Stern has been celebrated for his versatile playing style since he first hit the scene in the 1970s, transcending genres by performing 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 & Dennis Chambers, for 11 brand-new originals that will captivate and unite guitar and jazz fans of all generations. 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 is a powerhouse document from one of the finest guitarists in jazz history, at a time in his career when he overcame immense physical struggles and experienced profound loss. In the sheer might of these performances, Echoes is a defiant record — not so much a victory lap as a call to arms.
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. “I’m not exaggerating when I call Jim Beard a genius,” Stern says. “People would say, ‘You should change up your producer — you know, just mix it up.’ And I would say, ‘Why?’ Everybody loved Jim. He was just great at what he did — how he used technology, how he produced, how he mixed.” Stern goes on to describe Beard’s touch as a player. “Incredible.” He pauses. “Ridiculous… Everything he did was perfect. The records he came out with were amazing, but I think he could have done even more as a piano player.”
In the end, though, Stern was most affected by Beard’s devotion as a friend. “When I had the blues,” he recalls, “when I felt low and wanted to talk to somebody, he’s one of the people I would reach out to. It would be short, but he would know exactly what I was talking about. It’s a heartbreaker.”
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’s regular gig there was legendary, enduring and advantageous; it was at 55 where Michael Brecker became interested in hiring the guitarist.
His 55 residency also provided a physical-therapy regimen of sorts after Stern 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. Stern has had the abiding support of his wife, Leni, to help him, as well as godsends like Dr. Alton Barron, an orthopedic hand specialist recommended by a friend, fellow guitar master Wayne Krantz.
Advised by another pal, the drummer Ray Levier, Stern came up with an efficient system for holding his pick, using wig glue and tape. “It was a challenge and a half,” Stern says, “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.”
But Stern pushes on and rises above, as he has throughout his career — like when he rejoined Miles Davis’ band in 1985, having found sobriety. Throughout Echoes, you’d be hard-pressed to find a second in which Stern’s chops are less than sublime. In terms of expressivity, his flatpicking has no limitations.
“I’m gonna keep trying with whatever I got,” Stern says. “You know I got to. Because I love it, and love means that some days you hate it; those two sides are on the same coin. But the love is definitely winning out.” Consider Mike Stern’s Echoes and Other Songs his love letter to jazz, to the guitar, to bandstand camaraderie, and to his own undefeated will.
2024 Tour Dates:
- 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
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