LA WEEKLY - live at Rocco

LA WEEKLY
Aug. 30 - Sept. 5, 2002 - by Greg Burk

Leni Stern Is Real

LENI STERN GOT A NEW AUDIENCE. That was part of what she was shooting for several years back when she stopped being exclusively a fusion-rooted electric-guitar plucker and stepped out as a singer and a balladic songwriter as well. Of course, she also hoped to tug her old audience along. Which hasn't happened so much.

It was like when a friend suddenly finds Jesus; the old fans weren't ready for Stern to start bearing unfamiliar fruit in her 40s. The fruit has been unusual, too: satisfying and sustaining, very fresh, but darkly colored and not overbred. Stern's voice, while rangy, projects an impression less of virtuosity than of urgent conversation, breaking and straining here and there. Her songwriting complements that: naked lyrics set to gently leaping, can't-get-'em-out-of-your-head melodies. And she still plays the subtlest, most expressive guitar this side of Bill Frisell. (Yes, she's recorded with him.)

Such numerous strengths had to draw new listeners, who couldn't believe they'd bumped into a musician who stood up to the kind of expectations they'd built on Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell. And she was sort of new.

German-born but based in New York, Stern often gets to Europe and Asia, not skipping L.A. She was in Hollywood last month at Rocco, a club with a different (and good) feel, as if some of the world's head-turningest musicians have wandered into your rec room and started jamming. On this night, Fender bassist Paul Socolow, who's backed Stern for a long time, walked up in his untucked T-shirt and plugged in; young drummer Keith Carlock, whom she picked out of class when she was teaching music at the University of North Texas a few years back, was muss-headed and jet-lagged.

Stern smiled warmly when she talked, and didn't when she played. In her eyes, down-slanted and naturally dark-aproned, there was seriousness and the memory of pain. Her hair was a white bird nest with a little pink in it. On her lean left arm, a black tattoo -- the Tibetan character for Om -- accented her quiet vitality and determination.

She likes the Stratocaster, a guitar that can stretch, and she sat, lightly wringing it for Latinate strums, pungent blues punctuations, butterfly flutters up and down the neck -- even rock-out power chords as Carlock went Moon-crazy behind her. Her singing was direct, vulnerable, unpretentiously beautiful.

But it was the songwriting that made the biggest impact. The ballads "Love Lightly," "I Call You" and "Love Everyone" sounded eternally familiar. "Empty Hands" defined loss, "Love Is Real" built passion, both coming off as not-yet-acknowledged classics. Just to place herself in the tradition, Stern whispered through the standard "I'll Be Seeing You," and its recollections and shades of emotion plainly came from the place where she lives. When she sang "Where Is God?" she spoke for everybody. Who else does that?

STERN'S SONGS AREN'T BACKGROUND music. Her words about watching someone sleep, or hearing her own footsteps on a city street, or weeping and praying, will remind you of people you have loved and of those who have died. Compelling as she is, and as easy as she is to hear, she's not easy listening. Facing real emotion is challenging and uncool. But once you've done it . . .

It's been an inspiration to watch Stern's artistic progress. When she couldn't get re-signed in the mid-'90s, she got going with her own label, Leni Stern Recordings (www.lenistern.com). When she wanted to sing, she just did. And after a period when she collaborated with songwriter Larry John McNally, who wasn't always a perfect fit, her last two CDs -- the elegantly orchestrated Kindness of Strangers and the star-bedecked Finally the Rain Has Come -- have witnessed the full flowering of her art, with nearly all the compositions attributed to herself, and the consistency level at Olympian heights. Which is not to diminish the value of her other LSR releases: Black Guitar offers gems like "One Day" and "Can Joe Cocker (Hit the High Notes Tonight)," while Recollection is a bridge between her two audiences, featuring great recent songs and a selection of her best earlier instrumentals.

One feels obliged to add, if only to reinforce the image of a woman who takes nothing lying down, that Stern is an activist for cancer survivors. And that she holds belts in Shaolin martial arts. But she doesn't have to get near you to kick your ass.

Billboard review: Kindness of Stangers

Billboard
October 28, 2000 by Steve Graybow

Continuing her remarkable transformation from jazz guitarist to folk/jazz chanteuse, Stern turns in a beautiful set of songsand adds another feather to her cap, that of orchestrator. The album's centerpiece, the 19 minute "Vedo Il Tuo Viso (I See Your Face)" is a moving mini-comcerto for guitar, voice, and orchestra commemorating the 20th anniversary of a terrorist attack in Italy, commisioned by the town where the atrocity took place. Stern's music and lyrics reflect the sorrow, longings, and passions of life, painted in universal blue-toned hues that bring a commonality to her experiences. Plus, she continues to be a notable jazz guitarist, spinning beautifully crafted lines within her folk-influenced songs. The fact that Stern records for her own independent label makes the depth and creativity of her music all the more commendable.

Jazztimes - Recollection

Jazz Times
4/99 Currents column by Hilarie Grey

Those who haven't discovered the poignant writing and excellent guitar work of Leni Stern are given a great gift with Recollection (Leni Stern Recordings, LSR 042;74:57) This collection, released on Stern's own label, is a thoughtful tour of some of her earlier work, along with some vibrant and often heartrending new material. Stern's range of voice and influences is shown at every memorable stop - from the ringing, dreamy tableaus of "Shooting Star" and the wild, raging jazz drumming and piano rolls knuckling under her skillful slide on "Talk to Me" (both from 1992), to an eerily beautiful, spindly guitar duet with Bill Frisell on "Someday My Prince Will Come," reaching back to 1985. Stern's 1996 recording of "Something is Wrong In Spanish Harlem"---a gentle, smokey and fragile duet with Wayne Krantz -- underscores her beautiful, genuine approach to song craft. This emmotional openness is related in bittersweet new tracks "Love Lightly" and "Love is Real," with prickly neo-folk undertones and trmulous vocals recalling a more weathered Suzanne Vega or Carly Simon. Stern, a cancer survivor, always infuses her music with a tough sense of hope (evidenced in the poignant "Wondering Why" and worldy blues tale "Richie"), making her Recollection some of contemperary music's greatest teachings.

Billboard - Leni Stern Gathers A Folk Jazz-Tinted 'Recollection'

Billboard
October 31, 1998 Jazz - Blues Notes column by Steve Graybow

Leni Stern Gathers A Folk Jazz-Tinted 'Recollection'

Journeywoman: Two years ago, guitarist Leni Stern decided to form her own record label. "With all the media available, the computers, the online record stores, it's opened up a lot of opportunities for independent artists and labels," explains the ebullient Stern. "As an artist, it is nice to see the product through from the beginning to end. I have a say in the music, the packaging, and the way my music is marketed. Simply, I have control."

The first release on Lent Stern Recordings (LSR) was 1997's "Black Guitar." It was a first for Stern in more ways than one, in that it was also her first album to feature predominantly vocal, folk-influenced songs. "I think every guitarist likes to sit down and sing with their instrument," she explains. "It is also a way to get closer to your listener. It's more of a direct conversation because you are expressing something, addressing the subject of your songs in a very direct way."

"Recollection" Stern's latest outing (due Tuesday [27] from LSR) is a compilation of tracks culled from her past 13 years as a recording artist. Several instruments that originally appeared on the Lipstick and Enja labels are featured along new material recorded specifically for the project. True to her indie aesthetic, Stern fills the package with her own extensive liner notes, providing remarkably candid insight into the often fragile, emotionally charged stories behind her music. "I always liked to sing the blues," explains Stern. "I'm German, and Germans have an incredible fondness for the blues. But since my life experience is so different from that of [blues man] Lightnin' Hopkins, I sing blues that reflect my own life and generation." Those reflections include meditations on Stern's childhood in Germany, where she grew up just miles from the remains of the Dachau concentration camp, and instrumentals that reflect her battle with breast cancer a number of years ago. Stern's voice perfectly compliments her guitar; both are equally clear-toned, honest and direct.  "Somebody recently called my music 'folk jazz' and I liked that," Stern relates. "I always thought that folk music got its name because it was music for the folks, for the people. I think jazz used to be that, but we've gotten away from that. Hopefully, what I'm doing [with my music and with the label] is a move away from the kind of huge mega-stardom that jazz really doesn't lend itself to." Among Stern's collaborators are Paul Motion, Bill Frisell, and vocalist/songwriter Larry John McNally. Saxophonist Dave Binney, a member of Stern's current band, solos with a probing lyricism on several new tracks, adding further depth to the guitarist's playing and song craft. "I struggled with the idea of a compilation album for sometime," Stern explains, with a hint of lingering reluctance. "But after listening back to the material, I realized that it was in many ways a tribute to not only where I've been in my life, but more importantly to great musicians I've befriended and played with."

Ultimately "Recollection" chronicles both an artistic and a personal journey, allowing the listener to share in Stern's joy of self-expression and musical interaction. "I hope that having my own label and control over my musical direction will bring me even closer to my listeners," she says. "I encourage the fans to E-mail their comments and feedback. I want my audience to be as much a part of the music as possible." Stern will be on tour throughout the remainder of the year, in addition to her almost-weekly gig at New York's 55 Bar. Look for her to host a jazz guitar panel at this year's Jazz-Times convention.

Washington Post - Kindness of Stangers

Though Leni Stern's previous recordings have been pointing toward a stylistic leap, from award-winning fusion jazz guitarist to contemporary singer-songwriter, "Kindness of Strangers" still comes as something of a revelation. As accomplished as it is accessible, Stern's latest CD suggests that she's finally found her true voice in the studio - writing, arranging and performing original material.

Beginning with the dreamy ballad "I Call You," Stern creates a series of evocative soundscapes that compliment her fragile but soulful voice and subtly integrate her guitar skills. Her keen pop instincts are readily apparent throughout the album, to the extent that some of the tunes, including "Rescue My Heart" and the title track, wouldn't sound out of place on a Paul Simon album. Yet the combination of Stern's wistful voice, smart lyrics and orchestral designs are distinctive enough to make comparisons pointless. While fans of Stern's more subdued guitar work won't be disappointed with the gentle lyricism she conjures on the touchy "You Won't Forget Me" and other tracks, the emphasis here is on textured arrangements, not six-string artistry. By the time Stern finishes unveiling the Cd's most ambitious and moving piece, "Vedo Il Tuo Viso (I See Your Face)," a nearly 20-minute orchestral suite commemorating a terrorist attack in Italy, her multifaceted talent is shining in ways it never has before.

Guitar Player - Kindness of Strangers

Guitar Player
June 2001 by Adam Levy

Orchestral Maneuvers/Leni Stern Plays with Symphonic Textures Leni stern's latest album, Kindness of Strangers, features the guitarist/songstress in a setting she hasn't explored on any of her previous albums. Her evocative songs and crystalline, jazz-meets-blues guitar lines are still the main attraction, but, this time out, she has surrounded herself with orchestral textures. Her interest in this new approach began in 1998, when she was commissioned to write and perform a piece for guitar and orchestra. While working on this project, stern became enchanted by the richness and depth of the symphonic sounds, and decided to include the commissioned song, "Vedo Il Tuo Viso ( I See Your Face)," on Kindness.

With the lush, 19-minute piece serving as the album's cornerstone, Stern decided to use orchestral textures throughout the album to shade, color, and highlight her already resplendent songs and guitar playing. To keep her recording budget from going overboard, Stern opted to use sampled orchestral sounds instead of live players. But because she and coproducer/coorchestrator George Whittey took pains to make sure the counterfeit cellos and oboes behave like their acoustic counterparts, the album never sounds less than luscious. Stern's voice and guitar tracks - and her rhythm section's animated bass and drum tracks - all meld perfectly with the orchestrated samples, and the album maintains a live-in-thestudio vibe, even though it was crafted in two different studios over a two-month period. Using a fusion of big-studio and home-studio environments, and high-tech and low-tech tools, Stern and Whitty crafted Stern's most ambitious album to date - and managed to have a little fun in the process.

Billboard - Finally the Rain has Come

Billboard
June 8, 2002

FLAG WAVING: Guitarist/vocalist Leni Stern brings forth another genre-hopping exercise with the June 18 release of Finally the Rain Has Come on her own eponymous, Ryko distributed label.
The new album, Stern’s 12th, is the fourth on which the Munich-born performer, who got her start in the jazz business, has sung her own compositions.
Stern says of her move into the vocal realm, " I had sung when I was in Germany, but I didn’t know what to sing. I didn’t want to sing standards, and I didn’t want to perform other people’s songs. I was a composer, and I didn’t know how to write my own lyrics…I just very organically started writing lyrics."
The collection includes some striking songs, including "Empty Hands" and "Bury Me Standing," but the high point of the album is "Where Is God," a powerfully affecting song the New York-based musician wrote in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks there.
"I was pretty incapacitated," she recalls. "We couldn’t play. Every time the amplifier would make a little sound, we would jump two feet in the air. I was speechless for a long time…The whole mind-set was so troublesome. I started to write about it."
Backed by bassist Paul Socolow and drummer Keith Carlock, both members of her working band, Stern gets valuable assists from some well known friends on the album. Saxophonist Michael Brecker is featured on "Where is God," and guitarists Bill Frisell and John Mclaughlin make guest appearances. Stern says of Frisell, who was her guitar teacher and a member of her first band, "It was Bill who told me that I should record my first record. He made me feel like I would insult him if I didn’t record it." She met Mclaughlin early in her career ("He was very gracious-after every concert, he talks to all the little guitar players," she recalls) and reconnected with him when she was studying in India recently. Stern and her group begin a U.S. tour June 21 at the Living Room in New York.

The Washington Post - review of Finally the Rain Has Come

Leni Stern's Welcome 'Rain' Thursday, August 15, 2002

Anyone who has heard "Finally the Rain Has Come," Leni Stern's new CD, was aware of the challenge facing the singer-guitarist at Blues Alley on Tuesday night. The music on "Rain," much of it richly atmospheric, is laced with cameos by such top-tier jazz artists as John McLaughlin, Bill Frisell and Michael Brecker. Conjuring a similar sound onstage, in a stripped-down quartet setting, is no easy task.

Stern and her core band worked small wonders, though, by emphasizing the album's entrancing melodies and the always sincere aspects of her songwriting. Stern's warm embrace of pop, jazz and world-beat influences was also well served by her band mates -- fiddler Jenny Scheinman, bassist Paul Socolow and drummer Keith Carlock.

Beginning with "By the Stars Above," modal passages were adorned with exotic tones and surprisingly colorful textures. At one point, Socolow even played bottleneck-style with the drink he had brought onstage, and during the reprises of the album's raga-like title cut and the Gypsy-inspired "Bury Me Standing," the band covered a lot of territory without ever sounding out of its element. Carlock deftly underpinned the moods with everything from droning pulses to chattering syncopations, and Scheinman's fiddle provided stirring counterpoint to Stern's mostly fingerpicked Stratocaster.

While Stern's soprano isn't imposing, it is an emotionally powerful instrument in the right setting. A case in point is "Where Is God," a song inspired by the events of Sept. 11. It's the standout track on "Rain," and in concert Stern infused the ballad with a compelling mixture of tenderness and outrage.

- Mike Joyce