MIKE STERN — These Times (2004) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Combine the innovative guitar energy of legendary fusion master Mike Stern with old friends (bassist Richard Bona, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta) and new (saxman Kenny Garrett), and anything is bound to happen. But fans expecting raucous swinging and jamming the whole time may be surprised at the subtle lyricism and exotic explorations that define these times for their hero. Yes, his electric is crackling on the hypnotic opener, "Chatter," but it's in the crazy, exotic context of a Middle Eastern vibe inspired by Pakistani great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (look out, Eddie Vedder!). Jim Beard's jumpy piano, Colaiuta's wild, New Orleans groove, and Garrett's swirling lines provide great support. Once Stern and company have the listener's attention, they can become seductive with more intimate affairs like the Joe Zawinul-influenced "Silver Lining," which features an exotic falsetto vocal by Bona, a former Zawinul Syndicate member who also propels the tune with his increasingly muscular basslines. Bona adds the same touch in a gentler way to the lush romance of "I Know You," featuring a soft-spoken harmony line by guest star banjo great Béla Fleck. This sequence of tunes sets the tone of the rest of the disc, which mixes more Khan-flavored gems (the colorful singalong "Mirage," featuring vocals by Elisabeth Kontomanou), soft ballads, and a sexy midtempo funk number that (gasp!) might translate to the smooth jazz format. Another highlight is the punchy bebop number "Remember," dedicated to Stern's longtime collaborator the late Bob Berg. Perhaps the only drawback is having Garrett on hand but only featuring him on three numbers. Jonathan Widran
Tracklist :
1.    Chatter    6:10
Mike Stern
2.    Silver Lining    6:34
Mike Stern
3.    I Know You    5:06
Mike Stern
4.    Mirage    6:44
Mike Stern
5.    If Only    5:31
Mike Stern
6.    Street Rhyme    6:36
Mike Stern
7.    Avenue B    6:13
Mike Stern
8.    Remember (For Bob Berg)    6:02
Mike Stern
9.    These Times    8:12
Mike Stern
10.    What You Believe    6:45
Mike Stern
11.    Last One Down    5:30
Mike Stern
Credits :
Lyrics By – Richard Bona (tracks: 5)
Musician – Arto Tuncboyaciyan, Bob Franceschini, Bob Malach, Béla Fleck, Dennis Chambers, Don Alias, Elisabeth Kontomanou, Jim Beard, Jon Herington, Kenny Garrett, Richard Bona, Victor Wooten, Vinnie Colaiuta, Will Lee
Producer – Jim Beard 

MIKE STERN — All Over The Place (2012) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist:
1.    AJ    8:53
Mike Stern
2.    Cameroon    5:46
Mike Stern
3.    Out Of The Blue    6:15
Mike Stern
4.    As Far As We Know    6:33
Mike Stern
5.    Blues For Al    7:06
Mike Stern
6.    OCD    8:07
Mike Stern
7.    You Never Told Me    6:18
Mike Stern
8.    Half Way Home    6:29
Mike Stern
9.    Light    6:14
Mike Stern
10.    Flipside    7:22
Mike Stern
11.    All Over The Place    6:20
Mike Stern
Credits :
Victor Bailey, Tom Kennedy, Will Lee, Victor Wooten - Bass
Jim Beard - Engineer, Fender Rhodes, Hammond B3, Mixing, Piano, Producer, Synthesizer
Richard Bona - Bass, Engineer, Vocals
Randy Brecker - Trumpet
Keith Carlock, Lionel Cordew, Al Foster - Drums
Bob Franceschini, Kenny Garrett, Bob Malach, Chris Potter - Saxophone
Dave Holland - Bass (Acoustic)
Anthony Jackson - Contrabass Guitar
Tim Keiper - Percussion
Esperanza Spalding - Bass (Acoustic), Vocals
Leni Stern - Wah Wah Guitar
Mike Stern - Composer, Guitar, Guitar (Nylon String), Slide Guitar
Kim Thompson, Dave Weckl - Drums

MIKE STERN — Trip (2017) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Trip was an album that happened because of Mike Stern's relentless determination to remain Mike Stern. On July 3, 2016, he was hailing a cab when he tripped over some concealed construction debris, broke both arms, and was taken to the hospital. He fractured both humerus bones and was left with significant nerve damage in his right hand, preventing him from accomplishing even the simplest of tasks -- including holding a guitar pick. Following a surgery in which 11 screws were put into his arm, Stern emerged in late October with Chick Corea, playing seated and wearing a black glove outfitted with Velcro attached to a Velcro-fitted pick. A second surgery followed and he gained more control of his nerve-damaged right hand by literally gluing and taping his fingers to a pick. It gradually strengthened his grip, and allowed him to regain his speed and technical precision. The recording of Trip began in January of 2017, six months after the accident. While the title's meaning has a double entendre, some of its song titles -- "Screws," "Scotch Tape and Glue" --also reference his surgical events.
Stern enlisted an all-star cast playing in different configurations, achieving a diversity that even exceeds All Over the Place. The title track with drummer Dennis Chambers, bassist Victor Wooten, keyboardist/album producer Jim Beard, and saxophonist Bob Franceschini is a knotty exercise in rocking jazz-funk fusion with peeling guitar riffs, solos, and fills. There's a Miles Davis lilt to "Blueprint" with Randy Brecker guesting on muted trumpet, while Beard plays B-3 and synths, and Chambers offers his best take on Al Foster. Stern eventually touches on the blues before it winds out. "Half Crazy" is blazing, hard-grooving post-bop, with Beard on piano, swinging tenorist Bill Evans, drummer Lenny White, and Teymur Phell on bass. "Screws" commences slowly and quixotically with Wallace Roney on trumpet and the rest of the rhythm section above, as well as percussionist Arto Tuncboyaciyan. While the melody builds in layers and spirals upwards, Roney and Stern each solo hard, adding limber bluesy funk until they deconstruct it to a fade. Leni Stern adds her ngoni to the West African-tinged "Emilia" with Gio Moretti on wordless vocals hovering above the band's interplay. Stern's ngoni also adds a lithe dimension to the grooving, midtempo ballad "I Believe You." "Hope for That" is another intense, even transcendent fusion jam that bumps into rockist Latin terrain with drummer Dave Weckl driving a mean set of crossbeats. While fleet post-bop governs the hard swinging "Scotch Tape and Glue," with Evans returning on tenor, it is Stern's overdriven playing that sets the tone and controls its flow. Stern even picks up an acoustic guitar for the lovely quartet ballad "Gone," offering a side of himself we seldom hear. Stern may have been proving something to himself on Trip. But what he delivers is a tenacious, heartfelt work of imagination, discipline, technical facility, and pure pleasure. 
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1.    Trip 7:24
Mike Stern
2.    Blueprint 7:27
Mike Stern
3.    Half Crazy 5:37
Mike Stern
4.    Screws 7:21
Mike Stern
5.    Gone 4:06
Mike Stern
6.    Whatchacallit 6:44
Mike Stern
7.    Emilia 5:33
Mike Stern
8.    Hope For That 5:52
Mike Stern
9.    I Believe You 5:03
Mike Stern
10.    Scotch Tape And Glue 5:36
Mike Stern
11.    B Train 5:20
Mike Stern
Credits :
Bass – Edmond Gilmore (tracks: 5,9), Teymur Phell (tracks: 3,4,7,8,10,11), Tom Kennedy (tracks: 2,6), Victor Wooten (tracks: 1)
Drums – Dave Weckl (tracks: 8), Dennis Chambers (tracks: 1,2,6), Lenny White (tracks: 3,4,10,11), Will Calhoun (tracks: 5,9)
Guitar – Mike Stern
Ngoni – Leni Stern (tracks: 7,9)
Percussion – Arto Tuncboyaciyan (tracks: 1,2,4,7,8), Elhadji Alioune Faye (tracks: 10)
Piano, Keyboards – Jim Beard
Tenor Saxophone – Bill Evans (tracks: 3,10), Bob Franceschini (tracks: 1,6)
Trumpet – Randy Brecker (tracks: 2), Wallace Rooney (tracks: 4,11)
Vocals – Giovanni Moretti (tracks: 7) 

MIKE STERN — Big Neighborhood (2009) Two Version | WV + FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Like all the legends he ever worked for or with, from Miles Davis to Jaco Pastorius, Billy Cobham to the Brecker Brothers, the five-time Grammy nominee has learned over the course of his 26-year recording career -- 33 since he got his breakthrough gig with Blood, Sweat & Tears -- something about the nuanced art of collaboration. Not only does it take a village to make a great, boundary-stretching jazz recording, the wild excursions on his second Heads Up date seem to be shouting, as it actually involves a whole Big Neighborhood. On this diverse 12-track set, whose styles range from blazing jazz fusion to African-tinged exotica and trippy Middle Eastern journeys, Mike Stern invites a few of his pals back who populated his similarly eclectic 2006 label debut Who Let the Cats Out? Especially significant is the renewed invitation extended to Richard Bona, whose rumbling bass and spirited vocalese bring authenticity to the highly spiritual African vibes of "Reach." Looks like Stern's got a little crush on the brilliant young bassist/vocalist Esperanza Spalding, whose voice, he says, knocks him out. Pairing her with drum great Terri Lyne Carrington isn't just a cool, girl-power endeavor. The two have genuine chemistry with the guitarist; "Song for Pepper" drifts dreamily with Spalding's endearing vocalizations, and "Coupe de Ville" darts and swings playfully as Bob Malach's sax and Stern's strings weave through the rhythmic foundation forged by Spalding and Carrington. Finally, Stern swings the door open to a lot of fresh melodic and improvisational ideas via his jazz-rock cohorts Eric Johnson (playing it cool on the moody, soulful "6th Street") and Steve Vai (wailing like crazy on the searing title track). He goes artsier with "jam band godfathers" Medeski, Martin & Wood, who help spin a wild blues-rock web on "Check One" and cool to a simmer on the more pop/rock-oriented "Check One." There's also an appearance by Stern's old friend, Randy Brecker. This is one block party jazz fusion fans won't want to miss in 2009!  Jonathan Widran 
Tracklist :
1.    Big Neighborhood 7:40
Bass – Lincoln Goines
Drums – Dave Weckl
Guitar – Mike Stern, Steve Vai
Piano, Keyboards – Jim Beard
2.    6th Street 7:48
Bass – Lincoln Goines
Drums – Lionel Cordew
Guitar – Eric Johnson, Mike Stern
Organ [Hammond] – Jim Beard
3.    Reach 5:29
Bass, Vocals – Richard Bona
Drums – Dave Weckl
Guitar – Mike Stern
Piano, Keyboards – Jim Beard
Saxophone – Bob Franceschini
4.    Song For Pepper 5:43
Bass, Vocals – Esperanza Spalding
Drums – Terri Lyne Carrington
Guitar – Mike Stern
Piano, Organ [Hammond] – Jim Beard
5.    Coupe De Ville 4:35
Bass, Vocals – Esperanza Spalding
Drums – Terri Lyne Carrington
Guitar – Mike Stern
Piano – Jim Beard
Saxophone – Bob Malach
6.    Bird Blue 5:42
Bass, Vocals – Esperanza Spalding
Drums – Terri Lyne Carrington
Guitar – Mike Stern
Piano, Keyboards – Jim Beard
7.    Moroccan Roll 7:04
Bass – Lincoln Goines
Drums – Dave Weckl
Guitar – Mike Stern
Piano, Keyboards – Jim Beard
Sitar [Sitar Guitar] – Steve Vai
8.    Long Time Gone 7:51
Bass – Lincoln Goines
Drums – Lionel Cordew
Guitar – Eric Johnson, Mike Stern
Organ [Hammond] – Jim Beard
9.    Check One 7:37
Drums – Billy Martin
Electric Bass – Chris Wood
Guitar – Mike Stern
Organ [Hammond], Clavinet – John Medeski
Saxophone – Bob Malach
10.    That's All It Is 4:50
Acoustic Bass – Chris Wood  
Drums – John Medeski
Guitar – Mike Stern
Organ [Hammond], Piano [Wurlitzer] – John Medeski
Saxophone – Bob Malach
11.    Hope You Don't Mind 5:18
Bass – Chris Minh Doky
Drums – Cindy Blackman
Guitar – Mike Stern
Piano – Jim Beard
Trumpet – Randy Brecker