What? You do not know the name of Spyro Gyra's albums. Paula/Paw Prints is a song on the first album - Spyro Gyra.

Sorry, but my stereo mainly only knows - Spyro Gyra.

(while I am listening to "Down the Wire" again, once again.)

This has all been going on for over 30 years now.

Usually I would not even mention just one song. You see, other people have this idea that some songs are better than others, say on "Spyro Gyra" albums. I have a cure for this - you play the entire album.

Now when "Down the Wire" was just played, the entire 'album' was played. This cures most problems that other people have.
(You see now, the entire "Freetime" album is playing. You insert these 16-bit CD's and press 'play' and sound comes out of these speaker thingys - like a Fender Rhodes piano sound. There was a cure for that earlier instrument also - it is called a very, very, very, small drop of superglu on the springs of the tines - thus insuring that the Fender Rhodes pre-made before synths electronics came out piano - would never go out of tune again.

Now, you can also stick in your DVD player those new 24-bit albums like "Down the Wire" also and sound comes out of those speaker thingys and the amp that powers those speaker thingys.

Alf, I'm going to say this once and try to be nice about it.
CHILL OUT!

Alf, first-off welcome to the board. We do appreciate your enthusiasm as well, but it would help if you read the contents of this board/thread before knuckling down.
Fact is, mr Jazzwriter happens to know more about SG than most of us here, and moreover, this partioular thread pertains specifically to Down The Wire, so your comments seem a little directionless.

Once you've taken a good look around here, you'll notice that the members are well-oiled, learned folk. So bear that in mind when commenting, and enjoy your stay.

"What It Is"
"A Distant Memory"

ALF--Welcome to the Spyro Gyra family, to THE place to discuss the world's greatest jazz band. Your post indicates that you might be a Spyro fan from way back. Awesome. But I gotta back up jazz writer. Your post was disjointed and it's point mysterious. Even your follow up clarifying post was more confusing than Ornette Coleman or Roland Kirk. Please--post here often....but try to avoid posting stuff reminicent of Dylan's 'Tarantula' or Kerouac and Ginsberg. PEACE! Paul

Thanks, Roger and Paul.
Now with all that said, welcome to the family, Alf.
Now let's talk music.

Although I really don't want to belabor this on, I was merely talking about keyboard action of a certain keyboard (fender rhodes) long ago on the first Spyro Gyra album vs. keyboard action of new digital electronic synthesizers vs. electronic type piano keyboards. Compared to a real piano, to me, they still do not have it, although I am not up on Kuweil (spelling) or some others brands. In other words, playing any musical instrument demands a lot of work and practice and effort. I always get the idea that most people have no idea what effort it takes and instead want to talk about if the songs move them, or this and that, without fully realizing how difficult that can become to swing, or funk, or anything different on any such song as Spyro Gyra plays or record. That also means that not everyone is going to take the time and disipline to discover any of that along the way of even one band that has played in the jazz so-called freedom arena.

The new album to me is a monumental effort on the part of the band to put it all together especially when I listen to the first song I mentioned on the CD - "What It Is".

Now, lighten up!
A person could mention well that is the way that it is in this type of music, but frankly I find that people who only listen to the music and do not even attempt to play a musical instrument usually leave me disgusted at times. So go on, talk your talk.

If you attempt to play along say with a song like "What It Is" or even if I do, it would not be the same probably, and in my case, I know that it would not be the same as what is that song on the album. No, I am not exalting Spyro Gyra, although there is a place for that, I am just saying that they took the effort on the album to be more funky then perhaps many people may realize.

Although I also like "Down the Wire" tune and others on the album, funking out can bring a band down in a hurry if one band member does not apply the appropriate funk at the time it is needed.
I guess in my past for some certain other people listening to funky music this has made them feel uncomfortable to sit and listen to the music, when it comes out - because they can not allow theirselves to enjoy the apparent motion of what being funky really is and listening to the music if it does not have a straight-on beat. I have no doubt that I can though, which is another aspect of a band being able to switch movements around to reflect that aspect of that kind of music.
The end!
Now, get in the groove.
Lighten up, perhaps or perhaps not, to me that is up to you.
So excuse me, if I enjoy that type of music just somewhat better than other types of music. Even though old and a grump (although that could be gramp) yes, there are the people who will willing accept that kind of beat say over a latin beat or any other beat in any music. At most times when listening to music I enjoy the band's togetherness of playing funky. But I also like change-ups, and although it has nothing to do with me except as a listener of the music, I guess other people that I have known can not handle that aspect of music (the funk). I just don't think it makes me any which way, and only those people for kind of demanding that everything be suited to only their way. So enough babbling out of me.

Al-f, I don't understand the defensiveness. It's like you're dissing anyone who doesn't delve deeply into the technical aspects of how difficult it is to write and perform a song.
I honestly do not get the animosity. We're all on the same side, aren't we? You're speaking to people who, like you, love Spyro Gyra and their music. Why does it matter that some of us don't appreciate the difficulty?
Learning an instrument or how to read music may be difficult. Maybe it's just me, but I think these veteran musicians and songwriters find it no more difficult than Kobe Bryant finds a jump shot difficult. It takes practice and effort, but I'm not so sure the work is as difficult as you think. And by the way, most of us have been fans of the group since its beginning. To even think that anybody participating in this discussion doesn't recognize Spyro Gyra's funky elements is laughably ridiculous.
In another topic, you speak about the jazz traditionalists and how many of them don't like Spyro Gyra because this band doesn't fit neatly into the box that the traditionalists think jazz is should always be about.
You're just as bad - or worse - suggesting that to really enjoy the music, you have to be a musician who knows exactly what they went through to create a song. I know personally some professional musicians who, if I asked them a question about 400 mhz tuning, they'd look at me like I just stepped off an alien spaceship. Music has as much to do with emotion/feeling as it does the technical aspects of putting it together. I'm sure that when you eat at a restaurant, you don't question the chef about oven temperature, how long it's at that setting, where the vegetables were grown and how often the farm was irrigated before you make up your mind whether the meal pleases you.
I never understood the mentality that a person has to experience a thing before being allowed to talk about it. One doesn't have to get shot to talk about a war. And it's a safe bet that most of us here have never given birth to 8 children at once, but several have commented on the "octo-mom."
Oh, and, just a friendly suggestion:
Stock up on Pepto Bismol. I'm one of those disgusting people who listen to music but does not play an instrument.

Now that some time has gone by to give me a chance to listen to this more: I LOVE it! This is favorite CD of 2009, so far. Any other CD will be hard pressed to overcome it. Peace and goodwill.

P.S. Does a drummer count as a musician? (LOL)