Mike Stern

Coming from jazz fusion, guitarist Mike Stern made his name in Miles Davis' band and went on to have a flourishing solo career, despite struggling with alcoholism and drug addiction. Born Michael Sedgwick in Boston on January 10, 1953, and a student at the city's famous Berklee College of Music, he joined the band Blood, Sweat & Tears in 1975 and then accompanied drummer Billy Cobham, before joining Miles Davis' band, which sent him to rehab and hired him again in 1985. In the meantime, Mike Stern played with bassist Jaco Pastorius, released his first solo album Neesh (1983) and participated in the short-lived Vital Information. Back solo with Atlantic with the album Upside Down in 1986, he teamed up for several years with saxophonist Michael Brecker in a quintet, in parallel with leader recordings such as Time in Place (1988) and Jigsaw (1989). He formed a quartet until the album Odds or Evens (1991), followed by Standards (And Other Songs) in 1992, Is What It Is in 1994 and Between the Lines (1996), nominated for a Grammy Award. His style as a guitarist remained intact despite frequent label changes, in varied musical environments with different accompanists such as Bob Berg, David Sanborn, Kenny Garrett and Béla Fleck. Signed by the label Heads Up, he recorded the albums Who Let the Cats Out? (2006) and Big Neighborhood (2009), between a collaboration with the group Yellowjackets. Hailed by Downbeat magazine as one of the 75 greatest guitarists of all time and honored with a Certified Legend Award by Guitar Player, Mike Stern formed a duo with Eric Johnson on Eclectic (2014) and returned with the album Trip (2017), after a long stay in the hospital due to a fall. He toured with the Mike Stern/Michael Brecker Band and invited The Jeff Lorber Fusion on Eleven (2019). Between several sessions for other artists and a prolonged absence, he returned in 2024 with the album Echoes and Other Songs.