Trained as an engineer, STE
PHANE SPIRA sharpened his chops off the books, after hours, immersing himself in a hard-edged milieu. Working in electronics during the day, he nevertheless found the time to compose and play. Perhaps since he honed his chops in the depths of the jazz underground, Spira was spared the awkwardness of growing up in public: Spira's "remarkable maturity (Radio France), has not gone unnoticed by the critics. Having dedicated himself exclusively to jazz since a final engineering gig in the Arabian desert in the mid- zeros, Spira has three previous critically acclaimed albums as a bandleader: First Page, Spirabassi (a duo collaboration with pianist Giovanni Mirabassi) and Round About Jobim, a tribute to the father of bossa nova featuring acclaimed Hymne au Soleil ensemble. His fourth release as a bandleader, In Between, employs a dynamic, catchy two-horn frontline for a series of memorable originals and reinvented classics featuring Glenn Ferris, Johnathan Blake & Steve Wood More Info: www.spirajazz.com