The Iridium
1650 Broadway
New York, NY 10020
{212} 582-2120
www.theiridium.com
The Iridium, an iconic New York venue is the perfect place to watch Leni Stern, songwriter and performer from Munich, Germany. The lights dim, the African trio band she plays with sets up in the background, and we are ready for an experience like no other. A quick introduction, and Leni strolls out holding her guitar and the crowd erupts in excitement. A few minutes, she plucks the first note, followed by drums, cymbals, bass, and then her soft yet voluminous voice. Leni sings a few songs and recaps her background and experience traveling to Malawi. You can feel the passion as a performer and it sparks internal joy as she showers invisible sprinkles of contentment, inspiration, and intense gratitude for her current reality.
Leni places her acoustic string instrument on the piano next to her, picks up the electrical guitar, and aligns the microphone below her waist. Immediately, after the band picks up and they start to jam and my feet follow suit keeping up with the melody. Leni’s music is in a category of its own because it is a beautiful integration of jazz, soft rock, and African spice. At the end of the mini concert before her next act, I had a few minutes to talk to her and thanked her for such an amazing show. If you are interested in experiencing Leni and for more information feel free to visit her website: http://www.lenistern.com/home/index.html; in the meantime check out her latest CD titled Smoke, no fire.
By: Laura M. Artis