Mike Stern Birthday! Guitar prodigy turns 63…

Mike Stern Birthday

Mike Stern’s birthday. For more of his music, select the image.

The Paris Concert

Born Michael Sedgwick, guitarist Mike Stern was born January 10, 1953 in Boston, Massachusetts. Stern is the surname of his stepfather, Henry Dwight Sedgwick. During the late ’70s, Stern studied guitar and jazz at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, during which time his professional career began with the group Blood, Sweat, & Tears.

In 1981, he joined Miles Davis’ group for several years. Stern was recruited by Miles after moving to New York City, serving an import function in Davis’ 1981 comeback band. As a solo artist, Stern has released dozens of albums and received six Grammy nominations. Here’s a video of him playing live in Paris in 2004.

The Mike Stern Band perform live in concert on November 9, 2004 at the New Morning in Paris, France.

Personnel:

  • Mike Stern, guitar
  • Bob Franceschini, tenor sax
  • Richard Bona, bass
  • Dennis Chambers, drums

Set List:

  • 1 Play
  • 2 Slow Changes
  • 3 Still There
  • 4 Tipatina
  • 5 Ha Ha Hotel

He was hailed as the Best Jazz Guitarist of 1993 by Guitar Player magazine. At the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal in June 2007, Stern was honored with the Miles Davis Award, which was created to recognize internationally acclaimed jazz artists whose body of work has contributed significantly to the renewal of the genre. In 2009 Stern was listed on Down Beat ’​s list of 75 best jazz guitar players of all time. Stern was presented with Guitar Player magazine’s Certified Legend Award on January 21, 2012. This was given to him at the Muriel Anderson’s All-Star Guitar night where he performed with Lee Ritenour. In November 2014, Mike kicked off a tour with fellow guitarist Eric Johnson named the “Eclectic Guitar Tour.” They have also recorded an album of the same name. Mike Stern is considered one of the top jazz-fusion guitar-composers of his generation.


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