City Traffic

City Traffic was released in 1977 on the Minneapolis-based ASI Records label, capturing a period when the label was active in documenting local jazz and lounge talent. The album served as a platform for the Mike Elliott Trio, a group deeply embedded in the Midwest jazz scene of the 1970s. During this era, independent labels like ASI were instrumental in providing a recording outlet for working musicians who blended jazz standards with contemporary popular influences to suit the club and hotel circuits of the time.

The album is noted for its straightforward, functional aesthetic, typical of mid-70s small-label jazz pressings that prioritized live-feel studio recordings over high-concept production. While the Mike Elliott Trio remained a staple for regional listeners, the record has since gained a modest following among collectors of private-press and independent jazz who value the authentic, unvarnished sound of local ensembles from the pre-digital era.