The Deep End is the twenty-seventh album by Spyro Gyra

Spyro Gyra

Spyro Gyra is an American jazz fusion band that was originally formed in the mid-1970s in Buffalo, New York, USA. With over 25 albums released and 10 million copies sold, they are among the most prolific as well as commercially successful groups of the genre...

 recorded and released on May 25, 2004

2004 in music

See also:* 2004 in music Record labels established in 2004-January:*January 1**The Vienna New Year's Concert is conducted by Riccardo Muti.**Kurt Nilsen wins World Idol....

. The album cover showed a figure of a man about to dive into the ocean.

Review

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. The title promises a plunge into something deep, or at least a little stretching, and the band—showcasing new drummer Ludwig Alfonso on a few tunes—more than delivers. But not right away. 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. Things don't really heat up until the exotic fusion jam "Monsoon," a live show crowd-pleaser that builds from an Indian-flavored meditation (complete with distant chance and bird calls) into a moody sitar-laced melody before exploding into a powerful, blues-drenched extravaganza featuring some of Beckenstein's most powerful lines blended with Fernandez's brimming, ready-to-explode guitar on the hook. From this point, the band alternates its light moods ("As You Wish") with more aggressive and sometimes blistering rock-flavored explorations ("Joburg Jam," one of the four tracks featuring the shimmering vibes action of Dave Samuels, "Wiggle Room"). Most veteran bands would gasp for survival in the culture of stricter radio formats by playing it ever safer and trendy, but Spyro Gyra has never been most bands. Each release has a few sweet pleasantries (and even these feature magnificent musicianship) but a great deal more energy and blowing than today's average smooth jazz listener is used to. It's worth the plunge.

Track listing

1. "Summer Fling" (Jeremy Wall) - 4:58
2. "Eastlake Shuffle" (Julio Fernandez) - 5:02
3. "Monsoon" (Jay Beckenstein) - 7:00
4. "As You Wish" (Jay Beckenstein) - 4:36
5. "Joburg Jam" (Jay Beckenstein) - 6:10
6. "The Crossing" (Julio Fernandez) - 7:17
7. "Wiggle Room" (Scott Ambush) - 6:48
8. "Wind Warriors" (Tom Schuman) - 6:15
9. "In Your Arms" (Tom Schuman) - 4:46
10. "Chippewa Street" (Jay Beckenstein) - 5:46
11. "Beyond the Rain" (Scott Ambush) - 6:09

Personell

• Jay Beckenstein: Saxophones
• Tom Schuman: Keyboards
• Julio Fernandez: Guitars, Vocals on "The Crossing"
• Scott Ambush: Bass

Other Musicians

• Joel Rosenblatt: Drums on "Eastlake Shuffle", "Monsoon", "The Crossing", "Wiggle Room", "Wind Warriors", "In Your Arms", and "Beyond the Rain"
• Ludwig Afonso: Drums on "Joburg Jam"
• Billy Kilson: Drums on "Summer Fling", "As You Wish", and "Chippewa Street"
• Dave Samuels: Vibraphone on "As You Wish", "Joburg Jam", "Wiggle Room" and "Beyond the Rain"
• Don Harris: Trumpet on "Summer Fling" and "Chippewa Street"
• Cyro Baptista: Percussion on "Summer Fling", "Monsoon" and "The Crossing"
• Daniel Sadownick: Percussion on "Summer Fling", "Eastlake Shuffle", "Monsoon", "As You Wish", "Wiggle Room", "Chippewa Street" and "Beyond the Rain"
• David Charles: Percussion on "Wind Warriors" and "In Your Arms"