Search - Leni Stern :: Recollection

Masterful Introduction to an Underappreciated Star

Anne R. Eason | Deep Gap, NC USA | 08/06/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is my used album find of the year. That's really saying something considering the amount of time I spend scouring the bargain bins for cheap jewels. I bought this album for $2 about two months ago. I had no idea who Leni Stern was when I bought it. I just happened to notice that Bill Frisell and David Sanborn played on some cuts so I figured it was worth $2 bucks to take a listen. I can't put into monetary terms what this album is really worth, all I can tell you is that I listen to it constantly. Recollection is an anthology of Stern's work from 1986 to 1998 and contains both instrumentals and vocal tunes. Her style is smooth yet sonically challenging jazz. There's something about it that is very New York in the same way that Lou Reed's music is and Jim Jarmusch's films are. Highlight cuts for me include "Richie," "Something is Wrong in Spanish Harlem" and "Wondering Why." In an age when every vocalist seems to want to create an aria out of every single note, Leni's vocals are an understated and intimate treasure. I look forward to exploring the rest of her recorded material."