While not necessarily my favorite recording of Michael, in the wake of Michael's passing I recently pulled out an old DVD of a 1983 Steps Ahead concert the group did in Copenhagen. The group w/ him is stellar: Mike Mainieri on vibes, Eddie Gomez on bass, Peter Erskine on drums and a very young Eliane Elias on piano. I have all the Steps Ahead recordings and I still come back to their earlier (personnel) configuration...more organic in my opinion. Miss him. While I'm at it, did anyone out there ever catch Michael with the Jonathan Swift Alchemy band? This would have been late 70's, I believe. I can't remember the whole band, but Jaco Pastorius was playing bass, Peter Erskine on drums, and they had a fellow playing steel drums. What I wouldn't give to own a recording of that band!
