After 15 years of playing together, Russ Strathdee and Mark Rutherford embarked on the "Steppin' Back" project to record some standard tunes that would be recognized by nearly everyone.

Russ's sax playing is deeply rooted in jazz, blues, and rock. He cultivated his warm but edgy tone in the Toronto scene of the 60's as an active player in the R&B circuit.

Mark's keyboard style has been influenced by many musical experiences. In his formative years in Winnipeg, he played next to some v...