The first pairing between crossover jazz icons keyboardist
Jeff Lorber and guitarist
Mike Stern, 2019's
Eleven is an engaging fusion album that balances each musician's distinct musical personality. While both artists got their start in the late 1970s playing a hybrid of jazz and electric rock, they each moved in slightly different directions while coming into their own in the '80s. As the leader of the Jeff Lorber Fusion,
Lorber helped to define the sound of groove-oriented contemporary jazz and R&B. Conversely,
Stern built upon his early years as a member of
Miles Davis' ensembles, mixing post-bop and blues as one of the top virtuoso jazz guitarists of his generation. Together, they bring all of their decades-long experience to bear on
Eleven playing a handful of original songs. Joining them is producer and longtime
Yellow Jackets bassist
Jimmy Haslip, as well as drummer
Dave Weckl, guitarist
Leni Stern, drummer
Gary Novak, drummer
Vinnie Colaiuta, and others. There are also nicely done horn parts peppered throughout by
Ned Mann. What's particularly interesting on
Eleven is that you can pick out how
Lorber and
Stern have adapted their distinctive styles for each tune. The opening "Righteous" is a breezy
Lorber number centered on a hooky acoustic piano and guitar melody. Conversely, "Jones St." is a dark-toned blues-groover culled from
Stern's 1997 album
Give and Take. They split the difference on
Lorber's "Rhumba Pagan," a driving modal piece with a funk underpinning that also features
Stern's wordless vocal improvs. Equally compelling are cuts like the kinetic electro-bop of "Ha Ha Hotel" and the soulful ballad "Tell Me."
Eleven is an inspired match-up that lives up to the work of both
Lorber and
Stern's expansive careers. ~ Matt Collar