Mar 30, 2026 10:30 PM
Flea Finds His Jazz Thing
In the relatively small pantheon of certifiable rock stars venturing into the intersection of pop music and jazz, the…
Guitarist Leni Stern expands her trio to a quartet with the addition of pianist Leo Genovese on her upcoming album, 4.
(Photo: Sandrine Lee)There’s a vastness to the music that guitarist Leni Stern’s worked on since the 1980s.
It comes, in part, from an embrace of global music and ideas, as well as a tasteful approach to guitar. She continues her journey on 4, a disc set for release June 19 on her LSR imprint. A video for “Zamba 264,” a tune off the upcoming disc, premieres below.
In the August 2018 edition of DownBeat, Philip Freeman wrote the following about 3, the guitarist’s previous full-length: “She’s not a showboat; she never shreds, but the statements she makes have that much more impact for the restraint.”
That same idea’s applicable to 4 as well.
“‘Zumba 264’ features the rich South American harmonies that have fascinated me ever since I started playing guitar,” Stern wrote in an email, adding that the zamba rhythm here, has provenance in Argentina and roots in Africa. “With our newest band member, the brilliant pianist Leo Genovese came the beautiful musical heritage of South America. The melody lends itself [to] the wordless vocals that I started exploring on [3].”
With Genovese expanding the trio to a quartet, the band’s freed up a bit, with Mamadou Ba getting a sizable bass feature on the album opener, “Lamabar,” and Alioune Faye’s percussion figuring heavily into every moment of the recording. DB
“Cerebral and academic thought is a different way to approach music,” Flea says of his continuing dive into jazz. “I’ve always relied on emotion and intuition and physicality.”
Mar 30, 2026 10:30 PM
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