MPAC presents Spyro Gyra’s 50th Anniversary with special guest Jeff Lorber Fusion



(MORRISTOWN, NJ) — Two legendary modern jazz bands will perform at the Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) on Thursday, March 7, 2024 – Spyro Gyra and Jeff Lorber Fusion. It’s a double bill of contemporary jazz legends! Tickets range from $39-$79. Showtime is 7:30pm.

Over its 50+ long existence, Spyro Gyra has performed more than 10,000 shows and released 35 albums, garnering platinum and gold records, and crossover hits such as “Morning Dance” and “Shaker Song.”  Led by saxophonist Jay Beckenstein, the band, which originated in Buffalo, New York, has found a new resurgence since emerging from the pandemic.

“As long as I can perform at a high-level, I would never think of retiring,” Beckenstein says. “But I can’t tell you what it would be like if I was to have to continue as a lesser version of myself. Thankfully, that hasn’t happened yet. So all I am thinking about right now is that I can’t wait to see the people again.”

Grammy Award-winning keyboardist-composer-producer Jeff Lorber has, over the course of 42 years and 24 albums, pioneered the post-fusion sound of contemporary jazz with his radio-friendly, groove-oriented instrumental music. From 1977’s Jeff Lorber Fusion to 2017’s Prototype, named Best Contemporary Instrumental Music album at the 60th annual Grammy Awards, to his recent collaboration with guitar great Mike Stern on Eleven, Lorber has shown a knack for creating fresh vibes and funky grooves while layering on jazzy improvisations on piano, synthesizer and his signature Fender Rhodes electric piano. An acknowledged pioneer of what would later become known as “smooth jazz” and “urban jazz,” Lorber has woven together elements of funk, R&B, rock and electric jazz into an appealing hybrid that has consistently won over listeners from coast to coast and resulted in several #1 radio hits.

Tickets range from $39-$79 and are available for purchase online. Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) is located at 100 South Street in Morristown, New Jersey.

Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, presents a wide range of programs that entertain, enrich, and educate the diverse population of the region and enhance the economic vitality of Northern New Jersey. The 2023-2024 season is made possible, in part, by a grant the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as support received from the F.M. Kirby Foundation, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation and numerous corporations, foundations and individuals. Mayo Performing Arts Center was named 2016 Outstanding Historic Theatre by the League of Historic American Theatres, and is ranked in the top 50 mid-sized performing arts centers by Pollstar Magazine.