Steps Ahead Steppin' Out

Steppin' Out is the second studio album released by soprano saxophonist George Howard. It was first released as an LP record in 1984 by Palo Alto Records and reached as high as #9 on the Billboard magazine Top Jazz Albums list for that year. This CD from 1984 has lively and complex sax sounds. When Howard rejoined GRP Records in 1990, they acquired the rights to previous albums by him and released this album on compact disc in 1992.

This set is a change of pace for singer Banu Gibson, who is usually heard with her New Orleans Hot Jazz Band. Instead, she is accompanied by a quartet comprised of guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, her regular pianist David Boeddinghaus, bassist Bill Huntington, and drummer Jake Hanna, with occasional appearances by trumpeters…

The Pasadena Roof Orchestra was formed in Nov. 1969 by Johnny Arthy, a lover of 1920's jazz who sought to lead a dance-oriented jazz-influenced big band specializing in music from the 1923-37 period. The British band gained its name because Arthy liked the obscure song "Pasadena." The orchestra had its first gig in April 1970 and soon Arthy came across a windfall, 1, 500 original arrangements from the 1920's practically given away by an elderly lady whose father had been musical director of a dance band in the twenties. The P.R.O. started out playing once a week but, after the success of their first album in 1974, they turned professional and began working much more often.

England's the Blues Band is led by ex-Manfred Mann vocalist Paul Jones and guitarist/vocalist Dave Kelly, who, before forming the group in 1979, had been a member of the John Dummer Blues Band and issued several solo recordings on his own (Kelly had also received praise for his playing by such blues legends as Howlin' Wolf and John Lee Hooker).

This Is Acid Jazz Vol. 7: Steppin' Out (INS514, 50:17) is a low-key affair, showcasing the usual suspects (Shakatak, The JB Horns, Gota) and talents deserving wider recognition (The Sharpshooters, Woody Cunningham). Perfect beat moments: CFM Band's churning Bobby Byrd ("Get on up/Get into it!")/Headhunters/Tom Browne-pastiche "Make It Funky CFM," Cunningham's straight-outta-'70s funk-on-a-slow-roll "Tonite."

Smokin' Joe Kubek's debut album is a delight. Kubek leads his band through a set of smoking hot Texas and Memphis blues, delivered with passion – they can play this music with precision, but they choose to be looser and more fun than most traditionalists. Kubek's a skillful guitarist and B'Nois King, his vocalist and rhythm guitarist, can play nearly as well and their duels are the high watermark of an already wonderful album.