Spyro Gyra: Is Their Music Jazz or Pop?
Spyro Gyra has always been hard to classify. Generally stuffed into the capacious bag of contemporary jazz, Spyro Gyra’s music expresses numerous genres such as funk, calypso, reggae, R&B, fusion, Latin, samba and pop, though jazz purists would probably paint them with the broad brush of smooth jazz, cool jazz, or dare I call say – commercial jazz. Whoa, cowboy! Whatever label you stick on their music, it’s certainly uplifting, lively and filled with anticipation. For reference, other artists have a similar sound – The Brecker Brothers, Dave Grusin, Lee Ritenour, the Yellowjackets, George Benson and Weather Report, so it appears lots of folks really dig those hybrid jazzy riffs. Or could Spyro Gyra simply be a pop band? If pop denotes simplicity and/or radio popularity, then Spyro Gyra probably wouldn’t qualify, as their music is complex and certainly beyond the scope of most three-chord pop stars; and the band’s notoriety is largely unknown outside of their avid fan base, though that
