SPYRO GYRA

Original Cinema

Heads Up Records, HUCD 3074

Jay Beckenstein, saxophones; Tom Schuman, keyboards; Julio Fernandez, guitars; Scott Ambush, bass; Joel Rosenblatt, drums

Am I the right one to review this, given I was listening to (though not entirely comprehending) Soft Machine and Sun Ra's Solar Myth Arkestra in my teens?

Well, let's ditch the holier-than-thou, I-listen-to-more-tones-than-you-do approach right now as I'm sure it's not what the reader is looking for.

A lengthy career in the pop-jazz business leads Spyro Gyra and us to this release, which is a boon to fans who know the band already since you can run the CD on your PC and see videos and artist profiles. There is also 60 minutes of music here, pleasant and influenced by Brazilian forms, 1950s Jazz tonal envelopes and some of Steely Danís earlier songs. One unspoken influence here may also be one of the better earlier pop-jazz bands, Passport, a German quartet/quintet led by saxophonist Klaus Doldinger, from the mid-1970s. That group had a similar dependence on infectious hooks and snappy arrangements, but they also borrowed melodies from Zappa and Stravinsky, something Spyro Gyra aren't known for. Jay Beckenstein, main composer and saxophonist, has a friendly tone and a taste for balladry (the reassuring "Flashback" is a good example, which also features keys player Tom Schuman's piano intro; a little Victor Feldman influence here and there. You may recall Feldman from Miles Davis' SEVEN STEPS TO HEAVEN).

Unlike Passport's in-your-face production and arrangement in which everything seemed louder than everything else, there is no clear leader in this band's musical approach. That allows for nice surprises like guest vibes player David Samuels's tasty bow in "Party of Seven." However, the arrangements really don't allow the rhythm section to shine (given Spyro Gyra are ascribing to a more conservative model, after all): Joel Rosenblatt's drumming is crisp but he pretty much sticks to 4-on-the-floor and Scott Ambush's bass figures slide around intriguingly but he seems a bit undermiked. Guitarist Julio Fernandes links up nicely with Beckenstein's tenor for the swinging head to "Handheld," but as "Funky Tina" strikes up I keep thinking I'm about to hear Donald Fagen mutter tunefully about another young woman his persona should know better than to etc.

My verdict is, "ici, si vous le voulez!" Not too demanding, not to my taste, but good company on the back deck for a party, worthy for a spin on the interstate. Which is what the band were aiming for, I'm sure.

by Ken Egbert

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