Although generally considered to be more “jazz” than “smooth”, Spyro Gyra have been praised as skilled instrumentalists and for their live performances, which average nearly 100 per year. Their music, which has been influential in the development of smooth jazz, combines jazz with elements of R&B, funk and pop music.
Among their most successful hit singles are “Shaker Song” and “Morning Dance”, which received significant play on popular music radio stations, and are still frequently heard nearly 30 years later on jazz and easy listening stations. With over 25 albums released and 10 million copies sold, they are among the most prolific as well as commercially successful groups of the scene. Spyro Gyra is an American jazz fusion band that was originally formed in the mid-1970s in Buffalo, New York, USA.
The title cut became a major radio hit (Billboard #24 pop, #1 adult contemporary.) Morning Dance is Spyro Gyra’s most commercially successful album. The album cover shows an intricate and detailed colour illustration of a woodland scene with dancing fairies and other insects, being spied upon by a young woman. Of which features Grammy® winning Keb' Mo'.Morning Dance is the title of the second studio album by Spyro Gyra, released in 1979. Their newĪlbum, A Foreign Affair, is ready to take you around the world from theĬaribbean to South America, and even to South Africa, India and Japan.īesides the memorable instrumentals, there are also three vocal tunes, one It a point to embrace the music of the places they have visited. From the samba rhythmsĪnd Caribbean feel of their early hits to the latest album, they have made Spyro Gyra started out with the rhythms of the world. Quality : 245 kbps / 44.1kHz / Joint Stereo Ronald Drayton, Julio Fernandez (guitar) Jay Beckstein (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone) Ĭhuck Loeb (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboards, drum programming) Ĭhieli Minucci (acoustic guitar, keyboards, programming) Label: Windham Hill Records | Original Release Date: April 18, 2000 Jazz, Crossover Jazz | EAC RIP | APE Lossless image+.cue+.log | 54:50 min | 371 MB Saxophonist Jay Beckenstein founded the highly successful crossover jazz outfit Spyro Gyra. With the leader's succinct and stinging sax lines guiding this percolating pack, their appearance on the bandstand of an old, wizened jazz club may garner polite applause instead of dismissive smirks. But on "Spyro Time," "The Voodooyoudoo," "Impressions of Madrid," and the title track, Beckenstein and company lay down some surprisingly credible Muscle Shoals-style funk, flamenco stylings, and even a brushed-stroked, acoustic combo selection. Tracks like "Lowdown" and "Walkin’ Home" bounce with the kind of slick, radio-friendly grooves their fans have come to love.
This latest version of the ensemble features ex-member marimba/vibraphone virtuoso Dave Samuels, along with Brazilian percussionist Cyro Baptista and guitarist Julio Fernandez. For over three decades, the ensemble's principle leaders, saxophonist Jay Beckenstein and keyboardist Tom Schuman, have been the gold standard of the smooth jazz genre. Depending on your tastes, the long-standing fusion group Spyro Gyra cemented the "smooth jazz" sound or they diluted the "real" music.