Some of the greatest names in jazz history deliver an unforgettable, electrifying performance. As the name implies, Jeff Lorber Fusion initially took inspiration from such genre-bending icons as Horace Silver, Chick Corea, and the ’70s electrified sound of Miles Davis.
One of the early progenitors of what would come to be known as smooth jazz, pianist Jeff Lorber originally made his name in the ’70s and ’80s with his electric jazz outfit Jeff Lorber Fusion. Like contemporaries Pat Metheny and John McLaughlin, his solos replaced the acoustically oriented, horn-influenced styles of earlier jazz guitarists with the sustained tones, sliding phrases and power-driven sounds associated with rock. Stern's 12th release as a leader and debut on ESC Records stands as one of the best of his career.Stern has fully mastered the electric guitar as a jazz instrument. And now he ups the ante with These Times. 2001's Voices, his first foray into vocal music, earned Mike his third Grammy nomination. Stern's ninth release for Atlantic was a six-string summit meeting with colleagues Bill Frisell and John Scofield that was appropriately titled Play. Gibson Award for Best Jazz Guitarist that year.
Their freewheeling covers of Sonny Rollins' Oleo, John Coltrane's Giant Steps Cole Porter's I Love You and Jimi Hendrix's Who Knows helped Mike earn the Orville W. In 1997, Stern recorded Give And Take with bassist John Patitucci, drummer Jack DeJohnette, percussionist Don Alias and special guests Michael Brecker and David Sanborn. He followed that up with two hard-hitting offerings in 1994's Is What It Is and 1996's Between The Lines, both of which received Grammy nominations. Mike's acclaimed 1993 Atlantic Jazz release, Standards (And Other Songs), led to him being named Best Jazz Guitarist of the Year by the readers and critics of Guitar Player magazine.
(Other notable sideman credits include work with the late, great tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson and the recent live recording 4 Generations of Miles, in which the guitarist joins with other Miles Davis alumni George Coleman on tenor sax, Jimmy Cobb on drums and Ron Carter on bass). They remained a working unit from 1989 to 1992, at which point Stern joined a reunited Brecker Brothers Band, appearing on 1992's Return of the Brecker Brothers. During this period he also formed a touring group with saxophonist Berg that included drummer Dennis Chambers and bassist Lincoln Goines. He followed that in succession with 1989's Jigsaw and 1991's Odds Or Evens, both of which ably showcased his legendary guitar prowess and musicality. Stern's second Atlantic album, 1988's Time In Place, continued the promise of his debut. From 1986 through 1988, Mike was a member of Michael Brecker's potent quintet, appearing on Don't Try This At Home. Stern made his first recording as a leader for the Japanese Trio label (1985's Neesh) before making his debut on Atlantic Records in 1986 with Upside Downside, featuring such celebrated colleagues as Sanborn, Pastorius, saxophonist Bob Berg, bassists Mark Egan and Jeff Andrews, keyboardist Mitch Forman and drummers Dave Weckl and Steve Jordan. In the summer of 1986, Stern went out on the road with David Sanborn and later joined an electrified edition of Steps Ahead which featured Mike Mainieri on midi vibes, Michael Brecker on the Electronic Wind Instrument (EWI), Darryl Jones on electric bass and Steve Smith on drums. From 1983 to 1984, he toured with Jaco Pastorius' Word of Mouth band and in 1985 returned to Miles' lineup for a second tour of duty that lasted close to a year. During his three-year period with Miles, Mike appeared on three recordings with the jazz maestro - Man With The Horn, Star People and the live We Want Miles. Following a stint with Billy Cobham's powerhouse fusion band from 1979-1980, Mike moved to New York City and was recruited by Miles Davis and played a key role in his celebrated comeback band of 1981 (which also included bassist Marcus Miller, drummer Al Foster, percussionist Mino Cinelu and saxophonist Bill Evans). After growing up in Washington D.C., he returned to Boston to study at the Berklee College of Music and got his start as a guitar player with Blood, Sweat & Tears at the age of 22. One of the premier guitarists of his generation, the three-time Grammy nominee was born on Januin Boston.