Mike Mainieri

Mike Mainieri
Mainieri in 2016.
Background information
Birth name	Mike Mainieri
Genres	Jazz, rock
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer, label owner
Instruments	vibraphone, keyboards
Years active	1952–present
Labels	Elektra Musician, NYC
Associated acts	Buddy Rich, Steps Ahead
Website	www.nycrecords.com

Michael T. Mainieri Jr. is an American vibraphonist known for his work with the jazz fusion group Steps Ahead. He is married to singer-songwriter and harpist Dee Carstensen.^[1]

Biography

Mainieri was a pioneer in introducing an electronic vibraphone, known as a synth-vibe, and has recorded with such musicians as Buddy Rich, Wes Montgomery and Jeremy Steig. He performed for a live album by Laura Nyro and was featured on several tracks from the Dire Straits album Love Over Gold (1982), as well as on "Ride Across the River" on the album Brothers in Arms (1985). He performed on the albums Heads by Bob James, Heart to Heart by David Sanborn, and Tiger in the Rain by Michael Franks.

He has also released numerous albums and videos as a leader for a variety of labels, most notably his 1980 album for Warner Bros. entitled Wanderlust, which featured Michael Brecker and other members of Steps Ahead. He produced three albums for Carly Simon. Mainieri married singer-songwriter/harpist Dee Carstensen in 1993.

Discography

Mike Mainieri with Bendik Hofseth, Cosmopolite Scene, Oslo, 2016.

As leader

• Blues on the Other Side (Argo, 1963) (as The Mike Manieri Quartet)
• Journey Thru an Electric Tube (Solid State, 1968)
• Insight (Solid State, 1968) (as The Mike Manieri Quartet)
• Love Play (Arista, 1977)
• Free Smiles: Live at Montreaux 1978 (Arista Novus, 1978) (with Warren Bernhardt)
• Wanderlust (Warner Bros., 1981)
• Man Behind Bars (NYC, 1995)
• An American Diary (NYC, 1995)
• Live at the Seventh Avenue South (NYC,1996) (as The Mike Manieri Quartet)^[2]
• An American Diary: The Dreamings (NYC, 1997)
• Northern Lights (NYC, 2006)
• Crescent (NYC, 2010)

with Steps Ahead

Studio albums

• Step by Step (1980)
• Steps Ahead (1983)
• Modern Times (1984)
• Magnetic (1986)
• N.Y.C. (1989)
• Yin-Yang (1992)
• Vibe (1994)
• Steppin Out (2016)

Live albums

• Smokin' in the Pit (1980)
• Paradox (1982)
• Live in Tokyo 1986 (1986)
• Holding Together: Live in Europe 1999 (2002)

As sideman

With Pino Daniele

● Medina (RCA, 2001)

With Aerosmith

• Toys in the Attic (Columbia Records, 1975) - conductor

With Manny Albam

• The Soul of the City (Solid State, 1966)

With George Benson

• Livin' Inside Your Love (Warner Bros. Records, 1979)

With Stephen Bishop

• Red Cab to Manhattan (Warner Bros. Records, 1980)

With Kenny Burrell

• A Generation Ago Today (Verve, 1967)

With Marc Cohn

• The Rainy Season (Atlantic Records, 1993)

With Paul Desmond

• Summertime (CTI, 1968)

With Dire Straits

• Love over Gold (Vertigo, 1982)
• Brothers in Arms (Vertigo, 1985)

With Eliane Elias

• Dreamer (Bluebird, 2004)
• Dance of Time (Concord Records, 2017)

With Art Farmer

• Big Blues with Jim Hall (CTI, 1978)
• Yama with Joe Henderson (CTI, 1979)

With Michael Franks

• Tiger in the Rain (Warner Bros. Records, 1979)
• Time Together (Shanachie Records, 2011)

With Urbie Green

• The Fox (CTI, 1976)

With Tim Hardin

• Tim Hardin 3 Live in Concert (Verve, 1968)
• Bird on a Wire (Columbia Records, 1973)

With Bob James

• Heads (Tappan Zee, 1977)

With Billy Joel

• 52nd Street (Columbia Records, 1978)

With Etta Jones

• Etta Jones Sings (Roulette, 1965)

With Janis Ian

• Night Rains (Columbia Records, 1979)

With Mark Knopfler

• Local Hero (Vertigo, 1983)

With Nils Lofgren

• I Came to Dance (A&M Records, 1977)

With Pat Martino

• Starbright (Warner Bros. Records, 1976)

With Paul McCartney

• Kisses on the Bottom (Hear Music, 2012)

With Brother Jack McDuff

• Who Knows What Tomorrow's Gonna Bring? (Blue Note Records, 1970)

With Don McLean

• American Pie (United Artists, 1971)
• Playin' Favorites (United Artists, 1973)

With Marcus Miller

• Suddenly (Warner Bros., 1983)

With Wes Montgomery

• Down Here on the Ground (CTI, 1968)

With Laura Nyro

• Season of Lights (Columbia Records, 1977)

With Buddy Rich

• Buddy Rich Just Sings (Verve, 1957)
• Richcraft (Mercury Records, 1959)
• The Driver (EmArcy, 1960)
• Playtime (Argo, 1960)
• Blues Caravan (Verve, 1962)

With Linda Ronstadt

• Living in the USA (Asylum Records, 1978)

With David Sanborn

• Time Again (Verve, 2003)

With Carly Simon

• Spy (Elektra Records, 1979)
• Come Upstairs (Warner Bros. Records, 1980)
• Torch (Warner Bros. Records, 1981)
• Hello Big Man (Warner Bros. Records, 1983)

With Paul Simon

• Paul Simon (Columbia Records, 1972)
• Hearts and Bones (Warner Bros. Records, 1983)

With Chris Smither

• Honeysuckle Dog (Okra-Tone, 1973 [2005])

With Sonny Stitt

• What's New!!! (Roulette, 1966)
• I Keep Comin' Back! (Roulette, 1966)

With Livingston Taylor

• Over the Rainbow (Capricorn, 1972)

With Tony Orlando and Dawn

• Dawn's New Ragtime Follies (Bell, 1973)

With Kazumi Watanabe

• To Chi Ka (Columbia Records, 1980)
• Dogatana (Denon, 1981)
• One for All (Polydor Records, 1999)

References

• Yanow, Scott. "Mike Mainieri". AllMusic. Retrieved May 1, 2011.

External links

• Official web site
• Allmusic
• Mike's featured page on the Party Of The Century international music project
• Mike Mainieri interview at allaboutjazz.com