Mike Stern
Mike Stern (born January 10, 1953) is an American jazz guitarist. After playing with Blood, Sweat & Tears, he worked with drummer Billy Cobham, then with trumpeter Miles Davis from 1981 to 1983 and again in 1985. He then began a solo career, releasing more than a dozen albums.
Stern was named Best Jazz Guitarist of 1993 by Guitar Player magazine. At the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal in June 2007, he was given the Miles Davis Award, which was created to recognize internationally acclaimed jazz artists whose work has contributed significantly to the renewal of the genre. In 2009 Stern was listed on Down Beat‘s list of 75 best jazz guitarists of all time. He received Guitar Player magazine’s Certified Legend Award on January 21, 2012.
Stern was born Michael Sedgwick in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Helen Stern (née Helen Phillips Burroughs), a sculptor and art patron, and Henry Dwight Sedgwick V. His adoptive stepfather was Philip M. Stern, the son of businessman Edgar B. Stern Sr and philanthropist Edith Rosenwald Stern, and grandson of philanthropist Julius Rosenwald. His sister Holly is the mother of actor Philip Nozuka and singers George Nozuka, Justin Nozuka and Henry Nozuka. His other (half-)sister is actress Kyra Sedgwick. Stern is married to guitarist and vocalist Leni Stern.