A slightly sharper edge surfaces in Spyro Gyra's second effort for the Telarc-affiliated Heads Up label.
While their performance still tilts more toward easy listening than searing fusion, there's a bit more punch than usual in the upbeat tracks.
Frontman Jay Beckenstein cultivates a slightly grittier sound by concentrating largely on tenor sax, while a trio of guest percussionists adds dimension to the beat on several numbers, especially the festive "Cape Town Love." The tour de force performance is probably "Flashback," largely because Beckenstein goes it alone, blowing some eloquent, Wayne Shorter-style lines against his own more than serviceable pre-recorded piano accompaniment.
The filmic theme, reflected in the titles of several tracks, is more affectation than substance; in truth, Original Cinema extends rather than detours from the path laid down for a quarter century by this smooth jazz juggernaut.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bump It Up | Spyro Gyra | Play | 04:53 | 11 MB | 34 MB |
| 2 | Dream Sequence | Spyro Gyra | Play | 05:02 | 11 MB | 32 MB |
| 3 | Party Of Seven | Spyro Gyra | Play | 04:51 | 11 MB | 32 MB |
| 4 | Big Dance Number | Spyro Gyra | Play | 03:27 | 7 MB | 23 MB |
| 5 | Close-Up | Spyro Gyra | Play | 03:47 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 6 | Cape Town Love | Spyro Gyra | Play | 05:17 | 12 MB | 37 MB |
| 7 | Handheld | Spyro Gyra | Play | 04:01 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 8 | Funky Tina | Spyro Gyra | Play | 05:17 | 12 MB | 36 MB |
| 9 | GetawayPeter Cor, Louis Silas, Jr., Beloyd Taylor | Spyro Gyra | Play | 04:11 | 9 MB | 31 MB |
| 10 | Calle Ocho | Spyro Gyra | Play | 05:31 | 12 MB | 36 MB |
| 11 | Flashback | Spyro Gyra | Play | 03:36 | 8 MB | 16 MB |
| 12 | Film Noir | Spyro Gyra | Play | 06:11 | 14 MB | 41 MB |
| 56 mins | 128 MB | |||||
| 56 mins | 374 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jay Beckenstein | Producer |
| 2 | Peter Cor | Composer |
| 3 | Louis Silas, Jr. | Composer |
| 4 | Spyro Gyra | Primary Artist |
| 5 | Beloyd Taylor | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |