Los Angeles · Jazz · Funk · Soul
Groove
Legacy
The Crusaders for the modern era. Feel-good music rooted in the integrity of 70s groove — compositions, not just riffs and solos.
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Los Angeles · Jazz · Funk · Soul
The Crusaders for the modern era. Feel-good music rooted in the integrity of 70s groove — compositions, not just riffs and solos.
The Band
Groove Legacy was born from a decade inside the real thing. Keyboardist and bandleader Billy Steinway toured and recorded with the Jazz Crusaders — not as a tribute act, but as a working member of that legacy. When the original Crusaders passed, the choice was simple: form a cover band, or build something new that honored the tradition honestly.
Co-founded with Paulie Cerra on tenor sax and vocals, Groove Legacy is the opposite of what the contemporary instrumental scene has become. Every track is a song. Every arrangement serves the melody. Every guest on the records is there because the music demanded it.
At the band's debut performance at the Syracuse Jazz Festival, legendary trumpeter Randy Brecker pulled Billy aside afterward and told him the headliners should have been opening for them.
Collectively, the band has played with:
Al Green · Stevie Wonder · Ray Charles · Aretha Franklin · Annie Lennox · The Jazz Crusaders · Larry Carlton · Joe Bonamassa · Robben Ford · Rickie Lee Jones · Sara Bareilles · Boz Scaggs · Rod Stewart · Natalie Cole · Patti Austin · Jeffrey Osborne · Lenny Kravitz · and many more
Discography
New Album
Eleven original compositions that capture the full range of what Groove Legacy does — burning up-tempo grooves, quiet cinematic ballads, Minneapolis-inflected funk, and everything in between. No throwaways. The most fully realized statement the band has made.
The debut record that launched the band — and earned reviews across Jazz Weekly, Vintage Guitar, Jazz Life Japan, and eight other publications. Co-produced by Billy Steinway, featuring Larry Carlton, Robben Ford, and Randy Brecker.
Live
Press
All press from the 2016 debut record. Cascade represents Groove Legacy's return — ten years on, with an even stronger guest roster and a decade more of musical development. Press inquiries for Cascade coverage welcome.
Music Supervisors
The Groove Legacy catalog is available for film, television, advertising, and digital media licensing. Instrumental versions and stems are available for all tracks. Two fully produced albums — 20 tracks total — spanning uptempo funk, cinematic ballads, bluesy shuffles, and Minneapolis-influenced groove.
The sound is commercially legible without being generic. Think: the Crusaders' sophistication meets modern production clarity.
Licensing Inquiries| Track | Feel | Sync Use Case | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quiet Time | Cinematic ballad · Michael Landau guitar | Film · Documentary · Prestige TV drama | Cascade | Top Pick |
| Cape Town to Memphis | World music · Blues vocal · Joe Bonamassa | Documentary · Travel · Sports broadcast | Cascade | Top Pick |
| 47 Degree Angle | Uptempo · Prince-influenced funk | Adult drama · Advertising · Trailers | Vol. 1 | |
| H-Town Hipster | Smooth jazz crossover · Mid-tempo groove | Lifestyle brands · Luxury · Travel content | Vol. 1 | |
| Late Night Resurrection | Bluesy shuffle · Tenor sax lead | Crime drama · Adult animation · Late-night TV | Cascade | |
| Not Yet | Minneapolis funk · Ricky Peterson Hammond | Broadcast sports · High-energy trailers | Cascade | |
| Cascade Staircase | Dramatic · Cinematic · Trombone feature | Architecture · Luxury brand · Corporate | Cascade | |
| Play That | Fast funk · Randy Brecker trumpet | Festival montage · Sports highlight | Cascade |
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Inquiries
Available for jazz festivals, listening venues, corporate events, private engagements, and opening slots. We bring full professional production — the music sounds like it does on record.