Spyro Gyra
- Type: Band/Group
- Country: United States
- Born: 1974 in Buffalo, New York, United States
- Active: 1974 - present
Biography
Spyro Gyra is an American jazz fusion band from Buffalo, New York, formed in 1974 by saxophonist Jay Beckenstein and keyboardist Jeremy Wall and named after a misspelling of the algae Spirogyra. The band broke through with 'Morning Dance' (1979) and its hit title track, and went on to release more than thirty albums of jazz, funk, rhythm and blues and Caribbean influenced instrumentals, including 'Catching the Sun', 'Incognito' and 'Fast Forward'. Beckenstein still leads the band, which celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 2024.
Genres
Spyro Gyra Discography
- Spyro Gyra (1977) - Album - rated 3.38/5
- Carnaval (1980) - Album - rated 3.29/5
- Catching the Sun (1980) - Album - rated 3.11/5
- Morning Dance (1980) - Compilation - rated 3.31/5
- Incognito (1982) - Album - rated 2.97/5
- City Kids (1983) - Album - rated 3.42/5
- Alternating Currents (1985) - Album - rated 3.29/5
- Road Scholars (1998) - Album
- The Very Best of Spyro Gyra (2002) - Compilation - rated 3.54/5
Members
- Jay Beckenstein - saxophone, lyricon (1974–Present)
- Jeremy Wall - keyboards (1974–1978)
- Tom Schuman - keyboards (1977–2023)
- Jim Kurzdorfer - bass (1974–1980)
- Chet Catallo - guitar (1978–1984)
- Eli Konikoff - drums (1978–1984)
- Gerardo Velez - percussion (1978–1985)
- David Wofford - bass (1980–1983)
- Dave Samuels - vibraphone, marimba (1983–1993)
- Kim Stone - bass (1983–1987)
- Richie Morales - drums (1984–1990)
- Julio Fernández - guitar (1984–1989, 1992–Present)
- Manolo Badrena - percussion (1986–1987)
- Jay Azzolina - guitar (1989–1990)
- Oscar Cartaya - bass (1988–1991)
- Joel Rosenblatt - drums (1991–2004)
- Scott Ambush - bass (1992–Present)
- Bonny Bonaparte - drums (2007–2011)