One unusual thing about Spyro Gyra's concert Thursday evening: The auditorium at the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild wasn't quite filled to capacity the way it usually is. Perhaps the threat of snow -- and it was going pretty good by the time the show ended -- scared some folks off.
Those who did come were treated to music from throughout the group's three-decade career, and it sure wasn't "same old, same old." Seeing guitarist Julio Fernandez and bassist Scott Ambush talk to each other at times during the show gave me the impression, "Is this a great gig or what?"
The band opened with the dissonant, mysterious "Heart of the Night," for years a staple of the band's live performances, one recorded on the live album "Road Scholars" but still fresh. "Dizzy" was a nice surprise, with keyboardist Tom Schuman ripping off a fleet synth piano solo and Fernandez comping reggae-style during Jay Beckenstein's soprano saxophone solo.
"The Crossing," a Fernandez tune, featured the composer on a rubato opening solo, then cranked into 6/8 Latin funk, adding rhythmic hand claps by Fernandez and Beckenstein and finally moving into a shuffle and closing with a dramatic, intimate ending.
The band converted "Freetime," originally a 1980s funk workout, into straight-ahead swing, and I would hope that the rearrangement pleased any jazz "purists" in the audience.
Probably the best tune was the driving, funky "On Liberty Road," inspired by relatively recent political change in South Africa; composer Ambush opened with enough harmonics to fill any hall. Not far behind was more "traditional" jazz with Schuman's "Schu's Blues," which allowed him to stretch out a bit a cappella on piano.
"Morning Dance," -- undoubtedly Spyro Gyra's biggest, but not its only, hit -- proved a disappointment. Beckenstein announced beforehand that the band would play it pretty much like the record, but it did sound a tad predictable.
The show ended with "Feelin' Fine Part 2," which had a Tower of Power offbeat feel, courtesy of drummer Ludwig Afonso and a bass solo all over the place stylistically from Ambush. Too bad Doc, Mimi and the boys from TOP couldn't make it.
First Published: December 10, 2005, 5:00 a.m.