KATHMANDU: Leni Stern is a traveller. Originally from Germany, the jazz guitarist and singer with her musical roots in America has travelled to places like Africa and Nepal finding inspiration and motivation for her music from the ever-changing world around her to create a sound that is equally transforming, malleable, fluid, and moving.

Twenty years ago, she visited Nepal and “fell in love with the place”. After all these years, she will be returning to the country which she is “excited” about. And

what brings her to Nepal is Surya Nepal Jazzmandu 2015.

“It really is a magical Valley! I went there to rest in the shadow of the big mountains and to write music far away from New York,” she writes in an email interview with The Himalayan Times adding, “I believe that every place we write music in, has a special feeling, no other will make you write like it.”

Of her return, she is very much looking forward to meet the local musicians and to perform with them. Also, she hopes to “learn a few traditional Nepali songs, maybe compose more songs like I did 20 years ago”.

Other than meeting and performing with local as well as visiting artistes, she can’t wait to visit Patan and Bouddhanath again hoping that “rebuilding after the big quake will be speedy and successful”.

With a career that expands over 25 years, Stern — who is the Gibson Guitar’s Female Jazz Guitarist of the Year for five consecutive years — is one artiste to look forward to in this year’s Jazzmandu. She sings of her experiences of her travels and the beauty of the people who have drawn her into their lives and others. And her experiences will musically unravel at the jazz fest. At this “special” place (Nepal), Stern had composed Blue Cloud and this will be one of her performances at the festival. “I hope that my music will bring joy and peace to Kathmandu”.

The Valley will resound with Surya Nepal Jazzmandu 2015 from November 4 to 10. The Himalayan Times is the official print media partner. For more info, log unto www.jazzmandu.org.