Mike Stern Band

He's one of the finest jazz guitarists of his generation, which is to say the generation in which jazz musicians all but ceased to be household names. Not that Mike Stern's bothered: the six-time Grammy nominee boasts an illustrious career that's seen him play sideman to the likes of Miles Davis, Jaco Pastorius and the Brecker Brothers. As a solo artist, he's probably best know for 1993's Standards (and Other Songs) – which is ironic, seeing as how it's the least representative album in his discography. Stern's live sets tend to rock pretty hard, and he should be well supported at Blue Note Tokyo by a band that features trumpeter Randy Brecker, bassist Tom Kennedy and drummer Dennis Chambers.