The all-star San Diego lineup known as Road Work Ahead began as the Bob Magnusson Quartet back in the early 1980s, and became Road Work Ahead when a potential tour of Hawaii became a reality.
The group is comprised of NYC pianist Bill Mays, SD bassist Bob Magnusson (who has also played with Jaime Valle and Patrizia the Sultry Lady of Jazz, guitarist Peter Sprague (whose Peter Sprague String Consort includes Magnusson), and drummer Jim Plank, who has played with Mike and Joe Pass, the Joe Diorio Trio, the Joyce Collins Quartet, and others. Mays is a former San Diegan who left town and established a thriving career back east, where he is a constantly in demand mainstream jazz pianist.
The group reunited in early 2012 for a nine-date tour, including a stop in San Diego at Tango Del Rey. Near the end of that year, “We did a California tour playing dates in San Diego, Temecula, L.A., and four more in the Bay Area,” says Sprague. “After that, we spent two days in the studio to record Intersection.” The full-length was released in April 2013.