Blue Note Jazz Club (New York City, NY)
Smooth jazz legends Spyro Gyra have been performing together for over three decades, and they're still as relevant as ever. They've sold over ten million copies of their albums, and their hits include "Morning Dance" and "Shaker Song."
Event summary prepared by the Goldstar Editorial Team.
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The last date listed for Spyro Gyra was Sunday November 8, 2009 / 8:00pm. (view all dates)
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My husband and I had a great time, the music was exceptional as expected, to see, hear and experience the classic jazz from one of our favorite bands made our evening.
This was an AWESOME show.
How can one not be impressed with Spyro Gyra? They were phenomenal! In addition, the venue, the Blue Note is one of the best places in NYC to see live music. Every seat is good and you have the opportunity to get really close if you like.
I attended on a Sunday night and got parking within 2 blocks. At the venue,I was seated in under 5 minutes. Everything proceeded smoothly and it was a great event! Can't wait to do it again!
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Since its inception in 1981, Blue Note has become one of the premier jazz clubs in the world and a cultural institution in Greenwich Village. Owner and founder Danny Bensusan had a vision to create a jazz club in Greenwich Village that would treat deserving artists with respect, while allowing patrons to see the world's finest jazz musicians in a close, comfortable setting. Artists who had stop
Jay Beckentstein, saxophones
Julio Fernandez, guitar
Tom Schuman, keyboards
Scott Ambush, bass
Bonny B, drums
"Life is being on the wire, everything else is just waiting." - Karl Wallenda; The patriarch of the famous aerialist family certainly knew what he was talking about after a lifetime of thrilling, edge-of-the-seat performances for his audiences. While the stakes might not be as high for a jazz band improvising in a recording studio or in front of a live audience, Spyro Gyra's leader and saxophonist Jay Beckenstein understands the passion that drives a person and makes "life on the wire" so appealing.
"This music is what I've done for most of my life. I very much define who I am by the music I make." He allows, "Traveling to the shows is definitely about waiting. But even when I'm home, I have the same kinds of concerns as everyone else. My life becomes about my family, my home, just the basic everyday navigating and problem solving that we all do. But when I'm making music with the band and things are going well, I leave the anxiety behind. I escape that part of me that's just trying to survive in the world and I'm able to get in touch with that part of me that has nothing to do with practicality. It's something that's kind of divine, and I don't normally think in those terms, but it's as close as I can get to that ideal. I really do get swept away in it and it's a marvelous, spiritual, therapeutic thing."
For more than three decades, they have maintained a position at the forefront of modern jazz by successfully managing not just one, but several feats of creative dexterity. "That's what has kept this band going," says Beckenstein. "There are always balances to be found - between the individual player and the group, between the songwriter and the player. It's about both satisfying yourself and satisfying your audience. And when you're improvising in front of a crowd, you're really walking down that wire. There are always surprises that way, but our openness to those surprises is what makes this band what it is. We just happen to be walking on a slightly more forgiving tightrope."
So what place does the listener have in this group's balancing act? "My hope is that it has the same effect on the audience that it does on me. I've always felt that music, and particularly instrumental music, has this non-literal quality that lets people travel to a place where there are no words. Whether it's touching their emotions or connecting them to something that reminds them of something much bigger than themselves, there's this beauty in music that's not connected to sentences. It's very transportive. I would hope that when people hear our music or come to see us, they're able to share that with us. That's the truly glorious part of being a musician."
Asked where Down the Wire belongs in Spyro Gyra's substantial legacy, Beckenstein is quick to reply. "You know, everybody up on the wire knows one thing for sure," Beckenstein laughs. "The real trouble comes if you start looking behind you. The future's in front of you."