Mike Stern – Regattabar, Cambridge, MA 04/09/10

Caught the Mike Stern early show on Friday night. He played a great set and seemed to be really enjoying himself and joking a lot with the band: Dennis Chambers on drums, Bob Malach on sax and Tom Kennedy on bass. Kennedy was very impressive, but Chambers was just stunning. It’s easy to see why he is so much in demand and so respected.

Stern has a good thing going. He gets to play with some of the best musicians around and do a lot of improvising in true jazz fashion. Once the band plays the “normal” intro there’s no telling where the song will go. And there was even improv on some intros to keep it interesting.

Stern’s tone was no surprise – he’s had it for years and it is instantly recognizable. After the show I got a close look at his gear. His amp is a beaten up solid state Yamaha G-100 combo. This was a popular amp for clean jazz tones in the 70s and 80s and it sounded great. His effects board was very simple: two Boss DS-3 Digital Delays and two Boss DS-1 Distortions. The DD-3s were set for short delay (for solos) and multiple repeats (for some solo song intros). The DS-1s were set for light and heavier distortion. Very simple, but very effective. I guess there is a lesson to be learned for all of us struggling with massive pedalboards.