Spyro Gyra

After more than 30 years of recording and touring, you'd think that these gentlemen would be jaded about making music, but listening to them perform, you realize that nothing could be further from the truth. The iconic group — often regarded by fans as "the Led Zeppelin of jazz" —...

By Ernest Barteldes

April 24, 2008

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After more than 30 years of recording and touring, you'd think that these gentlemen would be jaded about making music, but listening to them perform, you realize that nothing could be further from the truth. The iconic group — often regarded by fans as "the Led Zeppelin of jazz" — has constantly reinvented itself in order to keep things fresh throughout its career. The members of Spyro Gyra have never regarded the group as a straight-jazz band. They've explored influences from all over the world, keeping both their minds and ears open to new sounds and tendencies. That spirit is evident in a live setting, as the group starts off from a light-jazz mode and flips things around considerably by veering into Afro-Cuban territory in tunes like "Para Ti Latino" and the blues-tinged "After the Storm." They have great chemistry on stage, and are always keen on surprising their fans with a creative approach to tunes from their vast recorded canon.

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