Customer Reviews

Modern Times

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Somebody gave me a cassette recording several years ago of Modern Times by a group I had never heard of called Steps Ahead. I had no liner notes and so could only guess at who was playing. Being a musician involved in playing jazz at the time and having listened to all the major "candy jazz" or "fusion" type bands, I found "Modern Times" to be completely unique in form and approach. What I heard was a unique blend of jazz chordal harmony mixed with complex contemporary rhythms that had a discipline all its own. It was far removed from the garden- variety compositions that featured self-indulgent prolonged solos and lazy "head arrangement"-type playing that had surfaced in all the other groups. Gone were the "hip" over-simplified melodies with their predictable kicks and safe melodies. Suddenly, I thought there was hope. Alas, all other Steps Ahead CD's I have sampled, although better than most, have deserted their own precedent for unique, truly listenable and groundbreaking music. "Modern Times" still is a standout, and holds up well even in the new millenium.

I had the good fortune of seeing this band at the Bottom Line club in New York City twice, once with Peter Erskine on drums and another time with Steve Smith on drums and they were nothing short of excellent. The show with Erskine stands out for me although the show with Smith was by no means shabby!

They performed a few tracks from this CD and I was just in awe of the incredible sound put out by the band and the fantastic compositions, allowing each musician to stretch out. Master musicians at work. I originally had this on vinyl but recently got the CD version and it has stood the test of time for me.
Although she is not on this CD, this is the band that introduced me to the great Eliane Elias.

It's astonishing that this album is as old as it is, because it still sounds so fresh. Steps was arguably at their peak here. This album was what made me want to get serious about jazz.

Released in 1984, Modern Times, the second Steps Ahead album, was a radical departure from the group's self-titled debut. Unlike the first album's mostly acoustic textures, Modern Times is a high-tech, futuristic, jazz-of-tomorrow masterpiece. While many have used sequencers, throbbing synth bass, and programmed percussion in a jazz context, to this day no one has done it better than this group on this album. Strong compositions, impassioned performances, and early DDD production are married to otherworldly yet urban atmospheres to create one of the best albums any of these distinguished players has ever appeared on.

Steps Ahead have always been Mike Mainieri's group, and he is the only player to appear on every album. "Oops" and "Self-Portrait" are classic Mainieri compositions: long-lined unforgetable melodies, loud/soft contrasts, quirky bridges, outstanding solos over synth splashes, and sudden endings. His other two compostions on this album are a bit more eclectic. "Radio Active" is mostly programmed (special guest: Craig Peyton) and showcases Michael Brecker's multitracked licks and best soloing on the album. "Old Town" includes drumbox, gurgling synth loops, Tony Levin on the Chapman Stick, and Mainieri's marimba solo. Ubiquitous drummer Peter Erskine contributes the smooth "Now you know" with guest (and future bandmember) Chuck Loeb on guitar, a nice Warren Bernhardt piano solo, and Brecker making a rare appearance on soprano sax. Brecker's only composition, "Safari", also features his soprano work before moving to the tenor and a wonderful Mainieri vibraphone solo. Bernhardt's "Modern Times" opens with intricate synth patterns and includes an Eddie Gomez bass solo that's almost drowned in the mix. In the interest of full disclosure, it should be mentioned here that while creditted as a full-fledged bandmember, Gomez can only be heard on "Oops", "Modern Times", and "Now you know". Not surprisingly, he has not appeared on another Steps Ahead album since.

While the shock of high-technology no doubt alienated some listeners, the gamble has paid off in that this album still sounds very modern and contemporary over 25 years after its original release. Future Steps Ahead albums would never recapture the imaginative quality of Modern Times, and would add vocals and a revolving-door line-up that could never hold a candle to this original jazz "supergroup". If you're a Mike Mainieri and/or Michael Brecker fan, you will find much to savor on this album. Also be sure to investigate Mainieri's 1981 under-the-radar solo album masterpiece Wanderlust, which creates similar soundscapes and has Brecker, Erskine, Bernhardt, and Levin among its all-star line-up.

For the most part "Modern Times" represents a shift to a more structured set of songs from the improvisational style of the group's U.S. debut album. The presence of keyboardist Warren Bernhardt adds an extra dimension. This is a great electronic jazz CD, with plenty of spunk and good music. The horn and synth motifs and rhythms have little of the blandness sometimes heard in modern jazz CDs. They occasionally get repetitive, but there is always something else that kicks in to keep things interesting. As a vibraphone lover I enjoy the work of Mike Mainieri, and there are plenty of good vibrations elsewhere. For example, on "Radioactive" and "Old Town," the percussion is synthesized into sharp wooden sounds, which along with the other instruments create those often intricate, pulsating fountains of rhythm that epitomize the best of electronic jazz. The group really excels in those songs and elsewhere in overlaying the instruments and rhythms. There is, of course, still some good improvisation from the horns, the piano, and the vibraphones. "Self Portrait" and "Now You Know" are gems that will satisfy listeners who enjoy the pretty side of things. Along with the group's U.S. debut, this is one of my favorite modern jazz CDs.

Despite dull production, curious instrumentation and exploratory melodics win over the confined recording. Occasionally strange keyboard-heavy undertones, which actually contribute much to this album's individual greatness, seem to veer this progressive jazz a little heavily onto the showy side, manifesting something akin to futuristic schmaltz. But with constant ear-turning time and note changes abound which really do some welcomed damage on keen listeners, it remains an interesting find.

This is another album that I just don't want to "talk it to death." It's just simply, purely a fantastic, immaculate jazz album! Michael Brecker on sax, Mike Mainieri (sorry if I spelled his name wrong) on vibes...leading a great band (with piano, bass, drums) through a fantastic set of beautiful, melodic jazz! Great jams where there needs to be great jams, impeccable performances by everyone. This is a great cruising down the highway album. Of course, there is one tune "Radio Active" where the drummer puts a synth-echo on the drums, and the entire song takes a turn toward neo-fusion. And, I love that kind of stuff. But, this album is mostly just real fine jazz. Being more of a fusion fan, I rarely give 5 stars to this kind of straight-forward jazz....but this album so definitely deserves 5 stars! All the songs are melodic and memorable. Sometimes they are fast-paced. Sometimes they are slower and more instrumental ballad-like. The second song, "Oops" kind of breaks the melody-toned trend, to give it a bit more of a sporatic, abstract feel. But, that greatly enhances the overall album by adding a certain welcome variety. Somehow, everything just all comes together in a gorgeously entertaining package. There is just no way for a jazz fan to find this album deserving of anything less than 5 stars!

upon listening to the music, one gets caught in the energy exchange between the artists. the artist create musical places that we all should travel to.

As a long time fan of Steps Ahead, this is the best compilation of music and artists that defines the group.