Mike Stern, a jazz-rock guitarist with a firm emphasis on the latter half of that equation is nearing the end of a week-long engagement at the Iridium Jazz Club in Manhatttan, the same club where another famous electric guitarist plays every Monday night.
Stern was Miles Davis' guitarist in the early 1980s, when Davis came back after a five year retirement. He contributed blazing electric solos on Davis' songs, "Fat Time" (from The Man With the Horn) and "Jean Pierre" (from We Want Miles).
My wife and I caught Stern's 8:00 p.m. show last night, and really enjoyed it. Playing a Fender Telecaster clone with a powerful humbucking pickup in the neck, and wearing the standard issue Jeff Beck/Ron Wood/Nigel Tufnel "pudding bowl" lead guitarist haircut, Stern led a combo that included a drummer, bassist and sax player.
One of the Iridium's "bleacher bums" shouted "play some blues, Mike! Just one blues number!!" Ironically, Stern's style incorporated plenty of blues guitar technique, but combined with it some advanced fusion technique. He alternated between a clean, slightly digitally delayed Pat Methaney-sort of sound, and a raucous distorted sound incorporating power chords, bent notes, pick slides and blazing modal runs. His bass player dropped a couple of amazing thumb-popping solos as well.
I wouldn't call this the most groundbreaking jazz-rock fusion I had ever heard, but it was certainly a fun show, and well worth checking out. He'll be at the Iridium until this Sunday night.
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