With its unique combination of jazz, rhythm n’ blues, funk and pop, American band Spyro Gyra has had a massive following among jazz listeners since the late 1970s. After playing on some tracks on the self-titled debut and follow-up album Morning Dance, Tom Schuman played keyboards on all tracks of the third album Catching The Sun, released in 1980.
Besides being an integral part of Spyro Gyra till he quit last year, Schuman has also released a string of solo albums. He has now tied up with Bengaluru-based Sandeep Chowta’s Namma Music on his ninth solo venture I Am Schuman. The album contains 10 tracks, of which Comfortably Silences features Indian guitarist Abhay Nayampally, who describes the track as a composition of grace, nuance and unparalleled beauty. “I got to try a different approach to playing the Carnatic guitar, thinking in a way that’s new to a typical Indian classical context and shaping it more in line with a contemporary jazz context,” says Nayampally.
Schuman has a lot to say about his new album and his experience with Spyro Gyra.
Excerpts from the interview:
How long have you been working on I Am Schuman? How did you approach the compositions?
The oldest song is the first track, called Set It Off. It was originally earmarked for Spyro Gyra back in the mid-1990s. Even though it was recorded by the band, it was never used on any of their releases. I simply resurrected the song as I heard it 30 or more years ago and replayed every part myself. Aside from that, every song started as an improvisation either in my studio or on my piano in Las Vegas no more than 15 years ago and completed in Barcelona, Spain, with the intention of releasing them as an album on Sandeep Chowta’s label.
How did the association with Namma Music begin?
When the band performed in India in 2008, our relationship with Sandeep was fortified and the aspirations of working together became an exciting possibility. Soon after, Sandeep asked me to work with him on some mixes he was producing. Those mixes later appeared on Sandeep’s Matters Of The Heart album released in 2013. I was hooked on Sandeep’s music from that point on and became an avid listener of anything he was involved with. So naturally, when Namma Music became his mother ship, I happily boarded!
Could you tell us about your collaboration with guitarist Abhay on Comfortable Silences?
When I approached Sandeep about the possibility of releasing my next solo album on Namma Music, he was excited and honoured. He asked if there is one track that Abhay might be featured on and Comfortable Silences immediately came to mind. When Sandeep heard the song, he was overjoyed. I wasn’t planning on adding that song on this release because it appeared on my live album just a few years back. But when I got Abhay’s tracks and set them in the mix, it was evident that the song was reborn.
Which other musicians have played on the album?
Aside from Abhay, vocalist Kevin Whalum performed rhythmic breaths and sound effects on Loose Change, which started out as background rhythm to a scene in a webcast we collaborated on.
Spyro Gyra worked with Sandeep on the song Khuda, from the 2011 album A Foreign Affair? What was the experience like?
The original demo that Sandeep sent was beautifully powerful in every way. Arijit Singh’s vocal performance never fails to give me goosebumps. All we had to do was not get in the way. Sandeep was very generous in giving us the opportunity to make this amazing track our own. I was also honoured to have been given the chance to create a synth solo that was appropriate for that space.
You’ve been with Spyro Gyra for so long. How did you, saxophonist Jay Beckenstein, bassist Scott Ambush, guitarist Julio Fernandez and others work on the tunes?
Spyro Gyra’s recordings and rehearsals have always been a democratic process. We carefully selected the best ideas from all the band members. It’s never been a “my way or the highway” approach by any of the writers. We always welcomed the possibility that a song may become more cohesive and interesting if the musicians involved have a say as to the arrangement, rhythms, or even chord structures and melodies. I think this approach helped make Spyro Gyra’s music so unique and recognisable.
How different is playing in Spyro Gyra from working solo?
On my solo projects, I have complete autonomy as to how the music is arranged, how it’s played, how it sounds, how it’s mixed, how it’s packaged and marketed. Spyro Gyra as I stated before is a democracy.
What are your memories of playing in India? One remembers shows in Mumbai in 2004 and 2008.
My fondest memories of India in general are the beautiful people dancing in the streets without a care in the world. The smells of the food that also has many levels of flavour and colour, and music that warms my soul. And the relationships that turned into lifelong friendships. I look forward to coming back and sharing the Indian experience with my wife, Yvonne.
Any plans to do shows in India to promote the new album?
There are currently no plans to do any shows. But I’m always open to the future possibility.
