Leni Stern Group (Krantz,Sokolow and Danziger)

[holdsworth1970]

Nice ＾＾

Ｉ like Wayne Krantz !!

[diddr]

Krantz is probably my all time favorite guitar player. His phrasing in nothing short of spectacular!



[runrunrun6777]

Beautiful composition by Leni, and great playing by all. I saw this band (often with Lincoln Goines on bass) dozens of times at the 55 Bar in NYC- i should've been taping those gigs!

I wish there were more clips from this show on YT...

[L77kim77l]

Love the way she plays

[77tim77c77]

Awesome!I studied Jazz guitar with Leni @ Bath IGF some years ago-very cool!I have also attended one of Wayne's masterclasses in London.He is a fascinating guitarist.

[joeystratman]

great tune,one of my favorites in youtube.krantz's playing compliments leni's melodic approach,played on a strat with a great clean tone.it's not a "stern versus krantz" thing,it's the tune that blends the melodic and free/improv jazz part,which wayne blazed through perfectly.the combination gives the tune contrast,a mixture of different colors.

[daschwarjazz]

I'm obsessed with this tune! Too bad the cd is out of print. By the way, people should give Leni a break in regards to her playing ability. Her overall sound concept overshadows her technical abilities, and I mean that in a good way. I'd rather listen to good tone than good chops with bad tone.

[emfolla]

@daschwarjazz  I couldn't agree more.

[astridhc]

Grandioso Sweet Dreams !

[graysonpaul123]

Krantz is really good but he needs to let his lines breathe every once in a while..

[johnnylance]

That Krantz boy is pretty darn spacy...

[willbilly2fistmcgee]

Just plain amazing !

[blfrd]

Wayne looks like Eddie Money. lol

[olivernelson01]

Zach Danziger! Wow

[randallcaster]

Wayne Krantz is a fast monter-the best- but Leni\

Kicked major ass!

Im admire TF out of her. Very tasty.

[steffenbrix]

you don't have to be a chops player to have a place in good music!

[steffenbrix]

This is fantastic!! and Leni plays beautifully...I like the real sparkling sound she has with compressor on ther as well. And.....then...Wayne Krantz is killing here! Much better than his new stuff ;)

[mrkilljoy8]

shut up dumb asses dont comment and pretend you know anything stick with being a treki.

[lastsinger]

A fine piece of "stratty" jazz.

Like walking through some streets of nowhereland.

[threewheeldrive]

Great dynamics in this tune, really enjoy the bass and drums compliment and the tension!!

[aaronlebos]

I agree that this isnt krantz's best playing or his best tone but it is still sick and burning! Plus its from 1990! Leni is not horrendous but pretty weak and should not be on the same stage. Her tone is piercing and brittle and she just cant hang with these guys.

[sabueso32]

I agree. Krantz is way above her in technic. I like her, and her songs, but on the stage an spectacular guitar player like Krantz can harm your performance. I would put Maslteem with Clapton on th same stage even tough I prefer Clapton.

Not critic to Leni, just how things work.

[Israe5l]

Ralph Gibson made this compilation of guitar players, words and photos. Leni was one of them. She looks very good in it.

[mille4711]

She´s got the pant´s on - Thank you God that I and Wayne found this sound from outer space

Made my day - Pete

[VladG]

That's a little harsh, dude!

[FrancescoBonfanti77]

:O !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Hintz6]

HOLY CRAP, krantz is so sick

[randallcaster]

Hell, she's one of the best after Emily Remler.

In fact,....(search)

[randallcaster]

How can anybody reconcile the fact, that I like this partial list: Krantz, Sterns, 3 Abba tunes,

R. Ford, Steely Dan, one Madonna song (borderline), Johnny Cash, Some Micheal Jackson,

Weather Report AND the Monkeys?

[eggie62]

after re-visiting this video after several months, i have to say i still prefer stern's tone. it is pure, luscious fender. and i still think wk's solo is lacking some taste, even though he is clearly playing his ass off. i think maybe it comes down to the tones we personally like, and that effects our judgement. i can think of many sloppy or down right crappy solo's that i adore solely because of the particular tone of the instrument.(hendrix) i guess i just don't like wk's tone,that's all.

[udderhippo]

WK's tone on greenwich mean is stunning, a lot more open and clearer. I'm not really digging his tone here either. His playing on greenwich mean is a lot more lyrical and rhythmic as well. Check out the 'Marciac 1999' vids if you haven't already!

[Jayonaxe]

i think Greenwich Mean and 2 Drink Minimum sum up his playing style.

[LukeDallert]

This song has a beautiful melody and a cool rhythm!

[tadaul]

Her cd with this song is better than this performance.

[alainkes]

hello ! what is the name of this album ?? of this song ?

thank you

[tadaul]

Closer To The Light is the name of the CD. Don't know the name of the song. Had the CD about 12 yrs ago. I recommend it.

[alainkes]

merci !!!!!!!!!!

[alainkes]

the song is called "phoenix" !!

[Frisbieinstein]

This is absolutely great. Who are the drummer, bass, and keyboard players? They are all tremendous.

[Frisbieinstein]

Duh, the names are at the end of the video. And there is no keyboard player. Paul Socolow and Zach Danzicher.

[amoergosum3]

That's Zach Danziger on drums...love his sound!!!!

[wolowolowolo]

amazing..Zach was only 19

[Petaflom]

I don't know if I really like Stern's tone all that much... well actually it sounds absolutely stunning for the melody, but when she gets to her solo it has this naked, tinny sound that I didn't really enjoy. It sounded great for the head, though. And I can't really knock her for composing this stellar tune.

[cironsmith]

I could be totally wrong cause this is the first time I'm seeing this vid, but it looks like she used a pick for her solo while using her fingers for the head. This might account for some of the change. More brittle attack.

[timothypetergreen]

wow. old wayne is crap compared to hoe he plays now... and over the past few years. his so much more inovative now. he was so boring and generic back then...

[ShinjiIII]

Yeah, isn't that incredible? He literally DID "throw everything out the window" to create his new sound. ;)

[fusion07mp3]

nice nice stuff...thanks for posting this.

[tsosumi]

I don't think speed or "burning" is even an issue here. It's two different statements made by two different individuals. having said that I do prefer Krantz's solo here. In fact I think he's definately the more expressive and innovative of the two in general - just my opinion. It's a cliche but speed really IS just a tool and relates directly to rhythm. In my opinion rhythm is the most important element in music. So the issue people have with speed or lack of it is irrelevant.

[Petaflom]

Couldn't have said it better myself, tsosumi

[F1Fanatic]

But you must admit that Stern's tone is absolutely killer! Right?

[Petaflom]

Eggie, I think I'ma have to respectfully disagree. Leni's pure tone works great for the melody, but her solo sounds tinny and weak, and she only uses triplets which bothered me. Part of the genius of Wayne Krantz is his ability to imply subtle rhythms in his 16-oriented playing. Also, for what it's worth, if you can play music that attracts a larger crowd, that has some weight (but not all of it) in the debate of who plays better in this video - the crowd and comments favor WK.

[Fishies125]

Ya, besides, if you listen to Wayne's music nowadays, or even just like 2 or three years after this video, you will quickly see that he changed a whole lot really fast and he is now one of the most unique and creative guitarists out there. Speed was only a big thing for him back then.....it was a big thing for everyone back then.

[eggie62]

funny how people see things so differently. stern has such a pure tone compared to krantz, and i will never understand why people continue to think that more notes equals better notes. burning over changes takes a great deal of work and it's fun as hell for the person doing the burning, but it does not always equate to a superior statement.

[ChrisManuel]

Brilliant assessment on the joy of burning: generally way more fun for the player than listener. That said, Wayne Krantz makes a great foil for Leni. Now, if we could get her and husband Mike to perform together that would be interesting.

[teetosh]

Wayne's incredibly fluid diarreah of the fingers is putting me to sleep. Is that Joan Baez's mother on the other guitar? Her playing is more compelling.

[swikkis]

Wayne's solo was killer. Fuck he's good. I really like the tune too. Thanks for posting.

[oldguitarplayer]

too bad the chick ruins it with her shitty tone and crappy playing...compared to the guy she sounds like a highschool student...

[stringrip]

She is the wife of Mike Stern . On the Lenni Stern album "secrets" , Krantz and Stern played a great tune called "if anything" . She is good player.

[bollapinnsvin]

Nice playin'. Leni should do something about her left hand technique though. Not very healthy or economic...

[Fishies125]

I don't see it. What's wrong with her left hand?

[heavyweather77]

Leni sounds great, but I'd hate to follow Wayne Krantz with a guitar solo. Man, he sounds like Mclaughlin in this video. Unbelievable, I didn't know he ever sounded like that.

[Fishies125]

Ya, just get signals. That's the way he sounded back then.

[valterjose]

leni stern is GOD

[Petaflom]

Does anyone know the name of the tune they're playing? It's very well-written, which I suppose would make sense cause wasn't Stern a film-scoring major or something?

[VladG]

The tune is called "Phoenix" from Stern's "Closer To The Light" album, some really good writing there!

[lanesblitz]

krantz is great!

[diminishedlogic]

wow. krantz sounds amazing.

[clayereeder]

amazing

[Fishies125]

Awesome.

[sawicksterdx]

Nice work VladG. This is a classic tune from the Stern/Krantz collaoborations. I live in NYC and can see him almost any week I want, but there's something about the old stuff and seeing it on video that's special and different.

[LeovonKlenze]

2.884 views of this fanstatic, musically and visually brilliant song and only three comments - people, you got the consumer - disease ! ;O)

[mrbubble906]

Krantz and Danziger....always a stunning combo

[moldero]

LOVE IT!