New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Leni Stern Official Website) - Notable coverage continues to run for Leni Stern - she appears in the new double-issue of M MUSIC & MUSICIANS MAGAZINE, the national glossy - writer Lee Zimmerman includes her acclaimed CD 'Sa Belle Belle Ba' in his INDIE SCENES column, and praises: 'Virtuoso guitarist Leni Stern continues to explore her fascination with the rich culture of the African continent, deftly blending vibrant rhythms, communal chants and exotic instrumentation with Western styles like jazz, funk and R&B.'
'Virtuoso' - M Music & Musicians Magazine
WNYC: 'You can't help but imagine she plays her guitar smiling'
'Adventurous' - 'Stern has absorbed and internalized the music of west Africa and made it her own' - LA Jazz
'Bewitching' - iTunes
WNYC RADIO & NPR MUSIC featured Stern in 'Culture,' offered a free MP3 download, and praised: 'there's a certain innocent joie-de-vivre present in her Malian infused funk (or perhaps, funk infused Malian music). You can't help but imagine she plays her guitar smiling.' See the full write-up and hear the song, via this link: https://culture.wnyc.org/articles/music-hub/2010/nov/15/gig-alert-leni-stern/ or here: https://musicnews.npr.org/article/0bCA0oU62Idur?q=music
LA JAZZ ran a color photo preview column for a recent concert in Los Angeles, noting: 'Musically adventurous guitarist and singer Leni Stern will be appearing at the Blue Whale on Saturday, October 9th, in support of her African-grooved CD, "Sa Belle Belle Ba." Born in Munich and based in New York, in her recent work Stern has absorbed and internalized the music of west Africa and made it her own, adding to her impressive guitar technique and enriching her musical imagination.'
On September 15th, in an extraordinary example of the respect Stern has earned in Africa, she was invited to perform at the Presidential Palace in Bamako Mali, playing n'goni with Bassekou Kouyate's n'goni orchestra. A first-person re-cap follows below. Visit Stern's website for video clips and posts regarding the amazing experience: www.LeniStern.com
LENI STERN YOUTUBE CHANNEL:
https://www.youtube.com/user/lenisternNo g/a
Stern regularly tours the U.S. with her 'Africa' band - check out this LIVE VIDEO SAMPLER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCwN-g_q0b4
Stern was recently in Benin, Africa, rehearsing with children of the Centre International d'Art et de Musique de Ouidah, CIAMO (Ouidah International Center of Art and Music,) part of the ARTFORCE AFRICA organization. More information about Stern's growing relationship with this extraordinary group will be announced in the months ahead.
Performing for the President of Mali, in Leni Stern's own words:
There is so much to tell about the concert for Mali's President. It was one of the best months of my life. I lived in the Jenne hotel that is owned by Aminata Traore, the former Minister of Culture. It is built and decorated in the northern Mali Touareg style. You feel as if you're living in a beautiful museum. I studied n'goni with Bassekou Kouyate, one of, if not the best n'goni player in the world. I studied songs with Ami Sacko, my favorite African singer. I watched Ami study with Yagare, Basskou's mother, one of the old most revered griots.
Ami finally taught me the traditional griot song Sorie Jembe. And she made me sing it on national television! I don't think I have ever been more frightened in my life, but the audience loved it. They loved having a Westerner pay homage to their traditions in this way. And then in the concert at the palace, Bassekou chose me to greet the President this way. After the concert Amadi Toumani Tourree came to the stage to thank me, and so did the American Ambassador. My composition Farafina Cadi (Beautiful Africa,) that I had arranged for the occasion, sounded lovely with 50 n'gonies... Like an orchestra playing pizzicato strings. 50 n'gonies is just a beautiful sound...You can't go wrong, everything works.
The President's garden has beautiful flowers. It is on top of one of the hills Bamako is built on. It's like Rome - you can see the whole city from up there. You see a bend in the Niger river, It seems you could see all the way to Mopti. I am very lucky!
Leni Stern has earned the most glowing reviews of her eclectic career with her Global ensemble project, 'Sa Belle Belle Ba'. iTunes Editorial raved about the album's 'bewitching grooves,' 'sweltering rhythms' and 'incantatory lyrics'. Other recent press coverage has described Stern as 'among the most adventurous musicians of her generation,' and has noted, 'Her CD is an eclectic collection of fused musical styles and genres.' By showcasing multiple guest performers, highlighting indigenous instruments from Africa and elsewhere, and allowing the collaborative process to shine, Stern has delivered a complex, hard-hitting, funky, international rocker. Listen to streaming tracks from the album, here: https://www.sethcohenpr.com/player/lenistern/
iTUNES EDITORIAL REVIEW:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sa-belle-belle-ba/id378596381?i=378596406&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
BLOGCRITICS
8/10 by Jack Goodstein https://blogcritics.org/music/article/music-review-leni-stern-sa-belle/
METALJAZZ:
8/10 by Greg Burk https://www.metaljazz.com/2010/08/review_leni_stern_sa_belle_bel.php
EXAMINER.COM
7/16/10 BY NEIL TESSER
https://www.examiner.com/jazz-music-in-chicago/leni-stern-rides-new-album-and-a-white-horse-into-evanston-on-saturday
Stern lets loose on the new CD, singing in Wollof, Arabic and Bambara, and the surrounding ensemble performances create a palpable energy, especially via raps, layered vocals, wild funk sounds, and guest musicians including Haruna Samake, Ami Sacko and Zoumana Tareta. In addition, Stern has infused the CD with strings, combining kora, oud and percussion with a string ensemble, an achievement she's particularly proud of. 'Sa Belle Belle Ba' was co-produced by Stern and Andy Tommasi.
Leni Stern is a Global Music artist and electric guitarist whose stature has grown in the wake of her acclaimed CDs 'Alu Maye', 'Africa' and 'Spirit In The Water' - all were recorded in Mali, using local musicians, instruments and equipment, and integrating African and Western music forms with distinction. Critics embraced 'Africa' as "a significant new chapter in a career marked by bold changes,' and ALLMUSIC described it as "one of the finest CDs of the...year, in any genre." 'Spirit In the Water' was praised as 'a glorious triumph,' and, in its wake, critics remarked that Stern's eclectic career had emerged as 'one of modern music's great adventures.' Recorded on analog tape, the EP's warm, soulful sound was evocative of jazz and rock albums of the 1960's. 'Sa Belle Belle Ba' is the full-length CD that evolved from the 'Spirit' sessions.
With a distinct vocal style and a genre/culture-bending sense of song structure, Stern has wowed critics with her embrace of the many musical traditions the world has to offer - in fact, Stern recently had the honor of performing at the United Nations. She has been described by The New York Times' as 'a guitarist and vocalist with an ethereal sensibility,' and recently completed a series of international appearances with the legendary Salif Keita, including a set at the Festival on the Niger in Segou, the old capital of Mali. In January, Stern made a return performance at the famed Festival in the Desert in Essakane, Mali, and in March she performed in New Delhi and in Mumbai, India. In March, she performed at Zankel Hall in NYC as a guest of Basekou Kouyate, Ami Sacko and N'goni Ba. Stern's live shows deliver an African/Global musical experience to an American audience.
