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) 
This was the debut release by the Caribbean Jazz Project, a colorful co-op project that combines together the very different but complementary styles of Paquito D'Rivera (doubling on alto and clarinet), Dave Samuels (on marimba and vibes) and the brilliant steel drummer Andy Narell. Backed by a four-piece rhythm section, the accessible group sticks mostly to catchy group originals that range from Latin jazz to Caribbean music. The likable results are melodic and not overly predictable. This CD gives listeners an excellent example of the group's sound. by Scott Yanow
