Longtime readers of this blog know of my 30+ year love affair with the smooth jazz group Spyro Gyra. This is a very brief (39 minute) debut solo effort from the group's co-leader and keyboardist which was produced by the group's other co-leader, saxophonist Jay Beckenstein. The result, as you can probably guess, sounds very much like a SG release. That normally wouldn't be a problem except that the band was in a bad slump around the time of this release. So, although the musicians are top notch (especially Jon Faddis), the writing isn't that great and Schuman focuses more fast technical runs than melodic solos. Tracks from this album pop up every now and then on an iTunes shuffle, but I never specifically seek out this CD for listening.
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| The Gavin Report, October 19, 1990, p. 40 |
Tracks: The best tracks here are Mood Swing, Front Seat Reservation, and a cover of Minnie Riperton's Loving You. Skip track 5, Skywriter.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD:This CD was acquired about 10 years ago when I was trying to find suitable smooth jazz for background music at work. In addition to this solo CD, I picked up solo CDs from other Spyro Gyra veterans Jay Beckenstein, Jeremy Wall, and Dave Samuels.
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