The unprecedented talent of Mike Stern could be heard for the first time when the 22-year-old guitarist joined the innovative band Blood, Sweat & Tears. With their credentials in his pocket he could work with almost all the jazz greats. The names of Billy Cobham, Miles Davis, Jaco Pastorius, The Brecker Brothers and many others fill the CV of this wizard of the strings. His American debut Upside Downside (1986) hit the fusion scene like a musical bomb: with his angular rhythms, jumpy melodies and the more often than not hysterically inspired solo’s Stern succeeded in winning a whole lot of fans. His last CD Voices was nominated for a Grammy and his latest album These Times presents a matured musician at his best.
