Back in the 70s, before there were labels like “smooth” or “adult contemporary” jazz, aspiring musicians would listen to the music they heard on the radio and would try to emulate the stuff they heard. What a concept! Back then, jazz bands were the rage, such as Weather Report, Return to Forever, and Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters. The second generation of “fusion” bands started forming; bands like Spyro Gyra, The Yellowjackets, Caldera, Hiroshima and the Rippingtons dominated the airwaves. Saxist and leader of one of the few remaining jazz bands from that age of innocence, Jay Beckenstein and his band Spyro Gyra is still putting out music that is fresh, vibrant and musically honest after 30 years of riding and surviving the waves of musical trends.
Beckenstein, on the throes Spyro’s recent release, “Good to Go-Go”, recollects how simple the music scene appeared back then. “We preceded smooth jazz by almost 10 years. It was just that , hey, you’re 20 years old, you put together a whole bunch of the music that you listen to and that has moved you, and you start synthesizing that into your own music. The music we had grown up on was jazz by way of Coltrane and Miles, and into jazz fusion by guys like Chick Corea and Weather Report. But, at the same time, we were listening to Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and Marvin Gaye and many many more. So, it just happened that our particular synthesis was a combination of a lot of those elements. We saw ourselves as a natural outgrowth of the Weather Report/Chick Corea /Return to Forever thing. We were in another band, and we were presenting our particular group of styles together.”
Since then, if you listen to any jazz station, you can’t help but notice the dearth of jazz bands on the airwaves. What dominates the charts presently are individual artists, such as Koz, Botti, etc. Beckenstein, who started his band before the whole wave (pun intended) of smooth jazz became a worldwide movement, explains the reason for the paradigm shift. “I think that before the time that there was a smooth jazz radio format, there were a lot more bands, and the band concept was a lot more common. Along the way, the industry focused a lot more on individuals as stars. I think that the big event in the middle 80s that changed a lot of people’s attitudes on how to promote the artist was Kenny G. Kenny had such incredible success that suddenly just about every single record company there was started looking at all of their artists as “potential Kenny Gs” and that didn’t include bands, because bands weren’t about that kind of “focus on a star” thing. The band itself was the “star.” I think that as smooth jazz radio came along and coincided with Kenny’s success, again there was more of a focus on personality and star. So, smooth jazz radio for the most part just played single artists. The result was not too many bands (being left).”
‘The record companies aren’t as happy about marketing bands, as they were about marketing smooth jazz stars. Being a band hasn’t always been the best thing in terms of dealing with record companies and what their image of this music should be.”
What is ironic about this situation is that the concept of a working band is what makes Beckenstein survive as a creative artist after all of these years. “There are a lot of great advantages (of being in a band).. I get to work with people who are my peers, and are looking at me eye to eye; willing to help me out if I’ll help them out. It makes for a very nice creative environment when you get the right group of people together. Also, the weight is so much less. If this were just “Jay Beckenstein” and I had to come up with 30 albums of material over the years, I think I’d be pretty burned out on the idea front. The fact that I’m sharing it with a whole ensemble of people makes it a heck of a lot easier to find new things to do.”
“We’ve come to have made Spyro Gyra as an ideal setting to be a creative writer and player. The band can take virtually any direction from any individual and make it sound eally cool, and allow it to realize their ideas. It’s ideal; it’s a great group to be in creatively. Beyond that, we’re a band where some of us members have been together almost 30 years. Beyond that, the guys are very cool with the ego. You never get the feeling that someone’s begrudging you your place. Everyone’s very supportive. Part of having the right attitude is having confidence, some kind of sense of yourself.”
Switching labels to Heads Up has been a benefit to the not only Beckenstein and Spyro Gyra, but others as well. Hiroshima and the Yellowjackets, the only other 2 bands from the 80s have found a home on this label. Beckenstein explains why these groups are comfortable there. “I say this as a genuine complement to the label. Dave Love, who is the force behind Heads Up records, has always had a very “pro musician” stance. He’s allowed the musicians to come up with deals that work for them. He’s very supportive, and has a very good ear for music. That is why you see a lot of musicians gravitating towards Heads Up.”
Their latest disc, “Good To Go-Go” features some of the band’s best rhythm work in years. “I’m particularly pleased with the latest cd,” admits Beckenstein. “I think, because it’s mostly upbeat, and has a lot of happiness and joy in it; that’s a nice place to be at this stage. Our new drummer, Bonny B (which stands for Bonaparte) is really kicking on this record. The addition of his energy to the band was a really good thing.”
The upbeat attitude of the music is reflected on the liner notes’ dedication, as the music on the disc is in memory of Beckenstein’s friend Michael Brecker, “I’ve known Michael Brecker since the mid 70s. He came to NY around 73 and I saw him with Blood Sweat and Tears. I hit the NY scene in 80, and Michael was a big force there already. He played on our second cd, and I got to know him over the years. He was not only one of the most astonishing musicians I’ve ever crossed paths with, he was also a very sweet and humble guy, and the combination just made you love him. Somebody who is that awesome and doesn’t let it affect their niceness, that is really great. He was always s sweetheart to be around.”
That kind of attitude, mixing artistic professionalism with humility, is something that is rare among people. It is one of the reasons Beckenstein has not only survived as an artist these 3 decades, but has grown as both a musician and a man. “You make your mistakes along the way; you learn what works. Eventually, you learn how to get the most out of relationships with people, and I’ve been lucky enough to live long enough to figure some of it out.” It is this teachable spirit of Jay Beckenstein that has made Spyro Gyra one of the venerable working bands, not only adapting to the musical environment, but making it a better one.