Steps Ahead

About Steps Ahead

Founded two decades ago by the New York vibraphone player Mike Mainieri, this band is a collection of the finest jazz musicians: The successful mixture of jazz, rhythm ‘n’ blues, rock and fusion which is so typical of the band was forged by saxophonists such as Michael Brecker and Bendik, keyboarders such as Eliane Elias and Rachel Z, guitarists such as Mike Stern and Steve Kahn, bassists such as Eddie Gomez, Tony Levin and Darryl Jones, and drummers such as Peter Erskine and Steve Smith. The all-star band’s album "N.Y.C.", which combines numerous different stylistic elements and is enriched with African percussion to form a well-balanced and highly catchy unity, is generally regarded as a classic.