Steps Ahead
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Steps Ahead (originally known as Steps) is a jazz fusion group and the brainchild of vibraphonist Mike Mainieri. The long-lived group began releasing recordings in Japan as far back as 1980. The group's distinguished alumni include Steve Gadd, Michael Brecker, Eliane Elias, Warren Bernhardt, Rachel Z, Peter Erskine, Tony Levin, Darryl Jones, Eddie Gomez and many others.
Brecker and Mainieri are featured on the Dire Straits album Brothers in Arms. For rock listeners, the albums `Steps Ahead' and `Modern Times' are a great bridge into a kind of jazz that is energetic and powerful.