Original Cinema [Enhanced]

Spyro Gyra | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 25, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Label: Heads Up
• ASIN: B000088EAF
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #107,357 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #40 in Music > Indie Music > Jazz > Jazz Fusion

Editorial Reviews

PRODUCED BY KAY BECKENSTEIN With a career spanning over thirty years and counting, Spyro Gyra truly are giants of the jazz-fusion world. Original Cinema is, unbelievably, their 24th album and as usual they're on top form

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What *jazz* is meant to be!, March 20, 2003

By 

Shorty J - See all my reviews

This review is from: Original Cinema (Audio CD)

I've owned the newest Spyro Gyra CD for about a week now, and it is truly excellent. I knew that a couple of the songs sounded familiar, and they are pretty familiar to any TWC viewer. The Weather Channel (TWC) uses 3 of the album's songs in its local updates! They are 3. "Dream Sequence", 9. "Handheld" (I love this song) and 11. "Getaway". I must admit that I was track-shifting the first couple of days (to the TWC songs, haha!), but when you go through the whole CD, it REALLY grows on you; and fast! The *jazziness* of all the tracks make you want to get up and dance, it's amazing. But that is Spyro Gyra all of the time, isn't it? It's impossible for me to describe each song, but they each have their own flair. All are well-organized with great piano, guitar and drum assitance. Spyro Gyra is truly a band effort, not a single person with some "backups". Everything just meshes well together. I must say, the ending track, abtly entitled, "Flashback" is a sort of retrospective song, nice and slow. Like a cooling-down period! This is DEFINITELY a great buy!! Enjoy!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great CD; possibly Spyro Gyras Best., April 25, 2004

By 

B. Crawford "famu-cholly" (Tallahassee, Fl United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Original Cinema (Audio CD)

"Change is inevitable; Growth is OPTIONAL."

Those were the words of my favorite College professor. They immediately came to mind after reading some of the reviews of this CD.

All things MUST change. Everything. ESPECIALLY the music industry. The question is, will that change br good or bad? Well, "Original Cinema" by Smooth Jazz super group Spyro Gyra perfectly illustrates positive growth in my opinion. A change for the better. This is in keeping with their trend over the last few studio albums starting with "Got The Magic".

Prior to "Got The Magic" each album was an expression of a formula that was getting fairly dated and predictible. Face it; Spyro Gyra had gotton into a rut and their music sounded the same for years. Predictably the same. And while it was still entertaining, it definitely needed new life and a new direction. "Original Cinema" is a continuation of the change that started with "Got The Magic" and "In Modern Times" and each and every song on this new album is a winner.

On this CD all of the members of the band contribute to the whole, not only in their performances, but in the composition and arrangements as well. The end result is a collection of songs that still have that Spyro Gyra feel but with a new flavor... one that true Spyro Gyra fans can appreciate and enjoy.

This is a REALLY good CD; in my opinion their best. It has quiclky become my favorite from one of my favorite groups and if you listen in with an open mind you'll love it too. It really does represent POSITIVE growth for the band and I only hope they continue down this path for future recordings.

P.S: If you liked "Got The Magic" you'll LOVE Chuck Loebs post-DMP recordings with the lone exception of "Memory Lane" his last DMP album, which by the way, was EXCELLENT. He wrote/produced quite a few of the songs on that CD, and his influence helped result in a new and VERY pleasing sound for the band. Check out ALL of his Shanachee CDs for some really GREAT music.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars #26 Is A Keeper!, May 16, 2003

By 

"highflyingadore" (Washington, DC (area)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Original Cinema (Audio CD)

13 songs and 62:30 worth of contemporary jazz from one of the genre's best! I disagree with Amazon's music editor - there is no way I would call this "smooth".

I have to admit that the first couple of times I played through this CD, I wasn't blown away. However, after playing it several more times, and really listening to it, I liked it. In fact, I like it better each time I play it. This is truly a group effort and these guys understand that and know how to work it. I think the individual players do their best solo work on track #2 - "Extrovertical" and track #7 - "Film Noir". Tom Schuman even does a synthesizer solo on track two. There are several other tracks which have become my favorites: #1 - Bump It Up, #5 - Big Dance Number, #8 - Cape Town Love (Andy Narrell's steel drums sound great!), #12 - Calle Ocho (a Spyrogyra CD would not be complete without a latin infused song), and #13 - Flashback (just Tom and Jay). These songs are played so well, and with such passion on CD, that I can hardly wait to hear them performed live.