Seminal
contemporary jazz band mines a collection of vinyl classics for their first
album in six years. “Vinyl Tap” drops October 11 with the first single, “Can’t
Find My Way Home,” released on September 23.
Free of the tension of having to write great songs,
the five members of Spyro Gyra were laughing and having fun in the recording
studio. Creativity flowed as the venerable contemporary jazz band revisited the
songs that inspired them from their youth when they were listening to music on
vinyl. That artistic fount was spun into “Vinyl Tap,” Spyro Gyra’s first album
in six years, which drops October 11 on the Amherst Records label.
“It was
tensionless as we ‘warped’ the tunes. We had a world of brilliant music to
choose from and we didn’t have to worry about writing brilliant music. It was a
really fun project to make,” said saxophonist Jay Beckenstein, who will lead
Spyro Gyra on tour to support “Vinyl Tap” with a string of US concert dates
beginning November 15 in Newark, NJ after a three-week international trek that
begins at the Cancun Jazz Festival on October 23.
When Spyro
Gyra manager Phil Brennan proposed the album’s concept a few years ago to
bandleader Beckenstein for their 31st album, he knew that it might take some
convincing, so he came prepared with an intriguing concept. Brennan suggested
that the band use their arrangement talents to transform the originals into
something brand new. The challenge appealed to Beckenstein, who soon overcame
any misgivings.
“It’s cliché
(to record covers) in saxophone-based contemporary jazz. We did not want to
sound like a fantastic wedding band. I was really afraid that if we didn’t do
our own thing, that our identity would be lost. It was imperative in the
creative process – and everybody (in the band) knew this in a big way – that
things had to be mixed up. Things had to be jolted out of the old way of
approaching the songs. We really tried to come up with a new take on whatever
(song) we were doing. We put solos into tunes that really are complete
extensions that never had anything to do with the originals,” said Beckenstein.
What
initially stands out on “Vinyl Tap,” which was produced by Spyro Gyra, are the
wildly imaginative arrangements. Beckenstein said, “The arrangements were put
together with everyone in my basement with all the equipment set up. We were
all together in the pre-studio arrangement process. It was all done
democratically. Spyro Gyra is a musician’s group collective. When you have five
talented guys, you can do some cool arranging things.”
Spyro Gyra
are Beckenstein, Tom Schuman (keyboards), Julio Fernandez (guitars), Scott
Ambush (bass) and Lionel Cordew (drums). The musicians have somewhat of a wide
range of ages, which explains some of the diversity of the material recorded
for “Vinyl Tap.” Beckenstein selected the album opener, “Secret Agent Mash,” a
supercharged and ultrahip mashup of “Secret Agent Man” and “Alfie’s Theme.”
“Sunshine Of Your Love” is virtually unrecognizable in its new form as a Latin
big band number. The first cut going for playlist adds on September 23 is the
plaintive “Can’t Find My Way Home,” which takes on a bit of a western feel and
benefits from the soulful perspective of Beckenstein’s saxophone protagonist.
“What A Fool Believes” is slowed to become a contemplative power ballad that
breaks into a mid-song swing cadence.
“I spent a
lot of time listening to radio – classic rock radio – looking for material that
had fantastic melodies. If there was a beautiful, arching melody, like ‘What A
Fool Believes,’ it would definitely translate to my saxophone ‘voice,’” said
Beckenstein.
Adding
chromatic and bass harmonicas by Gary Schreiner, “The Cisco Kid” vacillates in
time and tempo, letting the band members stretch out into improvisational
banter. Exemplative of Spyro Gyra’s ethos, each band member shares the
spotlight equitably, adding sweetness and redolent depth to “You’ve Got To Hide
Your Love Away.” “Tempted” always oozed soul, but the band’s reading is
deliberate, adding romance and underscoring the sweeping chorus. “Stolen
Moments” is another that essentially becomes an “original” composition in Spyro
Gyra’s inventive hands after the piece was reconstructed using entirely new,
deft and complex rhythms. The set closes with an exhilarating romp cascading
through a groovy expanse on “Carry On.”
“This is the
first record we’ve done where we have allowed ourselves to do other people’s
material full throttle,” said Beckenstein. “That is not to say in any way that
we tried to copy what other people did, but it was really great to reach
outside of our writing capabilities for inspiration for us to take off on. And
that’s what this album is about.”
“Vinyl Tap”
contains the following songs:
“Secret
Agent Mash”
“Sunshine Of
Your Love”
“Can’t Find
My Way Home”
“What A Fool
Believes”
“The Cisco
Kid”
“You’ve Got
To Hide Your Love Away”
“Tempted”
“Stolen
Moments”
“Carry On”
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