Tommy Dolin Cobo Arena

Tommy Bolin is a grab-bag guitarist whose stylistic interests cover a gamut of funk, power-chord rock, Latin and reggae rhythms and jazz-rock dynamics.

After first replacing Joe Walsh in the James Gang and later Richie Blackmore in Deep Purple, he is now fronting his own five-piece band in the wake of a second solo Lp, Private Eyes. The band includes Mark Stein, former Vanilla Fudge keyboardist, and Detroit's spitfire saxist Norma Bell.

But performing at Ford Oct. 5, Bolin and band displayed a number of loose ends.

At times Bolín appeared to have fusion difficulties, failing to make his guitaring be the unifying force between the basic three-chord rock progressions and the band's more intricate arrangements. When offered a large canvas for solo improvisation, Bolin disappointingly filled much of the space with standard rock cliches.

The lack of continuity can also be attributed in part to the band, which either had an off night or needs more rehearsal. There was a noticeable lack of interplay and communication between instruments. Other than Bolin and Bell occasionally playing off each other, drums and keyboards tended to go their separate ways, creating an element of busyness.

One gets the feeling Bolin- with his complimenting vocals does have the potential to combine his and the band 's many influences into a unique blend, but he fell short of doing so at Ford.

Guitar-wise, he did find the groove in the last two tunes, "Post Toastie" and "Homeward Strut," launching tension-filled solos that displayed impressive technique and the direction that had been absent through most of the performance.

The instrument highlight of the show, however, was the solo bass work of Jimmy Haslip.

In the end, Detroit appropriately awarded the group with only one encore.

-L. Jay