I thought I'd check out live versions of tunes with which I am very familiar. Sawite. And somehow, these live versions sound more dated than the studio versions I've been listening to for many decades.
By this time, Steps Ahead was Michael Brecker and Mike Mainieri supported by other fine musicians. In this case, we've got Mike Stern on guitar (fresh off his gigs with Miles Davis), Darryl Jones on bass (just after leaving Sting's backing band and, since 1993, with The Rolling Stones), and drummer Steve Smith (who I always associate with Journey). They work together well, but the only bit here that varies much from the studio versions is a nice segue from In A Sentimental Mood to Trains. This isn't one of those albums I'll seek out, but I won't skip a track should it come around on a shuffle.
Reviews/ratings:
- DownBeat (★★★): "packed with catchy jazz-pop melodies and plenty of invigorating stretches of harmonized playing."
- The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★
Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart
Tracks: Of the eight tracks here, 3 originally appeared on Modern Times, the remaining 5 on Magnetic.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None
Previously revisited for the blog:
Magnetic (1986)
Modern Times (1984)
Steps Ahead (1983)
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