|
contents | jazz | |||||||||||||
| Leni Stern's 'Spirit In The Water' EP Critics have begun to weigh in on the global sound of singer/guitarist Leni Stern's striking new EP, 'Spirit In the Water'. Veteran writer Neil Tesser described the collection as 'a glorious triumph, ' and remarked that Stern's eclectic career has emerged as 'one of modern music's great adventures.' Stern's recent journeys to India, Mali, Madagascar and elsewhere will soon be featured in a multi-page Dirty Linen profile and via a Jazziz interview as well. Stern's new songs combine South Indian Ragas (sung in the local dialect of Tamil) with haunting tales of African sorcerers, sung in Wollof, the language of Senegal, and much more. Recorded on analog tape, the EP has a warm, soulful sound, evocative of jazz and rock albums of the 1960's. 'Spirit In the Water' precedes a new, full-length Leni Stern album to be released later in 2010 - details of the full CD will be announced soon. Until then, Stern, who has been described by The New York Times' Nate Chinen as 'a guitarist and vocalist with an ethereal sensibility, ' is in the midst of a series of international performances, including a recent appearance with the legendary Salif Keita at the Festival on the Niger in Segou, the old capital of Mali. In January, Stern made a return performance at the famed Festival in the Desert in Essakane, Mali. Stern will soon perform in New Delhi on March 6th, and in Mumbai, India (with her full band, ) for International Women's Day on March 8th. San Francisco Examiner - Four Star CD review - 2/10/10 - By Neil Tesser Global Warming II: Leni Stern completes her journey from jazz to Africa Sprit In the Water, the latest effort from guitarist-turned-vocalist Leni Stern, goes even further than her extravagantly praised Africa (2007) in melding her Western-honed songwriting skills with the rhythms and subject matter of the Plateau Continent. Haunting and sensuous, the six-song EP adds another wrinkle to what has become one of modern music's great adventures. Tracing Stern's journey involves more than a look at her passport - although that alone would prove pretty revealing. A jazz guitarist turned vocalist and geo-musical explorer, Stern emigrated from Germany to the U.S. in the late 70s (where she soon married guitar hero Mike Stern); in the last five years, she's traveled widely through Africa and India, gathering material for her last several albums. But Stern's artistic trek outpaces even her global repositioning. She actually started as an actress in her native Munich (founding her own successful theater company at the age of 17). She then switched her allegiance to music and studied film scoring at the Berklee College of Music before abandoning that enterprise for the guitar; between 1985 and 1995 she recorded eight albums emphasizing her sensitive but confident technique and a facility with the softer side of contemporary jazz. Then, in the mid-90s, Stern began writing and singing her own lyrics - in a refreshingly untrained voice shaped more by folk music than jazz - while bringing a harder edge to her instrumental work. In so doing, she crossed the line from jazz to pop, without sacrificing any of her artistry. And by the time she'd immersed herself in the music and cultures of Africa - she lived in Mali for the better part of two years - the experience provided a crucible from which she has forged an increasingly mature and emotionally transportive songbook. (At this writing, she's back in Mali, between tours in superstar Salif Keita's band.) On Spirit In The Water, Stern's guitar finds wonderful complement in the wide variety of percussion (plus oud, kora, and backing vocals) assembled for the date. It opens with 'House Of Thieves, ' the melody of which bears a striking if short-lived resemblance to the theme from Exodus, and I doubt the similarity is accidental. The African diaspora has often drawn comparisons with the Jews' flight from ancient Egypt; Stern has turned that dynamic on its head by going to Africa for her musical liberation. The title track, sung in both English and the Urhobo language of Nigeria, honors the aquatic deity Yemaja, originally a Yoruba goddess whose powerful presence now extends across a variety of African and Afro-American belief systems. Against a talking-drum rhythm as relentless as the tides, Stern uses her prayerful vocal to weave an incantatory veil, subsequently pierced by an extroverted performance from the Nigerian singer Kofo ('the Wonderman'). (Stern herself uses the Senegalese Wolof language on the other-worldly 'In My Dream.') At only six tunes, Spirit In The Water is a short if glorious triumph, but don't worry: there are plenty more where those come from. Stern's next full-length album, due this fall, will reportedly comprise all new material in the same vein. And on all these tracks, Stern achieves an almost mystical balance - unmediated by African-American hybrids (like jazz or rhythm-and-blues) - between the musics of two continents. MetalJazz CD review by Greg Burk Leni Stern blends her Bavarian blondness ever more fully with the colors of her beloved Africa. After several years of consistent interaction with the Malian Tuareg community and an Africa-based international band, the guitarist-singer-songwriter has attained a degree of naturalness that makes her seem almost an African artist. You really notice the communion in the rhythms: Each of the six tracks here features a number of drums, from heartbeat lows to perky highs, expertly mixed by producer Andy Tommasi so they support the overall feel of the songs; even on a gentle lullaby like 'Sera, ' the complex beats come off as subliminal. Skittering kora, twangy oud and various guest vocalists intertwine with Stern's high, musing voice and the natural explorations of her electric guitar, which burns like Santana, bends with understated strength or extends silvery filaments. The melodies are pretty, the words doubtful, fragile, sensually vulnerable, especially on the very Leni-like concluding track, 'Tell Me' (she always makes quiet demands): 'Love is a spider's web, it's cruel, it's true.' Listen shallow or deep; rewards await at every level. By Greg Burk, MetalJazz, 12/09 http://www.metaljazz.com/2009/12/guitar_shorts_leni_stern_mike.php Leni Stern is a Global Music artist and electric guitarist whose acclaimed 2007 CD 'Africa' was described by ALLMUSIC as "one of the finest CDs of the past year, in any genre." With a vocal style that has been compared to Rickie Lee Jones, Stern has wowed critics with her embrace of the many musical traditions the world has to offer - in fact, Stern recently had the honor of performing at the United Nations. Stern's live shows deliver an African/Global musical experience to an American audience. Jazziz Magazine has noted: "Though not an African native, the blonde, German-born, Berklee-trained jazz guitarist Leni Stern has become a windswept desert wanderer in heart and spirit. While recording her latest album, Africa (Leni Stern Recordings), she immersed herself in West African culture, living there for the better part of two years. From that rich experience, she created a collection of songs that are an aural history of her music lessons, and that were further drawn from passionate fireside debates and observations about a vast region of the world that is both elementally sacred and relentlessly plagued by political unrest." Stern's stature as a Global Music artist has grown in the wake of both 'Africa' and 'Spirit In The Water', and her live performances have reflected the dynamic shift, both in terms of instrumentation and personnel. Critics embraced 'Africa' as "a significant new chapter in a career marked by bold changes.' With 'Spirit In the Water', Leni Stern's world has expanded to include South India, as her sound continues to evolve. More details about her full CD for 2010 will be announced soon. write your comments about the article :: © 2010 Jazz News :: home page |