Stephane Spira, a French-born and New York-based jazz saxophonist, grew up listening to jazz in the traditional way: late-night jams and cutting. Spira was a protégé of Michel Graillier, long-time Chet Baker pianist. His jazz career took him from the Parisian underbelly to the top of New York jazz, with acclaimed collaborations and performances with Stephane Belmondo, pianist, and trumpeter, Giovanni Mirabassi. In Between, Spira’s fourth album, is his fourth as a bandleader. It features more of the strikingly transparent, disarmingly catchy songs that have characterized his music. STEPHANE SPIRA, a trained engineer, honed his skills after hours of immersing himself into a challenging environment. He found time to write and play while working in electronics during the workday. Spira may have been spared from the awkwardness of growing-up in public because he learned his skills in the jazz underground. Radio France has also noted Spira’s “remarkable maturity”. Spira, who has been devoted to jazz since his final engineering gig in the Arabian Desert in the mid-zeross, has released three albums as a bandleader. First Page, Spirabassi (a duo collaboration featuring pianist Giovanni Mirabassi) is the first album. Round About Jobim is a tribute to Lionel Belmondo, the leader of the acclaimed Hymne Au Soleil. Spira divides his time between New York and Paris, where he is currently based. From www.spirajazz.com
