Mike Stern is nothing short of a miraculous guitarist.
This isn’t just a compliment on his exceptional skills, though he certainly deserves plenty of praise for that. It’s a testament to the incredible challenges he’s overcome to remain a dominant force in the jazz world.
It’s nothing short of miraculous that Stern is still playing today. Even more remarkable, as fans witnessed on Monday during the first of two consecutive nights at Yoshi’s in Oakland, is that he’s performing at such an extraordinarily high level.
The story could have taken a much different turn after Stern suffered a devastating fall in 2016, which resulted in the breaking of both of his arms outside his Manhattan apartment. In addition to the fractures in his humerus bones, Stern sustained severe nerve damage to his right hand—the one he uses to play guitar—and underwent multiple surgeries to recover.
Although still greatly hampered by the injury, Stern perseveres despite major difficulties, including the challenge of even holding a guitar pick. To manage, he uses glue to keep the pick in place, enabling him to strum the strings.
“It’s a real challenge,” Stern confessed after Monday’s performance.
Despite these ongoing difficulties, the 71-year-old Boston native delivered an impressive 90-minute set, proving once again that he remains a guitar hero of the highest order.
Stern was performing with his latest band lineup, featuring drummer Dennis Chambers, saxophonist Bob Franceschini, bassist Janek Gwizdala, and vocalist-guitarist Leni Stern—his wife. The night focused on showcasing material from Stern’s new album Echoes and Other Songs.
The performance opened with Leni Stern leading the band on the stunning “Like a Thief,” where she played the West African string instrument, the ngoni, and delivered a powerful vocal performance.
Switching to electric guitar, Leni and Mike teamed up for “Connections,” one of the new album’s highlights, which quickly got the crowd moving. Stern’s performance on this track was what one might call the “most Mike Stern moment” of the show: a searing, volcanic guitar solo that left the audience in awe. He casually followed it with a conversation with some fans in the front rows, embodying his humble, down-to-earth nature.
It wasn’t long before Stern was engaging with fans again, asking them, “Did that sound OK?” during an impromptu meet-and-greet, filled with hugs and smiles—just another example of his low-key, ego-free persona.
The band continued with Echoes, the title track from the new album. Starting slow, the song built in intensity, culminating in a powerful crescendo that highlighted Franceschini’s dynamic tenor saxophone and Chambers’ mind-blowing drumming.
Another highlight was the mesmerizing “Wishing Well,” a soft, drifting piece of new-age jazz, during which Stern’s vocal talent also took center stage. While Stern doesn’t often feature his voice in his performances, he proved it was an instrument in its own right during this performance.
The band then launched into a freestyle jam, driven by Chambers’ steady micro-beat and complemented by the improvisational talents of Stern, Franceschini, and bassist Gwizdala. Gwizdala, who was playing just his second gig with the band, also contributed some wild, looped-bass effects that added to the free-flowing vibe.
The main set wrapped up with “Gospel Song,” a beautiful new album track featuring standout moments from both Leni Stern and Franceschini, followed by a high-energy rendition of “Chatter” from Stern’s 2001 album These Times.
But Stern wasn’t done yet. After thanking the crowd and introducing the band, he decided to finish the night with a fun encore: a rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s classic 12-bar blues, “Red House,” where he sang and played the guitar parts, offering a fitting conclusion to an incredible evening.
It was a remarkable night of music, led by a man who has triumphed over immense physical adversity and continues to produce world-class music.
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