They were just here in the Bay area 2months ago and Joel was with them at that time.Is this just recently that Joel has not been with the group ?DWBass said:
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Spyro Gyra's Many Bassists
- Thread starter cassanova
- Start date
You can credit that fullness to Tom Schuman. He is a monster keyboardist who doesn't get a lot of attention but is one of the best I've ever heard. Mitchel Forman is another monster keyboardist but that's another band and another thread.cassanova said:
As for Joel Roseblatt, yes it was pretty recent that he's left the band. And as I understand it, it was not an ammicable departure. Anyway, they have a new drummer named Ludwig Afonso (a Cuban-American from Miami). He's not quite on Joels level but he's pretty good.
I heard them in '89 with Oscar, and I had the great pleasure of hearing SG in The Opera House here in Spokane. A venue that is designed from square one, to have stellar acoustics. Whoever was mixing for them did a superb job, it was by far and away the best sounding live performance I've ever experienced.hands5 said:
Oh, and Oscar's playing and bass solo would have inspired anyone here, believe me.
My keyboard teacher and friend Rod (deceased) had attended one of their concerts with Kim Stone, said they sounded great and Kim's performance was incredible back then.
No doubt Kim Stone is a great player. He's had the Rippingtons gig for 10 or more years now. He totally fits that band. Not sure why he left Spyro Gyra but my thinking is he doesn't quite have the latin or other ethnic chops to convey what Spyro Gyra does so well. They play such a wide variety style of music that they need someone like a Scott Ambush who can literally play it all.bimplizkit said:
Ah yes, the Rips...DWBass said:
Haven't had the pleasure of hearing them live, but have many of their CD's, and what a group! Russ Freeman is a brilliant songwriter / musician. "Curves Ahead" and "Welcome to the St. James Club" are favorites of mine.
Hmmm... might have to crank up some Rips cd's, and then dust off the turntable and listen to some of my old SG vinyl. Spyro Gyra's "Stories Without Words" (Roberto Vally on bass) was smooth, anyone remember Roberto?
Roberto Vally is a good player as well. Not sure why he left either. He and Oscar may have been too latin oriented in their styles although they both mixed it up a bit. Didn't hear much funk from either of them though. Nu Sungo with Roberto Vally was a hot tune!bimplizkit said:
DWBass said:
Roberto is unbelievable! I met him right before he got the Spyro gig and he was playing in the most evil funk band in south Florida at the time. the man has tone, taste, and impeccable time. on top of all that, he's schooled in more styles than most players and he can sing like a bird!
from the lows,
Stew
The band I'm in recently opened for Spyro Gyra, so I got a chance to watch their show afterwards. Scott Ambush is a great bassist. Most of the concert he played on his fretless bass. But then he took one slap solo on the last song, and it was great. It wasn't too flashy, had plenty of musical content, and fit the context wonderfully.
He's a pretty nice guy, too.
He's a pretty nice guy, too.
Well there you have it! I guess he had too much to offer Spyro Gyra. Some bands just need you to fit in. I wish I could have heard some of his funk chops though!Stewmc5222 said:Roberto is unbelievable! I met him right before he got the Spyro gig and he was playing in the most evil funk band in south Florida at the time. the man has tone, taste, and impeccable time. on top of all that, he's schooled in more styles than most players and he can sing like a bird!
from the lows,
Stew
DWBass said:
hey DW,
I don't know that it was he had too much to offer. I think he started getting session work and Jay thought Oscar was a better choice for the next album.
his funk stuff was pretty devastating, though... whew!!
from the lows,
Stew
I think Curves Ahead is such a unique and original tune. I have not heard anything like it since! The chord structure, bass line and melody are out of this world. It's also an aquired taste as I hated it the first time I heard it. After a few listens, the tune hit me like a ton of bricks!bimplizkit said:
I've not heard him in the live setting but assuming he has the gig, he's pretty good. Joel is a monster of a player. One of the few I've seen that can play drums and percussion at the same time.cassanova said:
