Customer Reviews

In Modern Times

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

They were one of the first bands to play smooth jazz and they are among the best. Just about every track on this disc could drop right into any smooth jazz radio playlist in the country. This disc works well as foot-tapping background music, although they throw in enough musical flair to reward careful listening. With apologies to Howard Rumsey, no one makes better music for light house-keeping than Spyro Gyra!

Bandleader Jay Beckenstein usually states the melody and takes at least one solo on every tune, but Tom Schuman gets a number of solos on various keyboards, and adds tasteful fills elsewhere. Julio Fernandez gets a few chances to display some of his guitar technique, most notably his Santana-influenced solo on the Latin number. Joel Rosenblatt and Scott Ambush establish solid, danceable grooves on every upbeat track, and even play a convincing swing rhythm on the one soulful bop tune, "East River Blues".

I agree with the reviewer who felt that Beckenstein gets his best tone on alto, but the overall excellence of the ensemble and the polish of the arrangements overcome his limitations on tenor and soprano. Stanley Turrentine and Grover Washington are apparently two of Jay's idols, so he can be forgiven for reaching a bit.

There's no single melody as memorable as "Morning Dance", but this is an overall very listenable album. Although their live albums are generally their best, this is a quite enjoyable addition to their impressive catalog. I haven't yet checked out the extra video and bios on this enhanced CD, but the music alone makes this a good value, whether or not you're a serious fan.

Greetings and sincerest salutations, friends.

You can read some of my other reviews for disclaimers, qualifications, and opinion bases.

This is quite a fantstic album! Quite unlike most, if not all Spyro Gyra (SG) recordings. Great songs (lyrical and melodic, funky and soulful) abound, as well as terrific musicianship.

SG is what I have always labled as a Progressive Jazz Band. My musician friend once said to me that "jazz has reached its end; it's all been done before." Well, I have proclaimed that SG was the group that has changed attitudes such as this. They have usually had a fresh and lyrical approach to music, be it called "fusion" or "jazz."

On this recording, right from the beginning, we have some catchy, bluesy/soulful/funky tunes. I am assuming that "Groovin' For Grover" is a tribute to the late, great Grover Washington, Jr. It is a great tune with Jay on the Soprano (an instrument I usually dislike, no matter who's playing it).

And while this is a very good recording for the group, it is the last four tunes that make this an exceptional (5-star) album. IMHO, these may be the best four consecutive tunes on any SG album!

"East River Blue"--enter Mr. B-3! How wonderful this sounds! Jay chimes in on a very sultry, bluesy tenor (I prefer Jay's tenor work). This is a Blues song supreme! Tom, I know Jimmy Smith can hear you, and I'm sure he's applauding! This is just a GREAT song!

"Your Touch" is quite a beautiful song! Jay has never sounded better than he plays here. Full of heartfelt melody and romantic softness, we then expand into some funky changes! This is great! Tom takes us back to the bridge with some wonderfully delicate keyboard work; quite a nice touch!

"Lucky Bounce" has a few bars to expand before it gets right in your face with some wonderful horns (thanks, No Sweat Horns!). Ok now, let it go on for a bit more--then we're treated to the horns again, this time with a latin flavor. Julio, IMHO, now exhibits his best work on ANY SG album! Let's have more of this, fellas!

Take me home with a spine-chilling melody, "Planet J." Watch out, they try to lull you to be content with just head-bobbin' and foot-tappin'! What? A trombone? Get out! What now? A flugelhorn? Stop kidding me, brothers! OK, now we're full bore melodic and funky. All together now! I think you readers get the idea. This, like the last three, is just a terrific tune!

Now, you will probably never hear these last four songs on most radios, and rightfully so; RADIO SUCKS!

Do yourself a favor and pick this recording up soon, before they're all gone!

And, oh, by the way, I am also a huge Carlos Santana fan, and where these people get off saying that Julio sounds like Carlos--well folks, I just don't get it. Perhaps they haven't listened to enough Santana to be able to discern Julio's or anyone else's sound, for that matter. Julio sounds great, but he sounds like Julio, and no one else!

And finally, a plea to Jay--why can't we have more albums along this vein, as opposed to a regression to the old ways. In fact, may I suggest an album of Blues, and album of avant-garde/free jazz, and an album where all you play is tenor. Having listened to you for many years now, I think these ideas would be terrific; in fact, you have proven that here!

Thanks for a great album, guys!

Thanks to you readers for reading my review.

Rock on!

In Modern Times is a great album by Spyro Gyra. It was released in 2001 and has some very good tunes on it. It is one of their better cd's. It would rank up in my top 10 favorite Spyro Gyra albums of their career.

My top 3 favorite songs off of this disc would have to be tracks 2,4, and 7. Feelin' Fine is a great piece with a superb and memorable beat with good guitar playing. It's frequently played on the radio. The River Between is a nice, mellow song with fantastic bass playing by Scott, which also provides for a good beat. Florida Straits is a perfect title for the song. Julio does unbelievable playing and it also features good piano parts by Tom. It makes you feel like you are in Florida.

With all of that being said, this is a good, modern release by Spyro Gyra and is well worth the purchase. Every song is to be liked on here. Plus, it's an enhanced cd and has extra features on it, if you have a compatible computer on which to use it with. Thank you for taking the time and generosity to read my review.

In this day and age of "smooth" jazz, it's nice to know that you can count on Spyro Gyra to come out with a halfway decent album. Since Spyro is a band, you get drums, not drum programming. All 5 members contributed to the songwriting (as they had done on "20/20"). Also, long time cohort Jeremy Wall contributes to the album with "Lucky Bounce". This track, plus "Florida Straits" are my favorites. Speaking of "Florida Straits", one thing missing on this album is a guest appearance by former S.G. member Dave Samuels. "Straits" sounds like a Caribbean Jazz Project song and Dave's vibraphone would have enhanced it further. Anyway, Julio Fernandez provides some great guitar on it. The only song I don't care for is "Your Touch", but I never go much for slower ones like this. Much of this record is upbeat; there are only 2 songs that are slow; 2 or 3 others are mid-tempo. You may need a second listen before you agree it's a worthwile CD to add, but long time Spyro fans should enjoy it. In summation, I feel it's not quite up to 20/20 or Dreams Beyond Control, but definitely better than Got the Magic.

I have been huge fan of Spyro Gyra since the mid-eighties, and having seen them live seven times, respect their considerable musical abilities. As studio releases go, I consider this one to be better than "Got the Magic" (which I strongly disliked), but not as good as "20/20", "Three Wishes", or "Heart of the Night". The problem I have with this disc is the same as with "Got the Magic" - it is way too smooth. The proliferation of the smooth jazz format on FM radio has resulted in otherwise excellent bands turning out bland, overly processed jazz-pop. Every song ends up sounding the same - slow, smooth, and a bit too much like Muzak. I think Spyro Gyra has fallen prey to this to some extent. This disc does have some standout tracks with a funky or latin beat, and for this reason I think it is better than GTM. The notable tracks are 'Florida Straits', 'Feelin fine pt.2', 'East River Blue'(in which they actually play straight ahead jazz for a minute or so), and 'Planet J.' The other eight tracks I could do without - they all sound the same to me. Sonically, the entire disc is excellent and well produced - I do think this is one of their best sounding discs. It's too bad the music isn't as good as the production.

I should really be giving this cd four and a half stars. Four is kind of too little, but five is definetely too much. This cd is obviously Spyro Gyra's most smooth jazz influenced album. All their others have a more contemporary feel. This album's got some nice tracks like Jay Beckenstien's groovin' Feelin' Fine Parts One and Two. Lucky Bounce, Groovin For Grover and the opener are great. A rarity is, the last track, written by drummer Joel Rosenblatt. Overall, this was a nice package, but it could be better.

Absolutely must hear this sacd! I was floored by the clarity, fluidity of sound. I felt like I was almost able to touch it! Especially the fourth song (can't remember the name. I do not own it yet -- buying it online and waiting for delivery, but my friend has it).
I consider this one of the best of anything I ever heard! If it wasn't sacd, it would still be great, but the sound reproduction is flawless, and the harmonics and tonal purity make it a MUST HAVE!!!
By the way, I listened to it on a Yamaha RX V1 with Pioneer Elite DV45A with Polk RT11's.
Buy this sacd and you will NOT be sorry.

Outstanding musicianship (as always), attention to detail, and clean, crisp production work make this latest opus from Spyro Gyra a winner. One wonders how, after nearly twenty-five years, SG manages to avoid falling into a rut. In Modern Times is not a departure from their usual formulae in the sense that their last cd, Got the Magic was, but the feel is different--more reflective and less kinetic than the SG of old. At twelve pieces covering slightly over an hour, IMT is longer than the average jazz cd but this isn't a problem as none of the tracks are wasted. The only fault with IMT is the group's historic difficulty in finding a hit single, a la Morning Dance. However, the body of SG's work is among the best in jazz. In Modern Times will only add to that lustre.

Long before "smooth jazz" was a part of music terminology, Spyro Gyra was doing it, and they certainly do it the best. I find this outing to be quite a bit superior to "Got The Magic" -- all the tracks are solid, and run the complete range that this group is capable of. It has a little more "old school" Spyro Gyra feel than "GTM" did. A good mix of upbeat and slower songs, a little Latin flair on several songs, even a blues-style number.

Additionally, I must say, I've really taken a liking to the current iteration of Spyro Gyra, and that's part of what has made the last several albums so enjoyable. Beckenstein, Schuman, Fernandez, Rosenblatt, and Ambush are one of the tightest groups of musicians I have ever beheld. If they ever have a concert within driving distance, GO TO IT. They came here to Kansas City a few months back, and performed several numbers off this album, and everyone I brought (including myself) walked away literally in awe. They are excellent on the CD, but they are near perfection in person.

So, anyway, back to the CD review -- unless you simply have that all-too-common allergic reaction to anything called "smooth", you won't be disappointed with this album. Spyro Gyra continues to prove that they're one of the best in the business.

I was pretty disapointed in this release. His sound is on alto and he plays way too much soprano and tenor. All the songs are easily forgettable. I was expecting way more from a group that has been together for 25 years.