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Topic: Jay Beckenstein


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In the News (Fri 1 Jan 10)

  
  ♫ Crazy Beat Records -Jay Beckenstein
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www.crazybeat.co.uk /Jay-Beckenstein.htm   (580 words)

  
  Jazz Concert Review - Spyro Under the Stars@ jazzreview.com
Jay Beckenstein and his cohorts in Spryo Gyra are built for endurance.
Jay's alto sax is complimented and augmented by the presence of Julio Fernandez (guitars), Scott Ambush (bass), Tom Schuman (keyboards) and Ludwig Afonso (drums).
As co-founder and saxman extraordinaire Beckenstein put it, "We've only had one hit in 26 years." True, but the large crowd gathered on the lawn of Wendy's International Headquarters could have cared less as they found the band's exploration of their 30-year career of making music to be both pleasing and satisfying.
www.jazzreview.com /articledetails.cfm?ID=3403   (552 words)

  
 Jazz Artist Interview - Jay Beckenstein@ jazzreview.com
Jay Beckenstein: Jazz fusion, which is actually an old term now, simply means mixing jazz with other musical styles (rhythm and blues, pop, jazz).
Jay Beckenstein: He joined with the band, I think, in 1977, so he’s one of the oldest ranking members of this group—a thirty year a band member.
Jay Beckenstein: I totally agree with that and we are a band that after the show, if possible, we’ll go out in the lobby and sign autographs.
www.jazzreview.com /article/review-4595.html   (3113 words)

  
 Blue Note New York Performance Schedule
The scene was Buffalo in the early 1970's and Jay Beckenstein led a revolving ensemble of players who were making a modest living hanging out the jazz and rock club scene.
Jay Beckenstein reflects, "As the band improved and certain people came into the group, I was convinced that no one could play Spyro Gyra music better than the people who were playing with me all the time.
According to Beckenstein, Original Cinema brings them "back to their roots, making it clear that we are at the height of our studio craftsmanship abilities." Master guitarist, Chuck Loeb produced six track (co-writing three) on the album.
www.bluenote.net /newyork/schedule/moreinfo.cgi?id=1642   (621 words)

  
 Spyro Gyra: The Deep End
Spyro Gyra is still very much saxophonist Jay Beckenstein’s show, and he still maintains a pleasing, contemporary sax tone while eschewing the overly comfortable (and, to some, comforting) sax sound that has become the hallmark of smooth jazz.
Beckenstein’s bandmates are regular and solid contributers to the Spyro Gyra sound as well, with guitarist Julio Fernandez providing signature guitar work while also contributing interesting compositions as he did on both In Modern Times and Original Cinema.
As for Beckenstein, his contributions tend to be pretty solidly within the expectations of the group’s overall sound.
www.jazzitude.com /spyrogyra_deepend.htm   (622 words)

  
 wind   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-27)
Jay Beckenstein, founder/leader of the legendary SpyroGyra, has been added to the LA Sax artist roster.
Jay's new LA Sax of choice is the LA-705JB in classic Impact Black.
Jay recently said "We've had over 100 shows this year and usually by this time, my saxophones are falling apart from wear and tear.
www.pro-music-news.com /html/11/e00927la.htm   (238 words)

  
 Telarc International: Spyro Gyra
The band’s story is one of modern music’s most often-told tales, beginning with Beckenstein leading a group of revolving musicians around the Buffalo jazz scene circa early ‘70s.
Beckenstein himself wrote three tracks—the funky, tropical flavored title cut, a fiery, Latin jam tribute to the "Florida Straits" (the waterway between Florida and Cuba), and the moody, thoughtful "East River Blue."
Beckenstein collaborated with guitarist Chuck Loeb (who also co-wrote tracks for the saxman’s 2000 solo album Eye Contact) on the sultry opening tune "After Hours" (which features orchestral enhancement and a subtle horn section) and "Feelin’ Fine Pt.
www.telarc.com /biography/bios.asp?aid=145   (842 words)

  
 Spyro Gyra - Music Downloads - Online
Bio: Founded in 1974 by altoist Jay Beckenstein, Spyro Gyra has consistently been one of the commercially successfully pop-jazz groups of the past 20 years.
Beckenstein and his longtime friend, keyboardist Jeremy Wall, had been leading a group with a revolving membership; every one of the many members in the band were loosely involved in the local jazz and rock scenes.
Over the course of the '80s, the membership of Spyro Gyra fluctuated, but Beckenstein and Schuman remained at its core, keeping the group's signature sound intact.
musicstore.connect.com /artist/103/597/9/1035979.html   (544 words)

  
 Windham Hill   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-27)
Spyro Gyra was assembled by Beckenstein and keyboardist Jeremy Wall.
Beckenstein then moved the band?s operations to the New York City suburbs.
The newest members to join founder Beckenstein, Schuman, and Fernandez, are drummer Joel Rosenblatt (who joined the group in 1990 after having played with Michel Camilo and Paquito D?Rivera) and bassist Scott Ambush (who joined in the mid-Nineties after having played with Stanley Turrentine and Pieces of a Dream).
www.windham.com /artists/artist.jsp?id=143007   (701 words)

  
 Biography - Spyro Gyra (Bio 231)   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-27)
Group Members: Jeremy Wall, Tom Schuman, Scott Ambush, Jay Beckenstein, Richard Calandra, Chet Catallo, Julio Fernandez, Eli Konikoff, Richie Morales, Joel Rosenblatt, Dave Samuels.
Founded in 1974 by altoist Jay Beckenstein, Spyro Gyra has consistently been one of the commercially successfully pop-jazz groups of the past 20 years.
By the late '90s, the band featured Beckenstein, Schuman, Julios Fernandez, Joel Rosenblatt and Scott Ambush, and released Got the Magic in 1999.
musicbase.h1.ru /PPB/ppb2/Bio_231.htm   (532 words)

  
 Jazz Recordings: John Pizzarelli and Spyro Gyra
Jay Beckenstein celebrates thirty years at the helm of Spyro Gyra with this new recording, the group’s twenty-seventh---and third since joining the Heads Up label in 2001.
And Beckenstein has his trademark chops on display, laying down a funky alto line one minute, sailing his feathery soprano through a beautiful melody the next.
But Beckenstein and company have seldom settled for the boring blandness implied by that label.
www.jimnewsom.com /PFW-JazzReviews060104.html   (648 words)

  
 Heads Up: Spyro Gyra
Beckenstein adds, “Our audiences have always included young musicians who want to learn the craft of making music.
Born in Brooklyn, Jay Beckenstein grew up listening to Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins and Dizzy Gillespie albums and started playing the saxophone at age seven.
Beckenstein attended the University at Buffalo and started out as a biology major before changing to music performance.
www.headsup.com /bios/spyrogyra.html   (690 words)

  
 [No title]
Meanwhile, we all get a little older and now some of them are bringing their kids to our shows.” Born in Brooklyn, Jay Beckenstein grew up listening to Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins and Dizzy Gillespie albums and started playing the saxophone at age seven.
In a way, it sounds like what we do—it sounds like motion and energy.” In their earliest days, Spyro Gyra took their cues from Weather Report and Return to Forever—bands whose creative flights were fueled by a willingness to do things that had never been done before.
I just thought they were the next step in the evolution of jazz, and that we would be part of it.” Spyro Gyra’s second album, in 1979, had the band’s breakout title song, which became a Top 40 single.
www.headsup.com /ecards/3107/SpyroGyra_Bio-06.doc   (756 words)

  
 Musical Instrument Artists
Jay came to LA Sax after years playing other brands because he wanted something a little bit different - so we gave it to him.
Smooth and Sleek, dressed in Impact Black with deluxe scroll engraving and emblazened with Jay's initials on the body to bell brace.
The Jay Beckenstein model is a necessary addition to every saxophone player's arsenal or collection.
www.dominicsmusic.com /artists.html   (769 words)

  
 CMT.com : Jay Beckenstein : Biography
Alto (and sometimes soprano) saxophonist Jay Beckenstein founded the highly successful crossover jazz outfit
Beckenstein and Wall began to headline their own gigs around the city and that collaboration evolved into Spyro Gyra, which went on to a long, prolific, and successful career.
In 2000, Beckenstein finally issued his very first solo album, a guest-studded affair titled Eye Contact.
www.cmt.com /artists/az/beckenstein_jay/bio.jhtml   (122 words)

  
 Smooth Sailing April 2000   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-27)
For more than 25 years, saxophonist Jay Beckenstein has led Spyro Gyra to great success as a fusion/smooth jazz band, both on its once-a-year CDs and while logging many miles on the road on tour.
Each leaves their stamp, beginning with Minucci on "Sunrise," Beckenstein's familiar soprano peels in tandem with Minucci's warm acoustic tones.
Beckenstein closes with the upbeat "Lookin' Up" (which has the background talents of young daughters Claire and Alexandra), has the punchiness of a Spyro Gyra song while also reminding listeners whose in charge.
www.smoothvibes.com /Vaults/smoothsailing_4_00.html   (738 words)

  
 Patrick Yandall Showcased; with Sam Cardon, Bobby Caldwell, Jay Beckenstein, Frank Mills , & Steve Oliver
Anchored by Jay Beckenstein's emotive sax work the band has delivered albums at a nearly annual rate.
The project gave Beckenstein the opportunity to hook up with and learn from other great musicians, to go beyond the expected, to explore new and diverse musical paths, and as Beckenstein puts it, "to grow as an artist".
While Beckenstein remains committed to his leadership in the ensemble, the project did provide a unique creative opportunity and a high water mark for the genre as Beckenstein's soprano swirls around Chieli Minucci's acoustic lines on the album's opening track!!
www.jazzlynx.net /06notes/ed421.html   (2079 words)

  
 SPYRO GYRA - IN MODERN TIMES *SACD* - Musicdirect
The opening track, "After Hours," is asultry tune featuring orchestral enhancement, subtle horn charts, and creates a mood that signals thelistener is in for a great time.
Beckenstein's sax playing lights a fire under Julio Fernandez' CarlosSantana-influenced guitar riffs, who cuts loose on a solo that sets the song ablaze.
Another great song is "East River Blue,"which features the bluesy bop and soulful resonance of Beckenstein's sax lines and the excellent B-3organ solo by Tom Schuman.
www.musicdirect.com /products/detail.asp?sku=CHUSA9061   (278 words)

  
 Amazon.com: Eye Contact: Music: Jay Beckenstein   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-27)
Loeb's acoustic improvisations ease in and around Beckenstein's alto and tenor and Egan's winding bass lines on the upbeat "The Other Side." After another triumphant Beckenstein-Loeb romance on "Heart and Mind," the saxman pays tribute to his one-time teacher Charles Mingus on the legendary bassist's "Goodbye, Pork Pie Hat" (featuring John Patitucci).
I have seen them play live several times (Jay- you guys were great at the Detroit Montreaux Jazz Festival, as well as at Ercikson Kiva on the campus of Michigan State University!) While I really do like most (not all) of SG's music, I wasn't quite sure what to expect with Jay's solo release.
Jay journeys beyond the realm of Spyro and in doing so, recruits a host of guest musicians, many of them guitarists and bassists.
www.amazon.com /Eye-Contact-Jay-Beckenstein/dp/B00004SBRE   (1295 words)

  
 Spyro Gyra - GRP Records
Spyro Gyra has an optimistic commitment to the present and future as it simultaneously celebrates 25 years of recording and its first release of the new millennium.
Had filmmaker Ken Burns decided to address the last thirty years of contemporary jazz in his recent PBS documentary Jazz, the influence of Spyro Gyra on the past generation would have been hard to ignore.
When a club-owner wanted to advertise the increasingly popular ensemble, Beckenstein jokingly suggested the name "spirogira," a term he remembered from a college biology course.
www.vervemusicgroup.com /artist.aspx?aid=2723   (597 words)

  
 Spyro Gyra on Café Jazz
Band founder Jay Beckenstein enjoyed working many of the clubs in Buffalo NY while he attended college, but after a time he wanted something other than just being a sideman.
Jay began doing some off night sessions and it was this that evolved into the band Spyro Gyra.
At pretty well the same time, Beckenstein went into business with Rich Calandra & together they produced a number of local acts.
www.jazzlynx.net /artists/spyrogyra.html   (225 words)

  
 SPYRO GYRA - JAZZ SAX - JAY BECKENSTEIN - DAVE SAMUELS - MINO CINELU - "EER-MUSIC.com aka Eclectic Earwig Reviews Music ...
I need not understate the importance of the main players though; they make this musical cornucopia function.
Jay Beckenstein’s saxophone is the archetypal instrument that every composition stems from.
His playing is so commanding that it stands out and shines proudly waiting for accompaniment, and the band would be foolish not to allow him to take the lead.
eer-music.com /EER_MUSIC_REVIEWS_03/SPYRO_GYRA.html   (672 words)

  
 Eye Contact: Reviews, Discography, Audio Clips, and more ||| Music.com
Jay Beckenstein 's roaring, emotional saxophones have been the anchor of the band's multi-genre signature sound, but there has always been more to his artistry and musical soul than Spyro's discography can document.
No doubt as Beckenstein was itching all these years to do a solo venture, Spyro fans were just as eager to check out a full-scale personal revelation -- a deeper portrait of the man behind the music.
One could also refer to Eye Contact as "the Bass Player Magazine project" thanks to contributions by world-class bassists Mark Egan, Marcus Miller, Will Lee, John Patitucci, and South African player Bakithi Kumalo.
www.music.com /release/eye_contact/2   (298 words)

  
 The Deep End: Reviews, Discography, Audio Clips, and more ||| Music.com
With their third label release, the longtime contemporary jazz powerhouse ensemble led by fluid and funky sax legend Jay Beckenstein celebrates 30 years of a consistent mix of making instrumental pop hits and pushing the musical envelopes into fusion territory.
They open smooth and light-funky with the playful, sax-driven "Summer Fling," which is breezy and fun but only digs deep with Tom Schuman 's heavily retro key solo.
"Eastlake Shuffle" balances Beckenstein's adventurous sax punch with a heavy blues mood driven by Schuman and the rockin' guitar harmonies and solo of Julio Fernandez.
www.music.com /release/the_deep_end/3   (374 words)

  
 Spyro Gyra | Wrapped in a Dream
Spyro Gyra’s regular lineup consists of Jay Beckenstein (saxophones), Tom Schuman (keyboards), Julio Fernandez (guitars), and Scott Ambush (bass); drummer Ludwig Afonso joined the group about two years ago.
“Impressions of Madrid” presents some firsts for a Spyro Gyra recording: Beckenstein is credited with vocals and plays the flute (an uncredited flute is also heard on “Tuesday”), and the song segues into “Impressions of Toledo,” a transition reminiscent of ELO and Earth, Wind & Fire, both of whom mastered the tactic during their heyday.
Personnel: Jay Beckenstein: saxophones, flutes, voices, keyboards, percussion; Tom Schuman: keyboards; Julio Fernandez: guitars; Scott Ambush: bass; Josh Dion: drums, percussion; Cyro Baptista: percussion; Dave Samuels: marimba; Nathan Eklund: trumpet; Eric Oliver: trombone (12); Ludwig Afonso: drums (11).
www.allaboutjazz.com /php/article.php?id=20873   (539 words)

  
 SmoothViews - An Interview with Jay Beckenstein
Jay Beckenstein of Spyro Gyra discusses his new disc, Wrapped In A Dream, and the group approach to the release.
Jay has a deep appreciation for the fan base as well as his best friends that he’s been lucky enough to work with during that time…
Jay Beckenstein (JB): Yeah, twenty-five… if you don’t count the collections and things like that.
www.smoothviews.com /interviews/beckenstein0306.htm   (2743 words)

  
 Spyro Gyra : Smooth Jazz Now
Incomparable saxophonist, Jay Beckenstein, and his band will attend to accept their award and to perform on stage.
The band is celebrating their 30th anniversary this year with two of the six members dating back to the very beginning, saxophonist Jay Beckenstein and keyboardist Tom Schuman.
Beckenstein says different forms of Jazz have different rules, "They're the only musical genres I know of where you have rules like, 'In smooth jazz we don't want any improvisation,' or 'In straight-ahead jazz we don't want any electric bass,'" he said.
www.smoothjazznow.com /artist_spyro_gyra.htm   (1122 words)

  
 L.A. Sax Artists
The L.A. Sax Company is proud to include Jay Beckenstein, founder/leader of the legendary Spyro Gyra as a member of our musical family.
Jay Beckenstein is available for clinics and masterclasses through the L.A. Sax Artist Clinic program.
The photo on the right shows Jay playing his new Burnished Brass Tenor in Dallas, TX in May 2003.
www.lasaxophones.com /artists.htm   (1700 words)

  
 Spyro Gyra: Wrapped In A Dream
For example, the opening track, “Sypro Time” is a nice slice of post-70s funk on which saxophonist Jay Beckenstein occaisionally reminds the listener of Maceo Parker, though he also plays the sweet, melodic sound that has become his stock in trade.
It’s a solid piece on which everyone plays well, and Beckenstein gets to demonstrate that he is, indeed, an accomplished soprano player.
The last grouping of songs is fairly traditional Spyro Gyra fare, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing considering that they do what they do better than most bands to come along since.
www.jazzitude.com /spyro_wrapped.htm   (443 words)

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