Drum legend Steve Gadd takes his all star team of Walt Fowler/tp-fh, Kevin Hays/key-voc, Jimmy Johnson/b and David Spinozza/g (replacing Michael Landau) for a hip mix of Steely Dan-ish jazz. This band has been the backup for the likes of Donald Fagen and James Taylor, and they sound like a smooth running V8 machine cruising the Boulevard on this set at Tokyo’s Blue Note. Fowler’s muted horn adds a noirish atmosphere to the subtle and funky “Where’s Earth” , while his “Timanogos” includes some nifty electric bass foundation in which Gadd rides over like a long boarder. Speaking of the leader, he gives a workshop on the tricky Latin beat of “One Point Five” and builds up the Butanes with his snare on “Way Back Home.” Hays gives a gospel workout to the spiritual “Walk With Me” and delivers a bluesy read of Bob Dylan’s “Watching The River Flow”. This band, and Gadd himself, create music that makes you remember why you fell in love with jazz in the first place. Studio studs turned loose.