The Deep End (Spyro Gyra album) explained

The Deep End
Type:	studio
Artist:	Spyro Gyra
Cover:	The Deep End (Spyro Gyra album).jpg
Studio:	BearTracks Studios, Suffern, New York
Genre:	Jazz, jazz pop
Label:	Heads Up
Producer:	Spyro GyraJeremy Wall
Prev Title:	Original Cinema
Prev Year:	2003
Next Title:	Wrapped in a Dream
Next Year:	2006

The Deep End is the twenty-seventh album by Spyro Gyra, released on May 25, 2004. The album peaked at No. 3 on the jazz album chart at Billboard magazine.

Critical reception

Tom Hull dismissed the album as a "dud" in his "Jazz Consumer Guide" for The Village Voice in September 2004.^[1] In a commentary published on his website, he explained, "Spry funk, thick layers of guitar-keyb-sax that never let up, occasional tidbits of exotica, they don't aim for pablum, but they don't take risks either, so in the end they're as predictable as formula."^[2]

Track listing

1. "Summer Fling" (Jeremy Wall) – 4:58
2. "Eastlake Shuffle" (Julio Fernandez) – 5:02
3. "Monsoon" (Jay Beckenstein) – 7:00
4. "As You Wish" (Beckenstein) – 4:36
5. "Joburg Jam" (Beckenstein) – 6:10
6. "The Crossing" (Fernandez) – 7:17
7. "Wiggle Room" (Scott Ambush) – 6:48
8. "Wind Warriors" (Tom Schuman) – 6:15
9. "In Your Arms" (Schuman) – 4:46
10. "Chippewa Street" (Beckenstein) – 5:46
11. "Beyond the Rain" (Ambush) – 6:09

Personnel

Spyro Gyra

• Jay Beckenstein – saxophones
• Tom Schuman – keyboards
• Julio Fernández – guitars, vocals (6)
• Scott Ambush – bass guitar

Guest musicians

• Billy Kilson – drums (1, 4, 10)
• Joel Rosenblatt – drums (2, 3, 6–9, 11)
• Ludwig Afonso – drums (5)
• Cyro Baptista – percussion (1, 3, 6)
• Daniel Sadownick – percussion (1-4, 7, 10, 11)
• Dave Samuels – vibraphone (4, 5, 7, 11)
• David Charles – percussion (8, 9)
• Don Harris – trumpet (1, 10)

^[3]

Production

• Jay Beckenstein – producer
• Jeremy Wall – producer (1)
• Julio Fernández – producer (2, 6)
• Scott Ambush – producer (7, 11)
• Tom Schuman – producer (8, 9)
• Doug Oberkircher – recording, mixing
• Eric Carlinsky – recording, assistant engineer
• Scott Hull – mastering at The Hit Factory (New York City, New York)
• Paul Blakemore – 5.1 surround sound mastering
• Colin Anderson – cover image
• Robert Hoffman – design
• Phil Brennan – management

Notes and References

1. News: Hull. Tom. Tom Hull (critic). September 28, 2004. Jazz Consumer Guide (2): The Caribbean Tinge. The Village Voice. June 25, 2020. tomhull.com.
2. Web site: Hull. Tom. September 28, 2004. September 2004 Notebook. tomhull.com. June 26, 2020.
3. Web site: The Deep End - Spyro Gyra Credits. AllMusic. 15 April 2017.