zoom_in Click to enlarge

Mike Stern

▲ ▼

description Mike Stern Overview

Mike Stern is an American jazz guitarist whose playing combines bebop vocabulary, blues phrasing, rock sonorities, and electric jazz fusion. He became widely known through his work with Miles Davis during the trumpeter's early-1980s return to performing, and he has also played with groups led by Billy Cobham and Jaco Pastorius. Stern's extensive career as a bandleader centers on guitar-led compositions that alternate between distorted, high-energy passages and more lyrical jazz material.

help Mike Stern FAQ

Which Miles Davis albums feature Mike Stern?

Stern appears on The Man with the Horn, We Want Miles, and Star People, among other Davis recordings from the period. He worked with Davis from 1981 to 1983 and returned in 1985.

Who plays guitar with Mike Stern on Fat Time?

Fat Time is a Miles Davis composition named after Stern, whose nickname in the band was Fat Time. Stern's distorted electric guitar is central to the track on Davis's 1981 comeback album The Man with the Horn.

Which Mike Stern solo album is the best entry point for his fusion sound?

Upside Downside from 1986 is a useful starting point because it establishes his mix of bebop lines, rock distortion, and melodic writing. The album also features major jazz players including Jaco Pastorius, David Sanborn, and Bob Berg.

Why does Mike Stern sound more like a rock guitarist than many jazz players?

Stern combines bebop vocabulary with sustained notes, chorus, distortion, and the volume of electric rock. His background included Blood, Sweat & Tears and Billy Cobham before his high-profile work with Miles Davis.