Voting Station

Spyro Gyra

Please vote to return to collections.

Musicians

The Resume

    (1974- )
    Born in Buffalo, New York
    Initial line-up:
    Jay Beckenstein, sax
    Jerry Wall, keyboards
    Jim Kurzdorfer, bass guitar
    Tom Walsh, drums
    Tom Schuman, keyboards
    Recorded the albums ‘Spyro Gyra’ (1978), ‘Morning Dance’ (1979), ‘Catching the Sun’ (1980), ‘Carnival’ (1980), ‘Freetime’ (1981), ‘Incognito’ (1982), ‘City Kids’ (1983), ‘Alternating Currents’ (1985), ‘Stories Without Words’ (1987), ‘Fast Forward’ (1990), ‘Love and Other Obsessions’ (1995), ‘Got the Magic’ (1999), ‘In Modern Times’ (2001), ‘Wrapped in a Dream’ (2006), ‘A Night Before Christmas’ (2008), ‘A Foreign Affair’ (2011), and ‘Vinyl Tap’ (2019)
    Recorded the single ‘Morning Dance’ (1979)

Why they might be annoying:

    They took their name from a genus of green algae.
    They were one-hit wonders on the pop charts, with ‘Morning Dance’ their only Top 40 single.
    They underwent frequent changes in personnel (especially during the 1980s), with Beckenstein the only constant.
    They were pioneers of the critically derided ‘smooth jazz’ sound.
    Beckenstein admitted, ‘Listen to a Spyro Gyra song called ‘Cascade’ from 1978 and you hear Kenny G from 1986.’

Why they might not be annoying:

    They have been one of the most commercially successful jazz groups since the late 1970s.
    They played over 10,000 live shows during their career.
    Shelia E. was briefly a member during a tour of Japan (1980).
    Beckenstein on the reasons for their longevity: ‘It’s a band that is not a caricature of itself. We’re not out there replaying the glory days or trying to be what we were in 1980 or whatever. We’ve organically moved and changed over the years and we’re never looking backward.’

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 38 Votes: 42.11% Annoying