This fantastic live album from the Leverkusen Jazz Days on November 7, 2022, features one of the most successful U.S. jazz fusion bands, Spyro Gyra.

With over 20 albums and more than ten million records sold worldwide, Spyro Gyra is one of the most prominent and commercially successful bands in the history of jazz. Between 1980 and 1985, the band won seven Grammy Awards. The jazz fusion band was founded in the early 1970s by soprano and alto saxophonist Jay Beckenstein. After graduating from high school, Beckenstein moved to Buffalo with his friend Jeremy Wall to study at the State University of New York. In 1974, they performed together for the first time as Spyro Gyra. Their first album, Spyro Gyra, featuring their hit 'Shaker Song,' was released in 1978. The band achieved commercial breakthrough with their follow-up album 'Morning Dance' and the hit single of the same name, which was released in 1979 on the MCA subsidiary Infinity Records. Other artists signed to Infinity Records included Rupert Holmes, Dobie Gray, Orleans, and Hot Chocolate.

For Spyro Gyra's performance at the Leverkusen Jazz Days on November 7, 2022, the band's lineup consisted of Jay Beckenstein (saxophone), Tom Schuman (keyboards, piano), Julio Fernandez (guitars), Scott Ambush (bass), and Lionel Cordew (drums, percussion). 'Art manifests itself in a variety of styles and contexts. That's why we started making music in the first place,' is Spyro Gyra's philosophy. And the band's live program that evening in Leverkusen was just as diverse, including their big hits 'Shaker Song' and 'Morning Dance.'

Spyra Gyra has many tour dates planned on the East Coast beginning February 25, 2026 in Florida.

Media

M. i. G. - music Germany · Spyro Gyra - Live in Leverkusen 2022

Cast & Crew

Actors:

Jay Beckenstein
Tom Schuman
Julio Fernandez
Scott Ambush
Lionel Cordew

Director: Peter Sommer

Director: Tobias Kremer

Producer: Peter Sommer

Track Listing

Disc 1:

Walk the Walk
Groovin' for Grover
Medley: Shaker Song / Catching the Sun / Morning Dance
Cockatoo
De La Luz
Dancing on Table Mountain
Tempted
Medley: Old San Juan / Heliopolis

Additional Details

Label: Moosicus

Genre: Jazz

Language: English

Run Time: 80:37 mins

Region: 0

Release Date: 02/27/26

UPC: 885513122926

DownBeat March 2026 Featured Selections

Paul McCandless Quintet - Live At Kimball's East 1992 (CD)

Spyro Gyra - Live In Leverkusen 2022 (CD/DVD)

Peter Erskine & Alan Pasqua & Scott Colley - Peregrine (CD)

Peter Erskine & Alan Pasqua & Scott Colley - Peregrine (Black Ultra Vinyl 140g) (LP)