Spyro Gyra-Morning Dance (1979)

Formed in the mid-70s by Jay Beckenstein and Richard Calandra in Buffalo, a town near New York, Spyro Gyra is one of the most emblematic jazz formations and for more than 40 years they have published a series of albums that are considered the best. of the genre of jazz fusion and smooth jazz.
In 1976 they published their first work called "Spyro Gyra", an album recorded in a rudimentary way of which only 500 copies were initially released, which however thanks to local radios and the song "Shaker Song" becomes a resounding success, getting expanding the album edition and selling more than 70,000 copies.
With a second and glittering album "Morning Dance" (1979), the band expands with keyboardist Tom Schumann and vibraphonist David Samuels.
With this second album they manage to sell a million copies thanks to great compositions like "Heliopolis", "Jubilee" or "Song For Lorraine".
After another great album such as "Catching The Sun", (1980) which achieves recognition similar to the previous one and even reaching number one on the charts, "Freetime" (1981), "Incognito"(1982) and finally "City Kids" (1983), which will close a septet of masterful recordings.

Spyro Gyra-Alternating Currents (1985)

"Alternating Currents" is one of the essential albums by the jazz fusion and smooth jazz group Spyro Gyra. Released in 1985, it was the ninth album by the Buffalo, New York-based group and the first to feature only the core lineup, without any backing musicians or guest collaborators. At that time, the band consisted of Jay Beckenstein, Tom Schuman, Julio Fernández, Dave Samuels, Gerardo Vélez, Kim Stone, and Richie Morales. Recorded at Bear Tracks Studios in New York during the first months of 1985, the group ventured into jazz-rock territory on this album without abandoning their signature jazz fusion sound. Among their repertoire of nine tracks, the excellent "Shakedown", "Alternating Current", "PG", "Heartbeat", "Mardi Gras" and "Sunflurry" stand out. In all of these songs, the band achieves an exquisite sound, particularly highlighting the contributions of Jay Beckenstein on saxophone, Tom Schuman on keyboards, and Julio Fernández on guitar. "Alternating Currents" would eventually reach number 41 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart and number 3 on the Jazz Albums chart.