From the beautiful artwork to the last note of Del Corazon, I was already becoming a Spyro Gyra addict. My favorite here would probably be "Conversations" due to its being "tight." The rest of the songs are no-less great. "Shaker Song", "Morning Dance", "Freetime", all of these are top-notch Jazz-Fusion/Smooth Jazz compositions. I'm new to this band but I know a good Fusion/Smooth Jazz band when I hear one. This CD is difinitely a keeper. Buy it.

Calling Spyro Gyra smooth jazz, especially in the first ten years, misses what they really were. Yes, the first few cuts on this collection are certainly the beginning of the "smooth jazz era," but they had an edge to them the other artists just don't. Jay Beckenstein is the best of all the sax men playing pop jazz today and in these days he was more Wayne Shorter than Kenny G. Tom Shuman is a fine keyboard player and usually writes the most fusion sounding of the bands collection: Like "Incognito" and "Conversations."

Best Of collections always contain the most commercial work of the artist and this is no exception. The most fusion of the tunes are left off and the more smooth ones are included. That being said, they are still fine songs:

"Shaker Song" and "Morning Dance" were two of the bands biggest hits and you will still hear them in the background today. "Catching the Sun" from the album of the same name is another smooth jazz classic with a great band that includes Randy Becker on trumpet and Herm Bullock on guitar. "Autumn of Our Love" is a Jeremy Wall penned tune with him on piano, when he still performed with the band. "Cafe Amore" has an island groove and it was written by top jazz guitarist Chet Cattilo, who played both with these guys and Chuck Mangione. "Cashca" is from the Carnival album and another one written by Jay, there is nothing smooth about this one it has a great groove to it. The horn section includes the Brecker Brothers and Tom Malone.

The title track to "Free Time" is next with a great bass line and written by keyboard man Tom Shuman, this one is not the usual type that Tom writes, he usually writes more fusion than smooth. Not a knock, its a good number. "Summer Strut" is next and another written by founding member Jeremy Wall, he has such a great way with melody and this is no exception. "Old San Juan" written by Jay and it is fusion with Steve Gadd and Marcus Miller as the rhythm section. "Incognito" is Tom Shuman at his best, this and the next number "Conversations" are anything but smooth. These two numbers show the fusion side of this band and they can play with anybody. They feature the "king" Steve Gadd on drums.

"Shakedown" is another written by Jeremy and while it is a good one there are a lot better songs on the album "Alternating Currents." "Bob Goes To The Store" is a fan favorite and was written by bass player Kim Stone. "Del Corazon" ends the 14 song collection in style, written by guitarist John Fernandez. This is a beautiful song.

These guys sure did a lot of great jazz in their first 10 years, with 10 studio albums and one live classic "Access All Areas." Most of their early songs were fusion with a big lean to the jazz side. The fact that they are led by a sax player and most fusion bands are led by a guitar or keyboard player, gave them the "smooth" label. To those that like their fusion a little smooth, this is for you. A nice collection and certainly better than most of the elevator music that gets passed of as smooth jazz. 4 stars and a good representation of the bands early works. If you like fusion check out the live "Access All Areas."

I have always liked Spyro Gyra but never purchased any of their music. Decided to give this a try for commuting music as radio stations no longer appeal to me. There are a some excellent tunes on this and one or two that just don't move me.

If you were young back in the early 80s, this music will bring back the wind in your hair, the sun on your face, and, hopefully, a margarita in your hand. Long before big corporations took over most radio stations and homogenized them and made them sound all the same, this music was around. Somehow it was able to creep into the softer rock stations and catch the ear of many a listener. It had a freshness and a newness that was truly infectious. It eventually became so popular that it created a whole new genre for itself- smooth jazz. Today, since the smooth jazz stations sound like boring muzak, it is refreshing to hear a sound from the past, when this type of music was new.

The first four "hits" you will recognize immediately- the shaker song, cafe amore, catching the sun, and morning dance. The other seven songs are just as strong and if you listen for a while, you might find that they become your favorites too. You can't possibly listen to this CD with out moving your hips, your feet or some other part of your body.

The sound quality of these mp3s is very good. For someone who listened to Spirogyra on a cassette tape while driving around in a car, I think it sounds fantastic. For those of you who had them on vinyl, you may not be as impressed. Overall, I give this album a four star rating for quality, and an extra half star for memories.

Thanks Spirogyra!

This band is a one size fits all. Whether you like Jazz,Jazz Fusion,Smooth Jazz,or even Progressive Rock this music will fit your musical tastes. This CD is about as great of an introdution as you can get.

This CD is cool,relaxing,and it rocks all at the same time! You could listen to stuff like this all day long. This album does not wear out either. I listen to it often and it brings back all great memories and builds new ones.

It seems like most 70's bands worsened in the 80's. This band did not despite line-up changes and popularity. And no sleepy overcommercialized covers of pop songs like too many acts were doing in the 80's.

The best part of Spyro Gyra is the are the only of their kind. Only Spyro gyra makes music like this. I dont ever have to confuse them with anybody else. They are original and beyond great.