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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Varied and energetic. There's really something for everyone here., August 23, 2009
The 55-year-old American is no rocker, but a Berklee-trained jazz musician. His musical acquaintances speak for his tastes: Jaco Pastorius, Michael Brecker, John Scofield and Dennis Chambers are among his collaborators over the years. And of all those names, it is Stern's that represents jazz's closest accommodation with rock.
He's very eclectic and the title of the record explains it all!
Over the years his music has been incorcorating into his music many genres: rock, jazz, Latin, African and Middle Eastern grooves and he has travelled the word: his playing transcends genres and he's just as likely to attract a rock crowd as much a discerning jazz audience. The world is his backyard.
That's the reason why he calls his music ... his "big neighbourhood"!
His playing transcends genres and he's just as likely to attract a rock crowd as much a discerning jazz audience
We can feel it in his latest abum, which at the first listen, may appear a little idiosyncratic, since it shows so many genres packed desparately together.
"Big Neighborhood" is firmly tied together by the excellent production by pianist Jim Beard and Mike's distinctive compositions.
It's a largely live in the studio sound, with the usual musicians dave Weckl, Lincoln Goines and Minh Doky, in order to keep the core rhythm section secure and his trademark bedrock sound ever-present, whoever the guest is.
He is joined by guitarists Steve Vai and Eric Johnson, bassist-vocalists Esperanza Spalding and Richard Bona, Medeski Martin and Wood, drummers Dave Weckl, Terri Lyne Carrington, Cindy Blackman and Lionel Cordew. And of course other "guests" - Franceschini, Beard - are all long time associates.
Randy Brecker (trumpet) and Bob Malach (saxophone) also lend a hand on a couple of tracks.
The record is fuelled and fiery, wavering between full on fusion through to tasty hard bop. The prodigious gunslinger fires out riffs ten to the dozen, bristling with indefatigable energy and pushing the harmonic limits where ever he can.
His sheer voluminous, virtuoso fretwork shines throughout and the natural rapport the band has is all too self evident,egged on by Stern's utter enthusiasm.
There really is something for everyone here.
Enjoy!
The album debuts at # 7 of the Billboard Top Jazz Albums.
Issue date: August 29, 2009
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
More stunning work from one of the all-time greats, September 1, 2009
Mike Stern, brilliant as always, usually includes several styles on every CD, as he does here. The vast range is sometimes difficult for casual fans to absorb, and that's fair. But I'd suggest being patient and listening a bit closer, because it's only a matter of time before you're mesmerized. He's an insanely talented guitarist and composer, and he surrounds himself with flamethrowing collaborators (Weckl, Tom Kennedy, Dennis Chambers, all the tenor players). I'll be the first to admit his CDs don't have quite the level of fire of his live shows, but that's true for just about every band. Live, he rips. On record, equally amazing.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Good, but far from his best work, October 22, 2009
There are some good tunes on here, but it's a bit of a let down from his last few releases. The songs with Esperanza are probably my favorite, but most of the others seem like slight variations of other previous works without the magic. Get his recent live DVD instead.
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