JAZZ REVIEW : Guitarist Mike Stern’s Show Takes No Prisoners

Guitarist Mike Stern didn’t waste any time getting down to business in his opening night set at Catalina Bar & Grill on Tuesday. Before the audio equipment was barely warmed up, he had ignited a blistering, riff-based, contemporary examination of the Jerome Kern standard “Yesterdays.” And that was just the beginning.

The Stern trio’s bassist, Jeff Andrews, picked up the torch on the second number, “Seven-Thirty,” and blazed through a breathlessly hyperactive solo that provided a perfect counter to Stern’s take-no-captives improvising. Both players (as well as drummer Ben Perowsky) are astounding technicians. But what made their music so fascinating was their ability to place their technique at the service of probing, improvisational explorations.

In solo after solo, Stern--who has been a regular with Miles Davis, as well as Blood, Sweat & Tears--revealed a capacity to blend rapid-fire playing with hard, rhythmic swing and occasional dashes of wit and humor. As much as any guitarist since the early days of John McLaughlin, Stern brings life to both forms of music by merging the dramatic intensity of rock with the envelope-stretching demands of contemporary jazz.

It was a continuously impressive performance by one of the most exhilarating artists of the ‘90s.

* Mike Stern at Catalina Bar & Grill, 1640 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood. (213) 466-2210. $12 cover; $15 tonight and Saturday, with two-drink minimum. Stern plays two sets each night, 9 and 11, through Sunday.