The Five Peace Band @ Strathmore

"Raju", the McLaughlin composition that opened the concert, set the tone for the two-and-a-half hour concert, which spanned two sets and only six songs. The 30-minute workout contained all the trappings of vintage fusion, tight unison lines, textural changes, and blazing solos. This formula was repeated on "Senor C.S.", which infused some Latin flavor into the proceedings. While this material was enjoyable enough, and offered plenty of mind candy for aspiring musicians, at times it bordered on self-indulgent.

Thankfully, these veteran musicians have the maturity and foresight to mix it up with more subtle moments, and much of this variety is due to the makeup of the ensemble itself. On one side were Corea and McLaughlin, and on the other, Garrett and Blade, whose earthy styles provided worthy foils to the two master technicians. McBride was in the middle, holding it all together. Blade's intro on "New Blues, Old Bruise", the highlight of the show, recalled the passion of the late great Elvin Jones, while Garrett consistently drew cheers from the sold-out crowd with his downright dirty solos. Even Corea and McLaughlin showed their softer sides, playing a gorgeous duo intro to Corea's composition, "The Disguise".

The evening's centerpiece was "Hymn to Andromeda", another Corea composition that took the audience from the avant-garde to the Middle East to the Twilight Zone, and back. Though the lengthy piece nearly lost the audience at times, it drew a standing ovation at its close. Not surprisingly, the encore was the Davis classic, "It's About That Time", whose original recording features both McLaughlin and Corea. Equally unsurprising, it brought the crowd to its feet once more.