  |
|
|
 |
| In Modern Times |
| Spyro Gyra |
| első megjelenés éve: 2001 |
|
| (2001)
|
|
*Super Audio CD* |
| 4.161 Ft
|
|
| 1. | After Hours
|
| 2. | Feelin' Fine
|
| 3. | Julio's Party
|
| 4. | The River Between
|
| 5. | Groovin' for Grover
|
| 6. | Open Door
|
| 7. | Florida Straits
|
| 8. | Feelin' Fine, Pt. 2
|
| 9. | East River Blue
|
| 10. | Your Touch
|
| 11. | Lucky Bounce
|
| 12. | Planet J
|
Jazz
Andrew Lippman - Trombone
Barry Danielian - Flugelhorn, Horn Arrangements, Trumpet
David Charles - Percussion
Jay Beckenstein - Executive Producer, Producer, Saxophone
Joel Rosenblatt - Drums, Producer
Julio Fernandez - Guitar, Producer
Marc Quiñones - Percussion
Marc Quinonez - Percussion
Randy Andos - Trombone
Scott Ambush - Bass, Producer
Scott Kreitzer - Sax (Tenor), Saxophone
Tom Schuman - Keyboards, Producer
Commemorating 25 years of recording, contemporary jazz legends Spyro Gyra move to Heads Up International with a fresh new collection, In Modern Times (enhanced CD HUCD 3061).
Arguably contemporary instrumental music's most popular band, Spyro Gyra was founded in 1975 by saxophonist and producer Beckenstein. The band's infectious sound became a forerunner of many of today's most popular styles. Spyro Gyra became a household name in 1979 when they broke onto the pop charts with the #1 AC hit "Morning Dance."
"The bottom line is, even after 25 years, we're just not going away," says bandleader Jay Beckenstein. "With each recording, I feel like I'm playing with a whole new band. I think that In Modern Times is one of our strongest albums to date. We've remained open to new ideas while keeping our identity. I'm really pleased that this album manages to be both contemporary and yet tied to our past."
"Our music definitely fits into the stream of contemporary jazz, fusion and R&B based performers who mix various elements into an unique sound," says Beckenstein. "Because we mix ideas, we've always been a bit difficult to peg, but there's always the strong component of improvisation that draws upon the jazz tradition."
An active touring band who knows their audience well, Spyro Gyra has created its own instrumental hybrid, incorporating elements of jazz, R&B, Latin and Brazilian music. In addition to Beckenstein, the group features Tom Schuman on keyboards, Julio Fernandez on guitars, Scott Ambush on bass and Joel Rosenblatt on drums.
"People love to try to label the music we make, but I look at us simply as a group of five guys who play well together, who write good melodies and great songs," says Beckenstein. "All five of us are proficient writers, which helps keep the variety interesting. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts."
* Andrew Mendelson - Assistant Engineer
* Andy Mendelson - Assistant Engineer
* Chuck Loeb - Producer
* David Newsom - Production Concept
* David Wagner - Photography
* Doug Oberkircher - Engineer
* J.P. Sheganoski - Assistant Engineer, Engineer
* Jeremy Wall - Producer
* Michael Bishop - Surround Mix
* Phil Magnotti - Engineer, Mixing
* Robert Hoffman - Cover Photo, Design
* Scott Hull - Mastering
When you consider that 1979 was the year that launched Spyro Gyra onto the pop charts with their number one hit "Morning Dance," for what was essentially a new style of jazz, their achievements seem all the more astounding. With the release of In Modern Times, the group commemorates 25 years of recording and a move to Heads Up International with this fresh, new collection. The enhanced CD, complete with a video and biography, features the talents of its co-founder, Jay Beckenstein, on saxophones, Tom Schuman on keyboards, Julio Fernandez on guitars, Scott Ambush on bass, and Joel Rosenblatt on drums. The 12 original concepts written by members of the group, the inimitable Chuck Loeb, and co-writers Jeremy Wall and Phil Magallanes, keep the listening interesting, sweet, and real. The opening track, "After Hours," is a sultry tune featuring orchestral enhancement, subtle horn charts, and creates a mood that signals the listener is in for a great time. Their retro soul tribute to Grover Washington, Jr., " "Groovin' for Grover" features an excellent soprano saxophone melody by Jay Beckenstein and glistens brilliantly among this great array of contemporary jazz gems. The crown jewel, however, is "Florida Straits," a fiery, danceable, Latin jam. Beckenstein's sax playing lights a fire under Julio Fernandez' Carlos Santana-influenced guitar riffs, who cuts loose on a solo that sets the song ablaze. Along with percussionist David Quarles and drummer Joel Rosenblatt, this descarga helps to set In Modern Times apart from previous chart makers by Spyro Gyra. Another great song is "East River Blue," which features the bluesy bop and soulful resonance of Beckenstein's sax lines and the excellent B-3 organ solo by Tom Schuman. This enhanced CD is dynamic and flows as if self-propelled because of the superior technology, well-written songs, tight horn charts, eclectic grooves, and exceptional contemporary jazz, fusion, and R&B-based performers who mix various elements into a bold, modern sound.
--- Paula Edelstein, All Music Guide
Spyro Gyra
Active Decades: '70s, '80s, '90s and '00s
Born: 1974 in Buffalo, NY
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Crossover Jazz, Fusion, Jazz-Pop, Smooth Jazz
Founded in 1974 by altoist Jay Beckenstein, Spyro Gyra have consistently been one of the commercially successfully pop-jazz groups of the past 20 years. Although originally a studio group, the band became a full-time venture in 1979 and has been touring ever since. Critics love to attack this band's lightweight and rarely changing music, which combines R&B and elements of pop and Caribbean music with jazz, but its live performances are often stimulating -- unlike many of its records, which emphasize the danceable melodies at the expense of improvising.
The roots of Spyro Gyra lay in Buffalo, NY, in the early '70s. Beckenstein and his longtime friend, keyboardist Jeremy Wall, had been leading a group with a revolving membership; every one of the many members in the band were loosely involved in the local jazz and rock scenes. Around 1974, the group was beginning to gel and cultivate a following. A club owner who wanted to advertise an upcoming appearance by the band asked Beckenstein for the group's name. The saxophonist told him "Spirogira," a word he learned in a college biology course. The owner misspelled the word as Spyro Gyra, and the band fell into place, featuring Beckenstein, Wall, electric guitarist Chet Catallo, bassist David Wolford, drummer Eli Konikoff, and percussionist Gerardo Velez. Not long afterward, the group added keyboardist Tom Schuman.
Spyro Gyra independently funded and recorded their debut album, releasing the record on the local independent label Amherst in 1976. The record slowly became a success and Amherst sold the rights to the band to Infinity Records, a division of MCA. Morning Dance, their first album for Infinity, was released in 1979. The record became a major hit, spawning a Top 40 single with "Morning Dance" and going platinum. In the wake of the record's success, Wall retired from live performance, leaving Schuman as the group's main keyboardist; Wall stayed with the band as an assistant producer and occasional composer.
Morning Dance firmly placed Spyro Gyra as one of the most popular artists in contemporary jazz, and throughout the '80s, their popularity continued growing. Their albums were consistent best-sellers, and their concerts often sold out. In 1983, vibraphonist and marimba player Dave Samuels -- who had played on several of the group's albums -- became a full-fledged member of the band. Over the course of the '80s, the membership of Spyro Gyra fluctuated, but Beckenstein and Schuman remained at its core, keeping the group's signature sound intact.
In 1990, MCA's jazz roster was absorbed by GRP, so Spyro Gyra switched labels, releasing Fast Forward, their first album for GRP, later that year. In 1993, Samuels left the touring band, but he continued to play in the studio. By the late '90s, the band featured Beckenstein, Schuman, Julio Fernandez, Joel Rosenblatt, and Scott Ambush, and released Got the Magic in 1999. Two years later the band moved to the Telarc-affiliated Heads Up label and released In Modern Times in 2001, followed by Original Cinema in 2003. Drummer Rosenblatt left the band and was replaced by Ludwig Afonso for 2004's Deep End. A fourth Heads Up album, Good to Go-Go, was issued in 2007. The holiday album A Night Before Christmas followed in 2008.
---Scott Yanow & Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide |
|
CD bolt, zenei DVD, SACD, BLU-RAY lemez vásárlás és rendelés - Klasszikus zenei CD-k és DVD-különlegességek |  | | Webdesign - Forfour Design |
|
|
