted, his hilariously crazed.

http://www.metaljazz.com/2018/06/spring_record_shorts_burn_the.php

Jazzdagama /  by Leni Stern

By Raul da Gama
https://jazzdagama.com/

Logic ought to tell us that if all life and all civilisations came from Mother Africa, then so also does the impulse to “sing” and “dance” the rhythm that we hear in all music that pays her homage. When it comes to the music of this disc, 3, by Leni Stern, we don’t need logic or any other intellectually-driven impulse. We are driven to “sing” and “dance” to every breathtaking possibility simply because of what is innate in this musical homage; indeed in every sonic image that is presented here by Miss Stern, Mamadou Ba and Alioune Faye. The vitality that comes from it – this music – is awakening, like being impacted by a series of solar flares from the nuclear corona of the sun. And this musical light is so special, so enormous and so dense that it might even enable to walk through a block of concrete should such an impediment arise en route to our celebrating this music.

 

Just by listening to the music of 3 one experiences Miss Stern, who is completely transformed by the touch of Africa. From “Khavare” to “Calabas” and “Crocodile” the guitarist becomes an artist who even in the ordinary act of fingers on strings is able to impregnate each twang with an extraordinary note. Strung together with others in a chord, a phrase or a line, Miss Stern’s music grows in intensity to become that unstoppable force that she has become. The simple phrase in “Wakama”, for instance, continents collide and a melody expands in beauty, becoming a gushing ecstasy.

Similarly, when her fingers bite into the strings again in “Calabas” shadows and shining surfaces reveal themselves. The song contains darkness but in its revelation of anti-light the flicker of synapse between us and the African sun comes into being. And we are awake and alive again in a way that is somehow different to the way we have been a moment ago. It is as if her, as everywhere else Miss Stern – through her music and in her sublime artistry – has poured energy into the air around us. We, for our part, become changed forever because of her and the message she brings from Mother Africa.

Track list – 1: Khavare; 2: Barambai; 3: Wakhma; 4: Calabas; 5: Spell; 6: Colombiano; 7: Assiko; 8: Crocodile

Personnel – Leni Stern: electric guitar, n’goni and voice; Mamadou Ba: bass; Alioune Faye: sabar, djembe, calabas and voice; with Mike Stern: electric guitar (4, 5); Leo Genovese: Sequential Circuits Six-Trak synthesizer (4, 6); Gil Goldstein: accordion (2, 8); Muhammed and Princess Louise Faye: backing vocals (2, 8)

Released – 2018
Label – Leni Stern Recordings
Runtime – 32:38

Jazz Weekly - Review - George Harris /  by Leni Stern

Leni Stern: 3

by George W. Harris • May 14, 2018 •

Leni Stern continues her journey of successfully melding sounds of Western Africa with American jazz on this latest album. She sings and plays both guitar and the Malian n’goni as she teams with Mamddou Ba/b and Alionue Faye/perc-voice along with guests including husband Mike Stern.

Some of the songs are filled with traditional sounds with pieces like “Khavare” while things get a bit more modern with Mike Stern’s electric guitar along with Leo Genovese’s synthesizer on Calabas” while Gil Goldstein/s accordion and Muhammed & Princess Louise Faye’s vocals on “Barambai” and “Crocodile” add extra mystique from the Sahel Desert. The sound is spacious and uncluttered, takin you on a journey through the Dogon cliffs.

http://www.jazzweekly.com/2018/05/leni-stern-3/

Kansas City's KUAW - 98.5 FM /  by Leni Stern

German-born Veteran Jazz Guitarist Leni Stern

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Jazz Guitarist Leni Stern .. She talked to Neon Jazz from her home of New York City about growing up in Germany .. and her newest album called 3 – She discussed a great deal about her music life .. getting into music .. playing with the likes of Paul Motian and many others .. She’s got a very rich road paved in jazz artistry .. with much more to do ..

Click here to listen to the interview.