Stepping into Tomorrow

Stepping Into Tomorrow
Stepping Into Tomorrow
Studio album by Donald Byrd
Released	1975
Recorded	November–December 1974
Studio	Sound Factory (Hollywood)
Genre	Jazz-funk
Length	38:13
Label	Blue Note ; BN-LA368-G
Producer	Larry Mizell
Donald Byrd chronology

Last updated February 04, 2026

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]

Stepping Into Tomorrow is a 1974 album by jazz trumpeter Donald Byrd.

Track listing

"Stepping Into Tomorrow" (Larry Mizell) – 5:06
"Design A Nation" (Mizell) – 4:19
"We’re Together" (Mizell) – 4:23
"Think Twice" (Sigidi, Mizell, Mbaji) – 6:10
"Makin’ It" (Harvey Mason) – 3:46
"Rock ‘N’ Roll Again" (Mizell) – 6:08
"You Are The World" (Mizell) – 4:29
"I Love The Girl" (Donald Byrd) – 3:52

Personnel

Donald Byrd - trumpet, flugelhorn, vocals
Gary Bartz - alto sax, soprano sax, clarinet
James Carter - whistler on "Rock And Roll Again"
Mayuto Correa - congas
Margie Evans, Kay Haith, Freddie Perren - background vocals
Fonce Mizell - trumpet, clarinet, background vocals
Jerry Peters - organ, piano
John Rowin, David T. Walker - guitar
Larry Mizell - Fender Rhodes, ARP synthesizers, background vocals
Chuck Rainey - bass
Harvey Mason - drums, bata drums
Roger Sainte - percussion
Ronghea Southern - guitar on "Think Twice"
Stephanie Spruill - percussion, background vocals

Charts

Monthly charts

Monthly chart performance for *Stepping into Tomorrow*
Chart (2025)	Peak position
German Jazz Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[4]	18

References

↑ Gorton, TJ (July 30, 2018). "BeatCaffeine's 100 Best Jazz-Funk Songs". BeatCaffeine. Archived from the original on August 25, 2018. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
↑ Kellman, Andy (2011). "Stepping into Tomorrow - Donald Byrd | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
↑ Kellman, A AllMusic Review: Stepping in to Tomorrow accessed 12 May 2010
↑ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts Top 20 Jazz-Charts – August 2025" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts . Retrieved October 7, 2025.

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[1] Gorton, TJ (July 30, 2018). "BeatCaffeine's 100 Best Jazz-Funk Songs". BeatCaffeine. Archived from the original on August 25, 2018. Retrieved September 19, 2021.

[2] Kellman, Andy (2011). "Stepping into Tomorrow - Donald Byrd | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved August 1, 2011.

[3] Kellman, A AllMusic Review: Stepping in to Tomorrow accessed 12 May 2010

[4] "Offizielle Deutsche Charts Top 20 Jazz-Charts – August 2025" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts . Retrieved October 7, 2025.

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v t e Donald Byrd
Years indicated are for the recording(s), not first release.
As leader	Byrd's Eye View (1955) Byrd Jazz (1955) Byrd's Word (1955) Byrd Blows on Beacon Hill (1956) 2 Trumpets (with Art Farmer, 1956) The Young Bloods (with Phil Woods, 1956) Jazz Eyes (and John Jenkins et al., 1957) Fuego (1959) Byrd in Flight (1960) Free Form (1961) A New Perspective (1963) I'm Tryin' to Get Home (1964) Up with Donald Byrd (1964) Mustang! (1966) Blackjack (1967) Slow Drag (1967) Fancy Free (1969) Kofi (1969–70) Ethiopian Knights (1971) Black Byrd (1972) Live: Cookin' with Blue Note at Montreux (1973; released 2022) Street Lady (1974) Stepping into Tomorrow (1974) Places and Spaces (1975) Caricatures (1976) Thank You...For F.U.M.L. (Funking Up My Life) (1978) Donald Byrd and 125th Street, N.Y.C. (1979) Love Byrd (1981) Words, Sounds, Colors and Shapes (1982) Harlem Blues (1987) Getting Down to Business (1989) A City Called Heaven (1991)
With Pepper Adams	10 to 4 at the 5 Spot (1958) Off to the Races (1959) Byrd in Hand (1959) At the Half Note Cafe (1960) Motor City Scene (1960) Out of This World (1961) Chant (1961) The Cat Walk (1961) Royal Flush (1961) The Creeper (1967) Electric Byrd (1970)
With The Jazz Messengers	The Jazz Messengers (1956) Originally (1956) Art Blakey Big Band (1957) Holiday for Skins (2 volumes, 1958)
With Gigi Gryce	At Newport (and Cecil Taylor, 1957) Gigi Gryce and the Jazz Lab Quintet (Riverside, 1957) Jazz Lab (Columbia album) (1957) Jazz Lab (Jubilee album) (1957 [1958]) Modern Jazz Perspective (with Jackie Paris, 1957) New Formulas from the Jazz Lab (1957)
With Jackie McLean	Lights Out! (1956) 4, 5 and 6 (1956) New Soil (1959) Jackie's Bag (1959) Vertigo (1963)
With Hank Mobley	The Jazz Message of Hank Mobley (Savoy, 1956) Mobley's Message (Prestige, 1956) Jazz Message No. 2 (Savoy, 1957) Hank Mobley Sextet (1956) Hank (1957) No Room for Squares (1963) Straight No Filter (1963) The Turnaround! (1963) Far Away Lands (1967)
With others	Discoveries / Presenting Cannonball Adderley (Cannonball Adderley, 1955) Jammin' with Gene (Gene Ammons, 1956) All Night Long (Kenny Burrell, 1956) All Day Long (Kenny Burrell, 1957) 2 Guitars (Kenny Burrell & Jimmy Raney, 1957) Whims of Chambers (Paul Chambers, 1956) Paul Chambers Quintet (1957) Sonny's Crib (Sonny Clark, 1957) My Conception (Sonny Clark, 1959) Bohemia After Dark (Kenny Clarke, 1955) Lush Life (John Coltrane, 1957–58) The Believer (John Coltrane, 1957–58) The Last Trane (John Coltrane, 1957–58) Black Pearls (John Coltrane, 1957–58) Davis Cup (Walter Davis Jr., 1959) Wailing With Lou (Lou Donaldson, 1957) Lou Takes Off (Lou Donaldson, 1957) This Is New (Kenny Drew, 1957) All Mornin' Long (Red Garland, 1957) Soul Junction (Red Garland, 1957) High Pressure (Red Garland, 1957) One Flight Up (Dexter Gordon, 1964) Ladybird (Dexter Gordon, 1965) Snap Your Fingers (Al Grey, 1962) Johnny Griffin Sextet (1958) Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1 (Guru, 1993) Jazzmatazz, Vol. 2: The New Reality (Guru, 1994–95) My Point of View (Herbie Hancock, 1993) Tone Tantrum (Gene Harris, 1977) Swamp Seed (Jimmy Heath, 1963) Informal Jazz (Elmo Hope, 1956) African High Life (Solomon Ilori, 1963) Big Byrd: The Essence Part 2 (Ahmad Jamal, 1994 or 1995) Quartet-Quintet (Hank Jones, 1955) Bluebird (Hank Jones, 1955) TV Action Jazz! (Mundell Lowe, 1959) The Thelonious Monk Orchestra at Town Hall (1959) Goin' Out of My Head (Wes Montgomery, 1965) Hush! (Duke Pearson, 1962) Wahoo! (Duke Pearson, 1964) Another One /Oscar Pettiford Volume 2 (1955) Winner's Circle (Oscar Pettiford, et al, 1957) Blues in Trinity (Dizzy Reece, 1958) The Cool Voice of Rita Reys (1956) Dimensions & Extensions (Sam Rivers, 1967) Sonny Rollins, Volume 1 (1956) Don't Stop the Carnival (Sonny Rollins, 1978) Silver's Blue (Horace Silver, 1956) 6 Pieces of Silver (Horace Silver, 1956–58) A Date with Jimmy Smith Volume One (1957) A Date with Jimmy Smith Volume Two (1957) Taylor's Wailers (Art Taylor, 1957) Soul Sauce (Cal Tjader, 1964) A Bluish Bag (Stanley Turrentine, 1967) Top Brass (Ernie Wilkins, 1955) Pairing Off (Phil Woods, 1956)