Babel 2002

Although Spyro Gyra's late-'70s instrumental pop chart hit "Morning Dance" is always credited by some for opening doors for the genre that folks would later call smooth jazz, this 16-track compilation - part of GRP's new classic artist collector's series - shows that saxman Jay Beckenstein and company never really fit perfectly into any category. And that's by design. Manager Philip Brennan sequenced these tracks with GRP A&R guy Bud Harner, wisely choosing to make a live version of "Morning Dance" the last track, something of an afterthought, since most of the material here (from 1988 through 1997) is far more challenging and exciting…

Voyageuse de toujours, écrivain de l’ailleurs depuis des décennies, Lieve Joris a traversé l’Afrique de part en part. Aujourd’hui elle poursuit son chemin. Sur les traces de ses amis du Congo, elle suit la nouvelle route du commerce jusqu’en Chine. Et les Africains sont bien là, au cœur des échanges internationaux et de l’avancée fulgurante de la mondialisation. …