Spyro Gyra Biography

Spyro Gyra was created in the mid 1970’s, when musicians and former band mates Jeremy Wall and Jay Beckenstein reunited after college. The two men began experimenting with R&B covers, mostly instrumental, and eventually they teamed up with Tom Walsh and Jim Kurzdorfer to form Spyro Gyra, in Buffalo, New York, which at the time had a growing jazz scene. Spyro Gyra began performing around town, eventually reaching into cities outside of the area, and the band eventually added additional musicians to their performances as they continued to grow in popularity.

After some additional changes to the lineup, in 1977, Spyro Gyra released their self-titled debut. The album eventually rose to become one of the top 40 Jazz Albums in 1978, and launched a series of successful albums for the next two decades, including: Morning Dance (1979), Catching the Sun (1980), Carnaval (1980), Freetime (1981) Icognito (1982), City Kids (1983), Alternating Currents (1985), Stories Without Words (1987), Rites of Summer (1988), Point of View (1989), Fast Forward (1990), Three Wishes (1992), Love and Other Obsessions (1995), Heart of the Night (1996), Got the Magic (1999), Original Cinema (2003), The Deep End (2004), Good to Go-go (2007), Down the Wire (2009), and A Foreign Affair (2011.)

Spyro Gyra’s unique brand of jazz fusion has enabled them to last through the decades, with continued success well into the new millennium. Thus far, Spyro Gyra has been recognized with a number of Grammy nominations, including nods for Best Jazz Fusion Performance (1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, and 1985); Best Pop Instrumental Performance (1985); and Best Pop Instrumental Album (2008, 2009, and 2010.) The band also received the George Benson Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007. In total, Spyro Gyra has so far released more than thirty albums, selling more than ten million copies. Spyro Gyra continues to perform and record.