Milestone celebrations like a 50th Anniversary deserve a little sonic souvenir swag, which longtime loyal fans and newcomers to the Spyro Gyra experience alike can enjoy on Jubilee. With the exception of the vibrant, high-octane (and perfectly titled) new track “50/50” – a riff on the title of the band’s 1997 release 20/20, which marked 20 years and 20 albums – the new collection features 15 songs that capture the band’s ever-expanding palette in its first decade of recording (1978-87). “This set is not only a wonderful way of tying up our first 50 years,” bandleader Jay Beckenstein says, “but also an exciting opportunity for fans, especially those who came on board from later generations, to immerse in our first decade, which represent the founding of our overall sound. I consider the 40 years that followed a refinement of that core aesthetic. This time is when we developed our style and the language we play. It’s when the identity of Spyro Gyra was born. The band has always remained true to the foundation of those initial ten years.”

Spyro Gyra has long been known to its peers in the contemporary jazz world as a “well-oiled road machine” due to its relentless schedule of 51 years of performing. To date, they have logged more than 10,000 shows on six continents and released 36 albums, garnering platinum and gold records along the way. Spyro Gyra rose from humble beginnings in Buffalo, New York in 1974 to their current international prominence in the jazz world. Every year, they continue to exhibit how to remain among a relative handful of artists who will be able to say that they have worked constantly in their 51 year -career into the year 2025. Their energy and joy in concert match their unmatched musicality.