Spyro Gyra (album)
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Spyro Gyra (album)
''Spyro Gyra'' is the debut album by the jazz fusion group Spyro Gyra, released in 1978. The album was self-released on the label Crosseyed Bear Productions before the band signed with Amherst Records and re-released it with a different cover. At ''Billboard'' magazine, the album reached No. 99 on the Top 200 Albums chart and also No. 99 in Canada. "Shaker Song" reached No. 16 on the Adult Contemporary singles chart, No. 90 on the Hot 100 singles chart, and was covered by the Manhattan Transfer on the album ''Extensions''. In Canada, "Shaker Song" made No. 99 in the Top 100 chart, and No. 26 in the AO chart. Track listing Personnel Band * Jay Beckenstein – alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, percussion, arrangements * Jeremy Wall – acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes, Minimoog, ARP Odyssey, ARP String Ensemble, Hammond organ, percussion, arrangements * Jim Kurzdorfer – bass guitar * Tom Walsh – drums, percussion * Umbopha Emile Latimer – congas, percussion ...
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Spyro Gyra
Spyro Gyra is an American jazz fusion band that was formed in Buffalo, New York, in 1974. The band's music combines jazz, R&B, funk, and pop music. The band's name comes from ''Spirogyra'', a genus of green algae which founder Jay Beckenstein had learned about in college. History Early years Saxophonist Jay Beckenstein and keyboardist Jeremy Wall formed a band with jazz and rock musicians who were playing in the Buffalo bar and club circuit. In 1974, when a bar owner asked for the band's name, Beckenstein said, "spirogyra", a type of algae he had learned about in school. The bar owner wrote the name incorrectly, "Spyro Gyra", but it stuck. The founding members of the band were Beckenstein, Wall, bassist Jim Kurzdorfer, drummer Tom Walsh, and keyboardist Tom Schuman. In 1977, they released '' Spyro Gyra'' independently before making a deal with Amherst Records, which re-released the album with a different cover. It included "Shaker Song," which reached No. 90 on Billboard's H ...
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Minimoog
The Minimoog is an analog synthesizer first manufactured by Moog Music between 1970 and 1981. Designed as a more affordable, portable version of the modular Moog synthesizer, it was the first synthesizer sold in retail stores. It was first popular with progressive rock and jazz musicians and found wide use in disco, pop, rock and electronic music. Production of the Minimoog stopped in the early 1980s after the sale of Moog Music. In 2002, founder Robert Moog regained the rights to the Moog brand, bought the company, and released an updated version of the Minimoog, the Minimoog Voyager. In 2016 and in 2022, Moog Music released another new version of the original Minimoog. Development In the 1960s, RA Moog Co manufactured Moog synthesizers, which helped bring electronic sounds to music but remained inaccessible to ordinary people. These modular synthesizers were difficult to use and required users to connect components manually with patch cables to create sounds. They were a ...
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Anthony Gorruso
Anthony Gorruso (born October 20, 1957, Buffalo, New York) is an American jazz trumpeter. Career The son of Anthony Gorruso Sr., a high school band director, Gorruso began his professional career at age 17 in Buffalo with Spyro Gyra, which began in that city. His name is misspelled "Tony Garusso" on the album ''Spyro Gyra''. From 1979 to 1983 he attended the Berklee College of Music, where he concentrated on arranging. He has performed with Buddy Rich, Frank Sinatra, Sting, Tony Bennett, Clark Terry, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Junior, The Duke Ellington Orchestra (under the direction of Mercer Ellington), Ray Charles, and Liza Minnelli. He recorded with Frank Sinatra on the laser disc ''Sinatra in Japan 1985'', which aired on PBS in 1986, and the album ''Sinatra 80th Live in Concert''. He appeared on the album ''Mother Nature's Son'' (1993) by Jon Lucien, ''Point of Departure'' by Mary Ellen Bernard, ''Music Is My Mistress'' by Mercer Ellington, ''Pearls'' by David Sanborn, and ...
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Tabla
A tabla, bn, তবলা, prs, طبلا, gu, તબલા, hi, तबला, kn, ತಬಲಾ, ml, തബല, mr, तबला, ne, तबला, or, ତବଲା, ps, طبله, pa, ਤਬਲਾ, ta, தபலா, te, తబలా, ur, , group="nb", name="nb" is a pair of twin hand drums from the Indian subcontinent, that are somewhat similar in shape to the bongos. Since the 18th century, it has been the principal percussion instrument in Hindustani classical music, where it may be played solo, as accompaniment with other instruments and vocals, and as a part of larger ensembles. It is frequently played in popular and folk music performances in India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.Tabla
Encyclopædia Britannica
The tabla is an essential instrument in the

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Marimba
The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbre of the marimba is warmer, deeper, more resonant, and more pure. It also tends to have a lower range than that of a xylophone. Typically, the bars of a marimba are arranged chromatically, like the keys of a piano. The marimba is a type of idiophone. Today, the marimba is used as a solo instrument, or in ensembles like orchestras, marching bands (typically as a part of the front ensemble), percussion ensembles, brass and concert bands, and other traditional ensembles. Etymology and terminology The term ''marimba'' refers to both the traditional version of this instrument and its modern form. Its first documented use in the English language dates back to 1704. The term is of Bantu origin, deriving from the prefix meaning 'many' and ...
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Dave Samuels
David Alan Samuels (October 9, 1948 – April 22, 2019) was an American vibraphone and marimba player who spent many years with the contemporary jazz group Spyro Gyra. His recordings and live performances during that period also reflect his prowess on the steelpan, a tuned percussion instrument of Trinidadian origin. Biography Samuels was born in Waukegan, Illinois, United States. At the age of six he started playing drums and piano. He learned vibes and marimba while a student at Boston University. He continued his studies at the Berklee College of Music, also in Boston, and studied with vibraphonist Gary Burton. He taught percussion at Berklee before moving to New York City in 1974. Soon he was recording and performing with Gerry Mulligan, Carla Bley, and Gerry Niewood. He played in a vibes/marimba duo with David Friedman, who had been his teacher at Boston, releasing albums under the name Double Image. In 1979 he began recording with Spyro Gyra, eventually becoming a memb ...
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Rubens Bassini
Rubens Bassini (January 26, 1933 in Rio de Janeiro – September 1985) was a percussionist, who played bongos and congas above all. He played together with the band Os Ipanemas: Astor Silva; (trombone), Marinho (bass), Wilson das Neves (drums) and Neco (guitar). He also played with Judy Collins, João Gilberto, Sérgio Mendes, Chuck Mangione, Dom Salvador, Carly Simon, Spyro Gyra, Eumir Deodato and Dave Grusin, predominantly Bossa Nova. Discography *''Rubens Bassini E Os 11 Magnificos'' 1960 Rio de Janeiro, Brasil re- issued 2002 *''Rubens Bassini Y Los Latinos'' 1963 Rio de Janeiro, Brasil re -issued 2010 *''Rubens Bassini with Sérgio Mendes and Brasil'' '66, 77, 88 *''Deodato - Deodato 2'' - 1973 (CTI Records) *'' The Atlantic Family Live at Montreux'' - 1976 (Atlantic Records) As sideman With Herbie Mann *'' Brazil: Once Again'' (Atlantic, 1977) With Chuck Mangione *'' Main Squeeze'' ( A&M, 1976) With Jimmy McGriff *'' Tailgunner'' (LRC, 1977) With Don Sebesky *'' G ...
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Tom Schuman
Thomas William Schuman (born January 31, 1958) is an American jazz pianist, smooth jazz keyboardist, the co-leader, composer and arranger. of 13 Grammy nominated contemporary jazz group, Spyro Gyra. He has been the keyboardist for Spyro Gyra since he was 16 years old (before the release of their first album). He has performed on all of Spyro Gyra's albums to date and has written or co-written over sixty Spyro Gyra compositions since the album '' Catching the Sun'' ( MCA, 1980). Tom also produced 6 solo albums on his own label http://jazzbridge.com. He also built and engineers his own recording studio https://schuboxstudios.com. Discography Solo * ''Extremities'' ( GRP, 1990) * ''Schuman Nature'' (JazzBridge, 2003) * ''Into Your Heart'' (JazzBridge, 2002) * ''Deep Chill'' (JazzBridge, 2006) * ''Reflections Over Time'' (JazzBridge, 2010) * ''Designated Planets'' (JazzBridge, 2013) * ''Live At Marians Jazzroom'' (JazzBridge, 2018) With Spyro Gyra * ''Spyro Gyra'' (Amherst Rec ...
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Hammond Organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated sound by creating an electric current from rotating a metal tonewheel near an electromagnetic pickup, and then strengthening the signal with an amplifier to drive a speaker cabinet. The organ is commonly used with the Leslie speaker. Around two million Hammond organs have been manufactured. The organ was originally marketed by the Hammond Organ Company to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, or instead of a piano. It quickly became popular with professional jazz musicians in organ trios—small groups centered on the Hammond organ. Jazz club owners found that organ trios were cheaper than hiring a big band. Jimmy Smith's use of the Hammond B-3, with its additional harmonic percussion feature, inspired a g ...
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ARP String Ensemble
The Solina String Ensemble, also marketed as the ARP String Ensemble, is a fully polyphonic multi-orchestral synthesizer with a 49-key keyboard, produced by Eminent BV (known for their ''Solina'' brand). It was distributed in the United States by ARP Instruments from 1974 to 1981. The sounds it incorporates are violin, viola, trumpet, horn, cello, and contrabass. The keyboard uses 'organ style' divide-down technology to make it polyphonic. The built-in chorus effect gives the instrument its distinctive sound. Technology The core technology is based on the string ensemble section of the Eminent 310 Unique electronic organ in 1972, manufactured by the Dutch company Eminent BV. The main oscillator consists of twelve discrete tone generators with octave divide-down to provide full polyphony (however all notes come from the same envelope and filter, so it is actually a paraphonic string machine); and the built-in triple chorus effect utilizes bucket-brigade devices (BBDs) control ...
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ARP Odyssey
The ARP Odyssey is an analog synthesizer introduced by ARP Instruments in 1972. History ARP developed the Odyssey as a direct competitor to the Moog Minimoog and an answer to the demand for more affordable, portable, and less complicated "performance" synthesizers. ARP produced several versions of the Odyssey from 1972 to 1980. In early 2015, Korg reissued the Odyssey in cooperation with the original designer and ARP co-founder, David Friend. Design The Odyssey is a two-oscillator analog synthesizer, and one of the first with duophonic capabilities (the ability to play two notes at the same time). All parameters, including a resonant low-pass filter, a non-resonant high-pass filter, ADSR and AR envelopes, a sine and square wave LFO, and a sample-and-hold function are controllable with sliders and switches on the front panel. Features *Switchable between sawtooth, square, and pulse waveforms with oscillator sync, a "ring modulator", and pink or white noise. (As with the Kor ...
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Fender Rhodes
The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, the hammers strike thin metal tines, which vibrate next to an electromagnetic pickup. The signal is then sent through a cable to an external keyboard amplifier and speaker. The instrument evolved from Rhodes's attempt to manufacture pianos while teaching recovering soldiers during World War II. Development continued after the war and into the following decade. In 1959, Fender began marketing the Piano Bass, a cut-down version; the full-size instrument did not appear until after Fender's sale to CBS in 1965. CBS oversaw mass production of the Rhodes piano in the 1970s, and it was used extensively through the decade, particularly in jazz, pop, and soul music. It was less used in the 1980s because of competition with polyphonic and digital ...
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