Steps Ahead (1983)

Japanese import

Note: this release was originally purchased as an LP, later replaced by a CD.

liner notes

That's quite a pedigree: Brecker was a first-call session player and had formed the Brecker Brothers with his brother Randy, Peter Erskine had played with Stan Kenton and Weather Report, Gomez had spent over a decade with Bill Evans, and Mainieri was also a first-call session player who had previously gigged with Buddy Rich and Wes Montgomery. All this plus the guidance of Bruce Lundvall on the Elektra/Musician label.

I don't feel this fusion 'supergroup' really hit their stride until their next album, 1984's Modern Times. But that doesn't mean there's not some great stuff here. Mainieri started the collective and the group is at their best when the band is a vehicle for him and Brecker. All the performances are top notch - hall-of-famer Brecker always brought his A-game - the only problem with this album is a few instances of lackluster material.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "supple, coolly emotive debut of substance"
• DownBeat (★★★½): "an enjoyable LP"
• Musician: "not bad, just derivative"
• Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Jazz: #24
• CashBox Jazz: #12

Tracks: The lead tracks on both sides of the LP are better than what follows. So my top picks are Pools, Islands, Both Sides Of The Coin, and Skyward Bound.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I was a big Steps Ahead fan in college (1984-88) and owned this album then, but it didn't get as much playing time back then as Modern Times. Still doesn't.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Magnetic (1986)
Modern Times (1984)

Steps Ahead - Magnetic (1986)

Note: this release was originally purchased as an LP, later replaced by a CD.

While not as good as its predecessor, 1984's Modern Times, this is still a solid fusion effort. The writing is weaker, but the performances may be stronger. The biggest difference, however, is the band's switch to a more synthesized sound, especially saxophonist Michael Brecker's use of the Steiner EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument) and Oberheim Xpander. After listening to this album for more than 25 years, I've grown accustomed to the (now dated) sounds and they don't bother me. I appreciate the group's attempt to keep up with the current trends in technology, but I'm glad that era has passed. The group would continue to record with an ever changing line-up, but after buying this album's 1989 follow-up on cassette, I was done with them. That follow-up album, titled N.Y.C., has not yet been replaced with a CD.

Peak on the US Billboard 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: I like some tracks better than others, but this is one of those albums that I listen to from start to finish, if for nothing more than the sake of nostalgia. My favorite track is the opener, Trains. There's a decent take on Ellington's In A Sentimental Mood; its fault being that it is entirely synthesized. I would have loved to have heard these guys cut that chart on tenor sax and piano. I also like All The Tea In China and Something I Said. With vocals by Dianne Reeves, Magnetic Love is a decent pop track (complete with 1986-era drum machine programming), but it is sorely out of place on this album.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Purchased upon its release in the summer of 1986, I listened to the album frequently in preparation for a triumphant return to college that fall as "hipster, cutting-edge jazz guy." That didn't quite work out as I had imagined - my return was neither triumphant nor was I ever hip. However, there was a graduate assistant that called me into his tiny office that September and told me he had something for me to hear. He played this album while I smiled knowingly and burst his balloon by telling him I had already heard it. But we listened to the whole album, discussed the music and that was a rare, enjoyable occurrence. Later in the year, I was taking drum set lessons and, during practice sessions, would play this album on my Walkman while I attempted to drum along. I was using the music more as a metronome than attempting to actually duplicate the intricacies of Peter Erskine's playing.

My fraternity big brother purchased this album on CD, so it was one of the first albums I ever heard on CD and after hearing it on LP for months, the improvement in sound (particularly the dynamic contrast) just blew me away.

I saw Michael Brecker at a clinic/concert in Austin in the spring of 2000. I almost took my Steps Ahead CDs with me to have them autographed. I don't know why I didn't do that.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Modern Times (1984)

Steps Ahead - Modern Times (1984)

Note: this release was originally purchased as an LP, later replaced by a CD.

In the early '80s, I was just turning on to jazz music, but my interests were definitely in the smooth jazz vein (Yellowjackets, Spyro Gyra, David Sanborn, etc.), so straight ahead jazz and jazz fusion were foreign to me. One of my high school band directors recommend this album to me, so I dubbed a cassette of his album and, after a few listens, I liked it enough to purchase my own copy. For me, this album bridged the gap between the smooth and fusion sub-genres. While hardly smooth jazz, it was highly synthesized with strange structures, odd chord progressions, and disjunct melodies - continuing along the lines of Weather Report and Return To Forever (bands I had yet to discover). I was drawn to the synth sounds because, after all, this was the '80s. Even with all the electronics, the music here has aged well.

The stars of this group were vibraphonist and group leader Mike Mainieri and the late Michael Brecker on saxophone. This band has had a revolving membership and, as a result, I only stuck with them for a few albums. I've owned four of their releases, but only replaced two on CD so far: this sophomore effort and its follow-up, 1986's Magnetic.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "invites comparison with Weather Report" 
• DownBeat (★★★★): "marks the emergence of a new era for Steps Ahead"
• Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Jazz: #11
• CashBox Jazz: #9
• Radio & Records Jazz Radio National Airplay: #1

Tracks: There's 7 tracks, all of them over 6 minutes long. My least favorite tune is Radio-Active. I enjoy the other six, particularly the beautiful Self Portrait.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I'm remembering driving around my little college town in the Markmobile, listening to this cassette during the fall of my freshman year, 1984. Looking back, I'm wondering why I drove at all in that town - nothing was further than a 15 minute walk.

In the late '90s, I was wanting to pick up a CD copy of this album because I hadn't heard it in more than ten years. The CD was out-of-print at the time, but I found a copy on eBay. I paid a little more than I should have, but how would I have known then that someday you could download the whole album for less than $7. Speaking of eBay, I received an email from them 4 days ago reading, in part, "Congratulations! It's your 13-year eBay anniversary." That's hard to comprehend.