STEVE YEAGER
Music Production

Born and raised in Minnesota, Steve Yeager remembers, “I started playing drums in the sixth grade school band, learning snare drum rudiments ”. Allen C. Benson, a great musician, artist and percussionist came to town in 1976; he was a really big influence on me. Percussionist Marv Dahlgren from the Minnesota Orchestra was my next connection. He was a fine Jazz Vibes player that did club dates in the late 70’s, and I hooked up with him for lessons before heading off to college. Growing up, my parents took me to see Lionel Hampton, the Modern Jazz Quartet, and the George Shearing groups. A small club in Minneapolis called the Rainbow Gallery - which was a tea room - was a hangout in late high school. Saw Philly Joe Jones, George Coleman et al, with locals Bobby and Billy Peterson as constants.” Graduating from St. John’s University with degrees in Psychology and Music, he later attended the Berklee College Of Music in Boston - where through a tape audition he was one of the the recipients of a Berklee Professional Music Scholarship and a Gary Burton Jazz Masters Incentive Award. Studies included lessons with Ed Saindon and regular ensembles and masterclasses. Since that time he has returned to Minnesota and has had several overlapping careers. As an educator, Yeager taught Vibes and improvisation at the University of Minnesota for ten years as an adjunct faculty member, taught music production as a LOGIC certified trainer at the Minneapolis Media Institute, and 6 years in the Anoka Hennepin School district teaching Music Production. As a producer and an arranger-composer, he has produced a countless amount of music for other artists along with sync licensing for movies and television. He is also an engineer who is expert at mixing and mastering (except for his own music album releases - for those, he always hands the faders to someone else). And, most importantly, as a vibraphonist he has developed his own original sound and led four albums: April Sessions (1998), Suite MJQ (2000), New Groove Blues (with organist Tony Monaco in 2003), and Vibraharp (2020). “The songs in this collection are pieces that I’m proud of but were not publicized much in the past. I took most of the selections from older records and edited them, sometimes remixed them, and cut their length down to get to their essence.” The music is drawn from April Sessions (“Say It Over and Over Again,” “Moments,” “Days,” and “I Fall In Love”), Suite MJQ (“Ballad For Milt” and “Fugette”), and Vibraharp (“The Promise”) with “Deep Blue” and “Dizzy Who?” being taken from sessions that Yeager had recorded in St. Paul during 2014-16. In addition, “Say I Do” was previously unreleased. The diverse yet unified program begins with the catchy “Dizzy Who?” A joyfully funky number, it has an assertive theme, riffing horns, disco strings, and a strong contribution from organist Kevin Gastonguay in addition to the leader’s vibes. “Say It Over And Over Again” is primarily a long and beautiful melody statement by Yeager. He displays his individuality, often allowing a single note to ring over several bars - rather than filling in the space with double-time runs. He lets the melody and the bar vibrato speak for itself. The original version of this song on his 1998 April Sessions CD features a beautiful Piano solo by the late great Bobby Peterson - and is worth seeking out. “Fugette” is taken from a tribute to Milt Jackson and the Modern Jazz Quartet that was recorded soon after Jackson’s passing in 1999. The straight ahead jam teams Yeager again with pianist Bobby Peterson, bassist Gordon Johnson, and drummer Phil Hey. It features some Bach-inspired counterpoint that pianist John Lewis loved to play. The most extensive editing and remixing took place on three of the selections from April Sessions. “On ‘I Fall In Love,’ ‘Moments,’ and ‘Days, I used an MPC sampler and the Pro Tools audio stems to cut up the tracks and form a new arrangement. I sent those to Kevin Gastonguay who added keys and B-3 organ , Andrew Foreman electric bass and Redi Kennedy conjured a drum part (there are no drums on April Session) and completely reinvented the songs.” Since the melodies are now absent (other than a brief hint of ‘When I Fall in Love’ on ‘I Fall In Love’), no one could tell from listening to these what the original songs were.” “Deep Blue” features Yeager in a slightly funky setting with keyboardist Kevin Gastonguay and the backing of three horns. “Ballad For Milt” from the MJQ project is an excellent ballad feature for Yeager and finds him repaying his debt to Milt Jackson, the most influential of all jazz vibraphonists. “Days” a Remix - quickly changes the mood. It is a catchy and danceable number set up by drummer Reid Kennedy, that in this version, is a very well-disguised piece based on “The Days Of Wine And Roses.” The organ and tenor add to the soul jazz groove. The previously unreleased “Say I Do” is a change of pace for, while Steve Yeager produced this selection, he does not play on it. Instead it has tenor-saxophonist Brian Snowman Powers in the lead during an easy-listening r&b ish groove. “Moments” is a disguised “Stolen Moments” that gives no hint of its source. No matter, the new piece stands out on its own with tenor-saxophonist Irv Williams and Yeager as the most prominent voices. The intriguing and consistently enjoyable program concludes with “The Promise.” Originally called “Promise Of Love” and released on his album Vibraharp that included a beautiful vocal by Lucia Newell based on a poem by Sara Teasdale - it now puts the focus on its haunting theme with Adam Rossmiller on flugelhorn stating the classical-inspired melody. Throughout his career, Steve Yeager has contributed to the legacy of the vibraphone, making significant contributions as a soloist, producer, composer, in his published works, and as an educator. Collective Vibe puts a new spin on some of his earlier recordings, utilizing parts of his past to create new and fun music. Scott Yanow, jazz journalist/historian April 2023