The young Mike Stern with Billy Cobham -1-.wmv

[251dog]

Well FAT TIME was still at the party by the looks of things when this was filmed.. Just burning.

[steveterhune2]

No, he wasn't faster in the old days. I've seen him live and he can burn the place down with speed. But, like many, I think he has evolved, and prioritizes tone and composition. You'll see that in a lot of great players

[mistertelecaster]

we were all faster when we were younger! how ever I do believe we become better players/ musicians as we get older! Larry Carlton comes to mind! taste .. far better THAN WASTE!! How lucky we all are to be involved in this wonderful instrument!! Can't wait to see Steve Via @ 70!!! ha ! ha!

[toyoda1098]

Oh!

He was playing not to use "Pacifica Tele"and"Fender Tele" but to used "Fender ST"

[ledzeppelin154]

blues bop

[innurtoob]

When was this recorded? Nice to hear the pick-ups with out the effects pedals, etc.

[McMinnManiac]

They said the same stuff about Wes when he played Bop .It lacked melody ,because of the speed ,yet they were following chord tones and sounding good . Tal Farlow plays fast with Reharmonizing chords and says a lot . Jim Hall puts a different twist on everything he plays and plays less .Both players have a lot to say .It comes down to Reharminizing . They have a melody, a bass movement ,and 3eds and 4ths moving around in the middle register .It can be done in an ensamble ,obviously, as well

[carakenio]

Wow he did borrow Yngwie malmsteen duck strat for this piece !

[jetzine00]

SO much better without the chorus.

[nubalko]

Wow. I didn't know Mike Stern could play like this - i dig it

[joeylodes]

i like him on a strat!

[fonkfiend]

uhhhh... this is the kind of cat who uses guitar strings for shoe laces

[guitalemao]

lokks like david gilmour

[mrrafaguitarchannel]

stern strat crazzzzyy

[vistvan62]

-genius...

[McMinnManiac]

he's playing a solo. . . .. He studied Jazz counter point and writes a lot . After all is a great song , Sunny side is awesome .The man is prolific

[flipadiddle]

@McMinnManiac This isn't Sunny Side of the street, cuz that's not a blues. this is

[McMinnManiac]

@flipadiddle yes this is a blues .What i was trying to say was as well as being a fast lead guitar player,Stern can write some great melodies, with counterpoint like "Sunnyside", from the "Between the Lines" CD..He went to school for Jazz counterpoint , not performance of fast things ...lol

[285209]

Heh heh, we were all faster when we were younger... strange to hear such a naked tone, so accustomed to the Tele/chorus sound that evolved. Geez, listen to this stuff. He kills...it's not constructed that differently from what he does even today in a solo, just a little moire frenetic and energetic. Like I said, we all do that when we are younger.

[garyguitar]

Strange that about 2/3's of the comments are negative: he was a lot faster then, hate his tone, lost his speed etc. He's a world class player then and now...great note choice, phrasing, touch...I would love to have a tenth of his talent. He can still burn it.

[namtil]

@garyguitar Exactly. His sound has evolved over the years, and that may be a case of personal preference for some listeners. There's no questioning the musical content of his playing, then or now.

[buddarasta]

what aas being fast aything to do with musicality ..except for maybe a lack in testoterone ..c"mon man Miles wasn't fast , Frisell isn't fast and so what .

[YaleRoth]

this brings me back to the day...Stern is incredible.

[randyreal574]

I wonder why he lost this Speed? Even I don't Play as fast as I once did out of choice,and Pain!

[saitamme]

such crazy playful phrases, he's fucking killing it!

[maik341]

Sorry a lot of mistakes i'm just confused of Easleytee comment

[mertles02]

did Mike Stern get worse as he got older? He seems to have more chops, better tone, present more tasteful playing here.

[vecernicek2]

@mertles02 How do you count chops?

[thephan1113]

@mertles02 i think he probably just liked to play more notes when he was younger, i bet he could still shred but ive noticed as musicians get older they care less about speed and more about note choice

[mertles02]

@thephan1113 wise words, fair play to him then.

[jamesedwardtheobald]

@mertles02 it's that damn chorus, or electrivibe effect he puts on his guitar tone, sucks the soul right out of the tone... i like chorus for chordal sounds, but please, no modulation effects on lead tones unless for special purpose. he uses that chorused lead tone all the time. i loved him with miles davis, before he discovered chorus...

[mertles02]

@jamesedwardtheobald my sentiments exactly.

[tevredenman]

wat een race auto

[ponchocervantes]

dude shreds...love his tone.

[Easleytee]

The late Shawn Lane had better technique and tone.

[abbeyvid]

@Easleytee Mike Stern is a different person...so he doesn't play guitar like Shawn Lane..different brain/hands/ear/soul..totally weird I know.

[juliocaliman]

@Easleytee So what idiot??

[maik341]

@Easleytee Better technique???Man looks like you no nothing about guitar..Jazz and clasick are the most hard music genres so you just even cant compare Stern and some rock and shred player.I even don't talk about knowledge you must and speed of thinking to play to play like this.Laneis good but never compare jazz musicions with non jazz.

[JusticieroDeLaMuerte]

@Easleytee Where's Shawn Lane on this video?

[rafuut]

 0:09 franck zappa ??? :p

[VMiki93]

THAT'S IT !

[Modes9]

He already had all the vocabulary he's famous for together. Yeah, I used to drive down to the 55 Bar all the way from Troy,NY to hear Stern wail for next to nothing. Good Times!

[davemo65]

Tell me again why Clapton is supposed to be God?

[BlueRoseRocketBand2]

Great!  Where /when was this?

[ewoudenberg]

We were *all* faster when we were young brother :-) He's still amazing -- I head out to 55 Bar whenever I can to see him.

[ceounicom]

@ewoudenberg 55BAR!!! Dont go there much anymore but used to see stern & krantz & others there throughout the 90s and early 2000s. People around the world dont know good we have it, where you could see 2 consecutive shows of the best guitar players in the world in a tiny bar for $5 (or$10?), which at the time included the 2-free-drink tickets...(referenced in the title of Wayne Krantz's first record, recorded there = 2 Drink Minimum). I think that's changed, but I still love NYC

[mangandoy162]

effortless



[Zeitgeist74]

Mike looked like a young, early 70's era David Gilmour (of Pink Floyd) here but could already outplay most guitarists of the day by the early 80's. I read about him and his lack of self-confidence in playing jazz. Jaco Pastorius marveled at this guy's playing and couldn't understand why Mike was so down on himself for. The boy could play!

[TheBluesJammer]

Haha!! looks like he is using a couple of old Peavey amps! That's awesome!! It's all about the player and not the gear. ;)

[Composer19691]

I dig his tone here way more.

[matija42]

Hendix goes Bop....

[WoWintosh]

Mirror above the drumset: That is just too legit!

[ozmucur]

Is it just me or was he a lot faster when he was young?

[Chromatype]

@ozmucur yeah...and his lines are already great then too...wow

[stuntdouble777]

@ozmucur True. But is there anyone that gets faster with age?

[rawdonwaller]

@stuntdouble777 I think Jimmy Herring gets faster, although that certainly does not entail that faster is better (whatever 'better' means anyway!)

[JoeSzilagy]

@ozmucur I've wondered that too!

[dfmutant4488]

@ozmucur its called cocaine 

[ozmucur]

@dfmutant4488 good point

[synesthesia67]

@ozmucur I think most guitarists are

[PhilEmanS]

@ozmucur  i think so too ... strange...

[durtmagert]

@ozmucur His Cocaine years

[TheMrAlnico]

@ozmucur I think he's still fast enough... :)

[bobbysbackingtracks]

@ozmucur It's called testosterone.

[Bass5el]

@bobbysbackingtracks It's called drugs.

As Miles said;"Mike didn't get high- he STAYED high."

[bobbysbackingtracks]

@Bass5el Yes, But I think this was before his pre-blow phase.

[wiltner]

@ozmucur He looks like Dave Gilmore on speed playing one of Yngwie J Malmsteen's strats!

[ozmucur]

@wiltner LOL EXACTLY!

[JusticieroDeLaMuerte]

@ozmucur and fatter, too.

[JasonWB007]

@ozmucur Seems so...

[Bendrobert2005]

@ozmucur no he was actually more cleaner when he was younger. now..i guesss reflexes is not as much ..,but he blazeses..and also tone.. grand

[jamesedwardtheobald]

@ozmucur ya and a lot less chorus-pedally (or univiby, or whatever that effect is)

[drywood3]

eccezzionale..Mike

[maxxxx1972]

chi sono gli altri musicisti?

[jokeob]

what's the song called?

[ericrob2112]

wow !  he blow the shit out of that strat!!!!

[martinjp1958]

I've always admired MS from first hearing him with Miles in 82. Anyone know when this is from? - it's the best I've ever heard him.

[sleinad]

@martinjp1958 1981

[Zarrinkoub]

@martinjp1958

it's from the billy cobham's glassmenagerie dvd.