Monday, March 03, 2008

The Best Spyro Gyra Album, Not Recorded By Them


I had discovered the beauty and quality of CTI early on, as I did later with Tappan Zee and GRP as well - record labels that defined a genre, stood for a certain level of quality, represented a 'sound' and above all, have played a very large part in The Soundtrack Of My Life. Now, my affliction for all things Gyra (just look at the tattoo) is well documented, so I was thrilled to come across the CTI release, In A Temple Garden by Yusef Lateef. I can't exactly remember when I picked this LP out of the cut-out bin, but I know I was still in college when I did. Jeremy Wall, Spyro Gyra co-founder, co-producer, composer and one time keyboardist produced this date for CTI in 1979, the same year as their breakout recording, Morning Dance. I had no idea who Lateef was, and really didn't care, I saw Wall's name attached to the credits, the fact that he composed all but two of the songs recorded, and when you took a look at the list of players on the LP; Wall, Tom Schuman (SG's other and current keyboardist), Eric Gale, the Brecker Bothers, Will Lee, Steve Gadd - this could have just been another early SG session! The only thing missing was Jay Beckenstein's butterscotch alto, replaced by Lateef's grity and course tenor. Chances are, you'll never come across this recording, although if you search hard enough, there are some keepers of the flame (thank you Smooth) who have made it available. Find it, listen to it, you owe it to yourself!

Listen to 'In A Temple Garden''Confirmation' and 'Morocco' all composed by Jeremy Wall


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