A career of travels and transitions

Leni Stern redefines what it means to be a wide-ranging musician

Leni Stern, a native of Germany who lives in New York and collaborates with West African bandleaders, says, "I'm coming to Boston to sing the stories of my travels. . ." (Latifa methany/seth cohen pr 2007)

As one of jazz's most acclaimed female guitarists, Leni Stern is used to elbowing her way onto male-dominated stages. But over the past two years, she has gracefully pulled off a far more daunting transgression, emerging as a welcome muse for many of West Africa's greatest bandleaders.

Through her collaborations with Salif Keita, Youssou N'Dour, Toumani Diabate, and Babaa Maal, Stern has become a ubiquitous presence in Mali and Senegal, while developing an evocative body of original songs that combine her jazz-steeped, singer-songwriter sound with traditional West African grooves and instruments.

Communing with West Africa is the latest step in an unlikely journey that has taken her from Munich, where she was born and raised, to New York City, the adopted hometown that has fueled her transition from acclaimed instrumentalist to convincing vocalist with a knack for incisive lyrics and resourceful melodies.

"Improvised music is the connection, but also songwriting and storytelling," says Stern, who celebrates the release of her self-produced album "Africa" at Scullers tomorrow with a quintet featuring Mali's Yacouba Sissoko on the harp-like 21-string kora; Mamadou Makane Kouyate on djembe drum and calabash (a gourd percussion instrument); Morocco's Brahim Fribgane, a Berber master of the oud and doumbek (goblet drum); and New York-raised jazz bassist Jerome Harris.

"When you listen to the griots sing, the improvised sections are where they tell the story," Stern continues, speaking from the Manhattan apartment she shares with her husband, noted jazz guitarist Mike Stern. "They recount stories and history, saying 'This happened and that happened and then the griots came to sing about it.' I'm coming to Boston to sing the stories of my travels in the language of the country I traveled to. There's no word to describe my love for Africa and how welcomed I've been."

As traditional societies where a moderate, Sufi-influenced strain of Islam predominates, Mali and Senegal offer fairly limited opportunities for female musicians. Stern says she has benefited from being perceived as an outsider not entirely bound by restrictive customs and rules.

"You still get frowned on walking around without a guy, but since most of the musicians I play with are men I'm usually hanging out with some bass player," Stern says. "The few times I went out on my own, I was told to veil myself by a grumpy old imam. But I'm not there to judge anything. I'm really satisfied that women in Mali and Senegal see me up there on stage trading solos with a man."

Stern isn't the only one who revels in breaking taboos. Keita, the great Malian vocalist who defied his aristocratic heritage by taking on the role of a griot, often pushes Stern to trade solos with his regular lead guitarist Ousmane Kouyate, pitting her Stratocaster's bluesy, distortion-tinged tone against his cleaner, sweeter sound.

"I owe a big debt to Salif," Stern says. "He's an albino, and his band has a dwarf on piano. I think he enjoys other people who don't fit in. It makes him feel less like an outcast, since albinos are treated terribly in West Africa."

Stern's ever-deepening involvement with West Africa took root during a trip she made to perform at the 2005 Festival in the Desert, a Tuareg cultural festival in Mali's northeast that has attracted many Western musicians. Through a series of chance encounters, she ended up recording in Keita's Bamako studio to help out a program that trains young African sound engineers.

"The tracks came out so amazing, I thought I should do more with this material than just post it on my website," says Stern, 55, who released the music on a five-cut EP, "Alu Mayé," after adding tracks by her husband and tenor sax great Michael Brecker. "Salif called and he was so pleased I was helping out with this project. When I went back to Mali, he hired me for his band."

In another serendipitous encounter, Stern appeared as a guest on Mali's most-watched television talk show at the same time that Maal was scheduled to perform live in the studio. Coaxed onstage to perform with him, she started playing a rhythm part over which he improvised a vocal (you can see video of it on YouTube; search for Leni Stern and Baaba Maal).

"It turned into a live concert on television, and he asked me to perform with him that night," Stern says.

Videos of several tracks from "Africa" are also available on YouTube, as is footage of Stern performing in Mali and Senegal with bands blending West African and American musicians, such as a fascinating clip of her appearance at 2006's Festival in the Desert.

One of her most powerful pieces is "Childsoldier," a stark, percussion-driven song that describes the plight of children kidnapped and pressed into military service. Two of the most beautiful tracks are elegies for departed friends - "Saya" for percussionist Don Alias, and the ravishing "1000 Stars" for Brecker.

"They're evocative, honest, melodically and rhythmically interesting songs," says bassist/guitarist Jerome Harris, who has toured and recorded widely with jazz greats such as Sonny Rollins and Jack DeJohnette. "Leni's a wonderful player and a good singer who really brings the tunes to life. I've listened to a fair amount of music from Africa, particularly Mali, but I haven't sought out situations where I can play it. Having an occasion to join Leni in exploring that musical world is just a blast."