"The Led Zeppelin of jazz"

After more than thirty 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

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18478561",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "16759093",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759092",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759094",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        }
      ]

After more than thirty 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 their career. The members of Spyro Gyra have never regarded the group as a straight jazz band, and have 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.
Fri., April 25, 8 p.m., 2008

Become A Member

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, Phoenix New Times has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.