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Home , Big Neighborhood, Eric Johnson (guitarist), Mike Stern

ISSUE #39 MMUSICMAG.COM ISSUE #39 MMUSICMAG.COM MUSICIAN How did you meet? The touches on several genres. PAIRS OF ACES STERN: Chris Maresh introduced us at B.B. STERN: Totally. I’ve always thought that there King’s in New York when Eric was playing. are many common denominators between Five classic guitar duo worth owning Chris said that Eric wanted to meet me, and and rock. Now it’s nearly normal for jazz maybe we could do something together. guitar players to have rock infl uences. Part That was 10 years ago. Then a few years of that is just the nature of the guitar—it’s in AND ago I did a record called nearly every genre: pop, country, rock. Guitar Chester and Lester and asked Eric to play on it. That was the players have the possibility of including more (1976) fi rst time we played together. styles in their music. Jazz great Paul was JOHNSON: I had actually seen Mike JOHNSON: Mike is predominantly a jazz already semi-retired play with many years ago, player but he’s a different kind of jazz player when country legend Atkins convinced him to and he was such a colorful player. I was because most of his repertoire, vision and square off in the studio. The musicians’ tones really impressed with that. After I played feel come from horn players more than guitar merged fl awlessly as they found the sweet spot on Big Neighborhood, we both wanted players. So he has a little different slant on between Nashville twang and classic swing. to do something but we were busy and the way he plays his lines. Plus he’s got a it never happened. Then the [New York lot of soul and fi re. CLARENCE jazz club] Blue Note called and said, “GATEMOUTH” “Hey, do you want to do some gigs?” and How did you approach the recording? BROWN AND ROY that was the start. JOHNSON: We recorded it at my studio in CLARK STERN: After the Blue Note we did a Austin. It’s a nice big room we could all set Makin’ Music (1979) short East Coast tour. Then we did the up in and just play together. We both brought This album was all about record together and another tour, which ideas and arranged them together so we had country super-picker Clark dueling it out with was really fun. a hand in morphing them. It was more of a master Brown. But “Gate” was also free exchange—everybody offered their input deeply steeped in country, resulting in sizzling once we brought it to the studio. We cut jams—equal parts hoedown and roadhouse. the whole thing in three or four days—pretty ‘It’s inspiring—plus much live—and spent another week or two JIM HALL AND PAT mixing. We fi xed and overdubbed a few little METHENY

Max Crace I can steal stuff things but tried to do that as little as possible. Jim Hall and Pat STERN: Pretty much we just hit it. I re- Metheny (1999) from him.’ recorded some tunes that I already had, Sometimes the players which I thought would sound good with that in these sessions — instrumentation, especially with Eric. Eric interweave so seamlessly you can’t always also did some of his own tunes. We also both tell who’s playing what. Hall was more of a How do you mesh your styles? wrote a couple of new tunes and rehearsed traditionalist than the younger Metheny, but STERN: We give each other lots of space. and recorded them. It happened really fast— at times it’s the elder who’s jumping off cliffs ERIC JOHNSON & We’re eager to hear each other play. We’re the fi rst or second take was usually cool. while the upstart watches from above, in awe. Two guitar wizards on one album mean twice the musical magic listening to each other so it works out It’s always better to get everybody into musically. Also the texture of our sounds the studio at the same time, because so ALBERT KING By Jeff Tamarkin on the electric guitar is similar. Eric has a many ideas and arrangements come while AND STEVIE RAY really cool piano thing happening sometimes you’re rehearsing. Sometimes there are last- VAUGHAN BY ANY MEASURE, ERIC JOHNSON AND MIKE STERN ARE Eventually they did some gigs to see how it would go before heading on the guitar because he plays piano, so he minute changes. When everybody chimes In Session (1999) two of the most accomplished in recent history, but it’s to the studio for their new collaborative effort, Eclectic. Recorded has amazing voicings. in, it’s very organic. Vaughan was still a doubtful anyone ever considered they’d make an album together. with Chris Maresh of Johnson’s band on bass and of Late JOHNSON: Our sounds are pretty different. JOHNSON: There are things I might have fresh face when he Stern, after all, is a renowned jazz artist, having had his initial Show With David Letterman’s house band on drums, Eclectic’s A lot of Mike’s sound is in the middle done differently, but maybe it’s good that I and blues giant King cut this blistering breakthrough in the ’80s as a member of Miles Davis’ band. Johnson, dozen tracks—including original songs by Johnson and Stern and a registers, and mine tends to be more of a didn’t because it was an exercise for me to live set, recorded for television in 1983. on the other hand, is a stone rocker—a shredding wiz whose music knockout remake of ’s “Red House”—fi nd both guitarists bass and treble thing. He fi ts somewhere play live in the studio. If you embark on that The album’s material is mostly King’s—but incorporates myriad elements and infl uences. creating powerful music that blurs genre distinctions. in between my sound. It brings a deeper it might take a little time for that muscle to Vaughan’s respect for the elder statesman Each of their credentials is stunning. Johnson earned his fi rst “I always dug the way Eric played, and his sound and sensibility,” dimension to the music when you hook get stronger, but I’d rather do that than go is palpable, and King gives it right back. Grammy nomination in 1 9 87. Four additional Grammy nods followed, says Stern, 62. “But when we played together it was even more up with someone who does something back and think, “Let me redo it.” We made a including a Best Rock Instrumental Performance win in 1991 for obvious. We got a really good sound.” you don’t, or is more profi cient in areas conscious decision to just leave it. NELS CLINE AND his signature song, “Cliffs of Dover.” Meanwhile, Stern is a six-time Adds Johnson, 60, who produced the album, “Most people’s where you might just touch the surface. It’s JULIAN LAGE Grammy nominee who’s been hailed by countless publications, fi rst impression is that my thing is coming from rock and Mike is inspiring—plus I can steal stuff from him. Why cover Hendrix’s “Red House”? Room (2014) including Downbeat, which named him to its 75 Great Guitarists list. from jazz, but if you look inside our playing styles, you see there’s STERN: One common denominator we JOHNSON: My fi rst thought was that there Cline has long led a Longtime mutual admirers, Austin native Johnson and Boston- something going on besides that. It really comes down to whether have is that we want a sound that’s got a have been so many recordings of “Red double life as Wilco’s born Stern kicked around the idea of working together for a while. it’s good music or not.” lot of air. Whenever you’ve got two chord House,” do we need to do another? But main axe-slinger and instruments in a band, either somebody’s got it was 100 percent fun. It wasn’t any kind an unabashed experimentalist on his own to lay out or you’ve got to really be careful of statement. We just wanted to play the projects. Here he teams up with former ‘One common denominator we have is that we want when you come up together. You’ve got to tune. Mike wanted to do some . We prodigy Lage, a leading innovator. leave a lot of stuff out and play more softly put it at the end of the album so it would This is a no-frills affair, and the results are a sound that’s got a lot of air.’ —Mike Stern beneath the soloist. be a joyous encore. startlingly fresh.

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MUSICIAN BETTY WHO DECEMBERISTS MIKE STERN ALLISON MOORER Mac Crace JONI MITCHELL Looks back

SCOTT Eric Johnson, Mike Stern WEILAND ‘We both brought ideas and arranged TOOLS OF THE TRADE Goes solo them together so we had a hand in Not surprisingly, Eric Johnson and Mike Stern employ a small arsenal of gear, starting morphing them.’ —Eric Johnson with an impressive lineup of guitars. Stern favors his own Yamaha Mike Stern Signature ERIC electric, modeled after a beloved Telecaster STERN: Hendrix always had the blues in tricky. He’s coming from a different place, that was stolen years ago. He also uses a his music. I heard it right away in him. That’s doing some pedal steel and banjo licks. Martin D-45 acoustic. IMAGINE JOHNSON part of the reason I always thought there was Some of his playing and some of his voicings Johnson’s array includes a 1954 some similarity between jazz and some rock— remind me of Bill Frisell. What Eric has going as well as his own Two cool it was coming from blues. The big common on is different from what I’ve prioritized for Signature Stratocaster, a ’64 335, denominator is the blues. All the cats I really so many years. He takes me back to other a Martin Eric Johnson Signature acoustic, dig who I’ve gotten the chance to play with aspects of the guitar because I’ve been so DRAGONS a Vincent Bell Coral sitar and a National or I’ve listened to, blues is all over the place. focused on getting horn lines and different lap steel. Johnson uses two Fender Deluxe phrasing on the guitar. He’s just a soulful cat. Reverb amps, a Fulton Webb 50 watt and What have you learned from each other He rocks like crazy—he can do all that—but a Marshall 50 watt, and Stern sticks with Ready to soar again during this project? he’s also a very sensitive accompanist. two 1968 Fender reissue custom Silverface JOHNSON: I know about harmony and Twin Reverbs. theory, but when it gets deep into jazz Dream collaboration, past or present? Stern’s effects include a Boss DD-3 changes and soloing through more diffi cult STERN: John Coltrane, but I’d be happy just Digital Delay, Boss OverDrive and a Yamaha + changes I can do it, but Mike’s fl uent. He being the guy who changes his sax reeds. SPX90. Johnson’s setup includes Dunlop doesn’t even have to think about it. There And Hendrix would have been amazing. Eric Johnson , Cry Baby Wah, MAGIC MICS are certain places where that’s the case with JOHNSON: I’d love to play with Stevie , electro-harmonix me. It’s about learning more about music. Wonder. But I’d try anything with anybody Memory Man, Boss DD-2, TC Electronic STERN: A lot of stuff Eric does is kind of who was up for it. Chorus Flanger and a Maestro . STAR SHOTS

48 ISSUE 39 DISPLAY UNTIL 4/25/15 STUDIO SEER

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