Miles Davis alumni are scattered throughout the jazz ranks, from such venerable legends as Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter to barely-knowns like Michael Henderson and Reggie Lucas. Saxophonist Dave Liebman falls somewhere in the middle of the pantheon; he worked with Miles for about a year and a half and appeared on 1973's On the Corner. Liebman pays tribute to that electro-funk-jam album, with nods to the sax-fronted rock 'n' roll of his youth, on this outing, an often vigorous, but occasionally tedious, slab of jazz-rock fusion. He employs a drummer, two bassists and two guitarists (Vic Juris and Miles alum Mike Stern). The best material is the headlong stuff that lets loose with unabashed soloing (although the thick, wailing licks of the guitarists get wearisome at times). When the band tries to go moody — on ballads, solo interludes or the all-but-stillborn "Bela" (with its dated, airy bed of synthesizer) — Back on the Corner becomes leaden. In all, the disc's best moments successfully update the proto-fusion that Miles pioneered. 3 stars
