Mike Stern "Live" (2006)

Few guitarists blend jazz sophistication and rock fire quite like Mike Stern. Ever since he burst onto the scene in Miles Davis's comeback band of the early eighties, he's built a career on that combination - bebop vocabulary delivered with the tone and attack of a rock player. Few bassists sound quite like Richard Bona, either. The Cameroonian virtuoso plays with jaw-dropping agility and sings with a voice so pure it could melt stone, often doing both at the same time. "Live" brings them together on November 9, 2004, at the New Morning, the celebrated jazz club in Paris, and it feels like a pairing that was always meant to happen. Bona had recently appeared on Stern's album "These Times," and their chemistry onstage is immediate and joyful, with Stern's fiery lines weaving around Bona's singing bass and soaring wordless vocals. Holding it all together is legendary drummer Dennis Chambers, whose explosive power and impeccable groove have fueled everyone from Parliament-Funkadelic to John Scofield, along with brilliant tenor saxophonist Bob Franceschini. Together, the Mike Stern Band delivers music that's both high-energy and deeply lyrical, with plenty of room for each player to shine. Great collaborations come from mutual respect and a willingness to listen, and this one has both in abundance.