Lol Coxhill & Steve Miller – Coxhill / Miller / Miller / Coxhill
Stepping Into Tomorrow is a classic jazz-funk bomb from the great Donald Byrd featuring an all star cast including Gary Bartz on saxophone, Chuck Rainey on bass, and the legendary Mizell Brothers on writing as well as production duties. Byrd was in a new creative phase of his career, moving away from the hard bop of his early years and collaborating with the Mizell Brothers to pioneer the jazz-funk genre by combining elements of jazz, funk, soul and R&B. This record, along with Black Byrd, Street Lady, Places and Spaces and Caricatures, would all become jazz-funk classics and inspire an entire generation of musicians and producers including Madlib, A Tribe Called Quest, DJ Quik, Tupac, De la Soul, 9th Wonder, and countless others… Essential and still a complete bomb on dance floors today!
– Phil Cho
Recommended – A1 Stepping Into Tomorrow, A3 We’re Together, A4 Think Twice
Tags: Jazz-funk / Mizell Brothers / Samples / Soul
Tracklist:
A1 Stepping Into Tomorrow
A2 Design A Nation
A3 We’re Together
A4 Think Twice
B1 Makin’ It
B2 Rock And Roll Again
B3 You Are The World
B4 I Love The Girl
Credits:
Alto Saxophone, Clarinet – Gary Bartz
Arranged By [Background Vocals], Backing Vocals – Fred Perrin*
Arranged By [Background Vocals], Backing Vocals, Clavinet, Trumpet – Fonce Mizell
Arranged By, Conductor – Larry Mizell (tracks: A1 to A3, B2, B3)
Backing Vocals – Kay Haith (tracks: A3, A4), Lorraine Kennar* (tracks: A1, A2, B1), Margie Evans (tracks: B3), Stephanie Spruill (tracks: A1, B1)
Congas – Mayuto Correa
Copyist – Sigidi
Drum [Batah Drum], Jew’s Harp [Mouth Harp] – Harvey Mason (tracks: B1)
Drums – Harvey Mason
Electric Bass [Fender Bass] – Chuck Rainey
Engineer [Assistant] – James Nipar*
Engineer [Technical Director] – Chuck Davis
Engineer, Recorded By – John Mills (2)
Engineer, Recorded By, Remix – Dave Hassinger, Val Christian Garay*
Executive-Producer – George Butler
Guitar – David T. Walker, John Rowin, Rhonghea Southern (tracks: A4)
Liner Notes – Khadjuka [Don Mizell]*
Music Consultant [Artistic Consultant], Trumpet [Solo Trumpet], Flugelhorn, Solo Vocal – Donald Byrd
Music Consultant [Synthesizers] – Chuck Davis
Painting [Cover] – Greg Edwards (6)
Percussion – Roger Sainte, Stephanie Spruill, Stuff ‘N Ramjet*
Photography By – Doug Metzler
Piano [Acoustic Piano], Organ – Jerry Peters
Producer, Arranged By [Background Vocals], Backing Vocals, Synthesizer [Arp], Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes] – Larry Mizell
Whistling – James Carter (2)
