Morning Dance

This article is about the album. For the title track, see Morning Dance (song).
Morning Dance
Artwork by David Heffernan
Studio album by
Spyro Gyra
ReleasedMarch 9, 1979
Recorded1978
GenreJazz fusion, smooth jazz
Length39:36
LabelInfinity Records, MCA, Amherst
ProducerJay Beckenstein, Richard Calandra
Spyro Gyra chronology
Spyro Gyra
(1978) 		Morning Dance
(1979) 		Catching the Sun
(1980)
Singles from Morning Dance
  1. "Morning Dance"
    Released: May 1979

Morning Dance is the second album by the jazz fusion group Spyro Gyra.[1][2] The album was released in March 9, 1979 and was certified gold by the RIAA on September 19, 1979, and was certified platinum on June 1, 1987.[3]

At Billboard magazine, the album reached No. 27 on the Top 200 albums chart, while the song "Morning Dance" reached No. 24 on the Hot 100 songs chart and No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary songs chart.[4] In Canada, the album reached No. 47 in its 10th week,[5] and returned to No. 49 in its 20th week of 25 in the top 100.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[7]

The Globe and Mail wrote that "Morning Dance is too heavily produced and too tightly arranged to be a very impressive jazz record."[8]

Track listing and personnel

  1. "Morning Dance" (Jay Beckenstein) – 3:58
  2. "Jubilee" (Jeremy Wall) – 4:31
    • Jay Beckenstein – alto saxophone
    • Jeremy Wall – electric piano and synthesizers
    • John Tropea – electric guitar
    • Will Lee – bass
    • Steve Jordan – drums
    • Rubens Bassini – congas and percussion
    • Dave Samuels – marimba
    • Randy Brecker – trumpet solo
  3. "Rasul" (Jeremy Wall) – 3:57
    • Jay Beckenstein – soprano and tenor saxophones
    • Jeremy Wall – acoustic and electric pianos
    • Rick Strauss – guitar
    • Jim Kurzdorfer – bass
    • Ted Reinhardt – drums
    • John Clark – French horn
  4. "Song for Lorraine" (Jay Beckenstein) – 3:59
  5. "Starburst" (Jeremy Wall) – 4:50
    • Jay Beckenstein – tenor saxophone (intro)
    • Jeremy Wall – electric piano and synthesizers
    • John Tropea – guitar
    • Will Lee – bass
    • Steve Jordan – drums
    • Rubens Bassini – congas, timbales, percussion
    • Michael Brecker – tenor saxophone solo
  6. "Heliopolis" (Jay Beckenstein) – 5:34
    • Jay Beckenstein – alto saxophone, boobams, percussion
    • Jeremy Wall – electric piano and synthesizers
    • Tom Schuman – Rhodes piano solo
    • John Tropea – guitar
    • Will Lee – bass
    • Steve Jordan – drums
    • Rubens Bassini – congas, timbales, percussion
    • Dave Samuels – marimba
  7. "It Doesn't Matter" (Chet Catallo) – 4:27
    • Jay Beckenstein – soprano saxophone
    • Tom Schuman – electric and acoustic pianos
    • Suzanne Ciani – synthesizer
    • Jeremy Wall – synthesizer
    • Chet Catallo – guitar
    • Jim Kurzdorfer – bass
    • Eli Konikoff – drums
    • Gerardo Velez – congas
    • Lani Groves, Diva Gray and Gordon Gordy – vocalists
  8. "Little Linda" (Jeremy Wall) – 4:27
    • Jay Beckenstein – alto saxophone
    • Jeremy Wall – electric piano, acoustic piano, percussion
    • Rick Strauss – guitar
    • Jim Kurzdorfer – bass
    • Ted Reinhardt – drums
    • Rubens Bassini – bongos and percussion
    • Dave Samuels – vibraphone
  9. "End of Romanticism" (Rick Strauss) – 5:00
    • Jay Beckenstein – soprano saxophone
    • Jeremy Wall – electric piano
    • Tom Schuman – synthesizer solos
    • Rick Strauss – 6 and 12-string electric guitars
    • Jim Kurzdorfer – bass
    • Ted Reinhardt – drums
    • Dave Samuels – marimba
    • John Clark – French horn

Additional Personnel Credits

  • Larry Fast – synthesizer programming
  • Jeremy Wall – string arrangements and conductor, horn arrangements and conductor (1–5, 7, 8, 9)
  • Jay Beckenstein – horn arrangements and conductor (6)

Horn section

Strings

  • Charles McCracken – cello
  • Alfred Brown – viola
  • Harry Cykman – violin
  • Charles Libove – violin
  • Harry Lookofsky – violin, concertmaster
  • Matthew Raimondi – violin

Charts

Chart (1976) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[9] 86
Canada 27
United States (Billboard 200) 47

Production

  • Jay Beckenstein – producer
  • Richard Calandra – producer
  • Jeremy Wall – assistant producer
  • Michael Barry – recording, mixing
  • Jack Malken – recording, mixing
  • Charlie Conrad – recording
  • Mick Guzauski – recording
  • Larry Swist – recording
  • Jason Corsaro – assistant engineer
  • Darroll Gustamachio – assistant engineer
  • Candice Munson – assistant engineer
  • Rick Rowe – editing
  • Bob Ludwig – mastering
  • Peter Corriston – art direction, design
  • Julie Heffernan – illustration
Studios
  • Recorded at Secret Sound (New York, NY); PCI Studios (Rochester, NY); Trackmaster Audio (Buffalo, NY); House of Music (West Orange, NJ).
  • Mixed and Edited at Secret Sound
  • Mastered at Masterdisk (New York, NY).

References

  1. ^ "Spyro Gyra Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  2. ^ Brackley, Judith (1 May 1980). "Records/Reviews". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 1.
  3. ^ "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". RIAA. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  4. ^ "Spyro Gyra - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  5. ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums - July 14, 1979" (PDF).
  6. ^ "Morning Dance Spyro Gyra". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  7. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 665.
  8. ^ Miller, Mark (23 June 1979). "Morning Dance Spyro Gyra". The Globe and Mail. p. F4.
  9. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 289. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.