RARE: Steps Ahead at the Pit Inn (1979) with Brecker, Gadd, Gomez, Grolnick and Mainieri

Two parts to this Full Concert Friday this week.  This is an audio recording of Steps Ahead performing at the Pit Inn in Tokyo, Japan, in 1979 with the band lineup being Michael Brecker on tenor saxophone, Don Grolnick on keyboards, Mike Mainieri on vibraphone, Eddie Gomez on bass, and Steve Gadd on drums.  

Part 1

Part 2

Steps - Live at the Pit Inn (December 1979)

Roppongi, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan According to Bill Milkowski’s excellent Michael Brecker biography, the band recorded at The Pit Inn on December 15th and 16th, and select songs from this two day gig resulted in the album “Smoking’ In The Pit” which was released in February 1980. The band recorded a studio album the next day, which resulted in the album “Step By Step,” released in the summer of 1980. I’m not 100% sure, but I believe the tracks in this video are from that same weekend, but are different from the takes used on the released recording. I believe this is accurate because Milkowski’s book mentions the guest appearance by Japanese guitar player Kazumi Watanabe that weekend, and he plays on “Sara’s Touch in this video. (The band was originally called “Steps” but had to change its name because there was another band that had the name first, so they changed the name to “Steps Ahead.”) If you are a Brecker fan, do yourself a favor and buy a copy of Bill Milkowski’s biography “Ode to a Tenor Titan: The Life and Times and Music of Michael Brecker.” It is a fantastically detailed accounting of Mike’s life and career, with tons of anecdotes from his peers and bandmates. Totally worth it, and a fantastic gift for any Brecker fan. Link here: https://amzn.to/3iJyCZB Tracks (different versions appear on “Smoking’ In The Pit”)

1 - Fawlty Tenors 2 - Sara’s Touch 3 - Tee Bag Mike Mainieri - vibes Eddie Gomez- bass Michael Brecker - saxophone Don Grolnick - piano Steve Gadd - drums Kazume Watanabe - guitar (“Sara’s Touch” only) “Smoking’ In The Pit” (rare, hard to find) - https://amzn.to/3H57bTg The tracks on this double album are:

Disc 1:

1 - Tee Bag 2 - Lover Man 3 - Fawlty Tenors 4 - Song To Seth

Disc 2:

1 - Young And Fine 2 - Soul Eyes 3 - Not Ethiopia 4 - Sara’s Touch “Step By Step” is even harder to find. It is not available on Amazon, I purchased a CD version in Japan back in 1989. The tracks on “Step By Step” are:

1 - Uncle Bob 2 - Kyoto 3 - Belle 4 - Bullet Train 5 - Six Persimmons