The bitch is that nobody goes “out” in this pedantic fusion session. The playing is trim and melodic and easy to listen to, but there’s no grit or dust, not even when Stern tackles the lengthy blues-based workout “Texas.” He’s always been best when he gets dirty. As an adherent to the ripping hot-jazz guitar fundamentals chiseled by John McLaughlin and Al DiMeola, and with a reputation for day-long practice sessions, he’s got chops to spare and a big tone. But Miles Davis was right to tell him to play “more rock and roll” when the NYC six-stringer was in the jazz genius’s funky early-’80s comeback band. With Davis and a dirty amp, Stern opened up a vein and bled beatifically all over the stage. He played with an abandon that threatened to break Davis’s music. Here even a dive into hip-hop, “Roll with It,” sounds safe and immaculate.THE MIKE STERN BAND | Regattabar, Charles Hotel, 1 Bennett St, Cambridge | September 20-21 | 617.395.7757
