Original Cinema

Spyro Gyra have been together more than twenty five years and have become one of the most successful and enduring acts in contemporary jazz. From their earliest days they have believed that their kind of fusion jazz could appeal to a wide audience yet be challenging at the same time. With this new album the band's producer, chief songwriter and saxophone wizard, Jay Beckenstein, returns to this ideal, rejecting any associations with smooth jazz, and determined to make this new recording 'different'. The result is a highly energized, atmospheric bag of musical styles and nuances - funk, post-bop, Latin - with Beckenstein focusing on the tenor saxophone, which he hasn't done in a long while. From the first riffs of the mid-tempo opener, "Bump It Up", the band set up a funky groove with the saxophone taking the lead but leaving plenty of space for guitar, keyboards and the rhythm section. "Extrovertical" increases the tempo and opens with a sax-percussion duo while "Film Noir" is murky and mysterious, with dark-sounding melodies and chords. On 'Original Cinema' the individual members of Spyro Gyra with their diverse talents have pushed toward new frontiers of improvisation and interaction. At the same time, they have managed to create an album that is open and accessible to every kind of audience. Personnel: Jay Beckenstein - (saxophones), Tom Schuman - (keyboards), Julio Fernandez - (guitars), Scott Ambush - (bass), Joel Rosenblatt - (drums) Plus special guests: Dave Samuels - (vibes), Andy Narell - (steel drums), Mino Cinelu - (percussion), Marc Quinones, David Charles - (percussion), ISBN13:B000088EAF ISBN10:B000088EAF Material Type:audioCD