Tom Schuman (born January 31, 1958) is an American pianist, smooth jazz keyboardist, the co-leader of Spyro Gyra, and an arranger. [1]
Smooth jazz is a genre of commercially-oriented crossover jazz that became dominant in the 1980s and early 1990s.
A keyboardist or keyboard player is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more general term for a person who plays them. These keyboards include:
Spyro Gyra is an American jazz fusion band that was formed in Buffalo, New York in 1974. The band's music combines jazz, R&B, funk, and pop music. The band's name comes from Spirogyra, a genus of green algae which founder Jay Beckenstein had learned about in college. The band has released over 30 albums and sold over 10 million copies.
Schuman has been the keyboardist for Spyro Gyra since he was 17 years old (before the release of their first album). He has performed on all of Spyro Gyra's albums to date and has written or co-written over fifty Spyro Gyra compositions since the album Catching the Sun (MCA, 1980).
Catching the Sun is the third album by the American jazz group Spyro Gyra, released in 1980 on MCA Records. The album was given gold status by the RIAA on June 5, 1985.
MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group, which the label was part of until its dissolution in 2003. The label's country division MCA Nashville is a still an active imprint of Universal Music Group Nashville.
Solo
GRP Records is a jazz record label founded by Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen in 1978. GRP was known for its all-digital recordings and jazz-pop sound.
With Gamalon
With Jason Miles
With Steve Oliver
With others
Jeff Kashiwa is a saxophonist with the jazz fusion band The Rippingtons.
Jay Beckenstein is a saxophonist, composer, producer, and co-founder of the band Spyro Gyra. He owned BearTracks Studios in Suffern, New York.
In Modern Times is an album by the American jazz group Spyro Gyra, released in 2001 by Heads Up International. This album reached No. 2 on Billboard's Contemporary Jazz chart.
Carnaval is the fourth album by Spyro Gyra, released in 1980. It was given gold record status on June 1, 1987.
Incognito is the sixth album by Spyro Gyra, released in 1982. At Billboard magazine, it reached No. 46 on the Top 200 Albums chart, and No. 2 on that magazine's Jazz Albums chart.
City Kids is the seventh album by Spyro Gyra, released in 1983. At Billboard magazine, it reached No. 66 on the Top 200 Albums chart, and No. 2 on that magazine's Jazz Albums chart.
Breakout is the tenth album by Spyro Gyra, released in 1986. It was the last album co-produced by Richard Calandra, who died of cancer in October 1986.
Alternating Currents is the ninth album by jazz fusion group Spyro Gyra, released in 1985. At Billboard magazine, it reached No. 66 on the Top 200 Albums chart, No. 41 on the R&B Albums chart, and No. 3 on the Jazz Albums chart.
Stories Without Words is the eleventh album by American jazz fusion band Spyro Gyra, released in 1987. At Billboard magazine, it reached No. 84 on the Top 200 Albums chart and No. 67 on the R&B Albums chart.
Point of View is the thirteenth album by the American jazz group Spyro Gyra, released in June 1989 by GRP Records. At Billboard magazine, the album peaked at No. 120 on the Top 200 Albums chart.
Fast Forward is the fourteenth album by the American jazz group Spyro Gyra, released in 1990 by GRP Records. On this album only, the band was billed on the album cover as "Spyro Gyra featuring Jay Beckenstein". At Billboard magazine, the album peaked at No. 117 on the Top 200 Albums chart.
Three Wishes is the sixteenth album by the American jazz group Spyro Gyra, released in 1992 by GRP Records.
Dreams Beyond Control is the seventeenth album by the American jazz group Spyro Gyra, released in 1993 by GRP Records.
Love and Other Obsessions is the eighteenth album by the American jazz group Spyro Gyra, released in 1995 by GRP Records.
Heart of the Night is the nineteenth album by the American jazz group Spyro Gyra, released in 1996 by GRP Records.
Road Scholars is the second live album by the American jazz group Spyro Gyra, released in 1998 by GRP Records. The final track, "Best Friends," is a studio recording.
Got the Magic is an album by the American jazz group Spyro Gyra, released in 1999 by Windham Hill Records.
Wrapped in a Dream is the twenty-eighth album by Spyro Gyra, recorded and released in 2006. The album peaked at No. 11 on the jazz album chart at Billboard magazine.
A Foreign Affair is an album by American jazz fusion band, Spyro Gyra. The album is the story of five men and their love affair with music. The album contains a Hindi song Khuda sung by Arijit Singh, composed by Sandeep Chowta and co-produced by Chowta and Spyro Gyra. It is the first time a Western group has released a song with lyrics entirely in Hindi.
Gamalon is a progressive/jazz-rock fusion band from Buffalo, NY founded by Ted Reinhardt, George Puleo, and Bruce Brucato. Albums were recorded from the late 1980s to late 1990s, with the band performing with various line-ups until 2012.
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