Combining Latin and African rhythms with the light textures of MOR jazz,
Special EFX emerged as one of the most prominent world fusion groups of their era. Formed in New York in 1982,
Special EFX were essentially a duo comprised of guitarist
Chieli Minucci and Hungarian-born drummer/percussionist
George Jinda; debuting in 1985 with the album
Modern Manners, they often recruited other musicians to help flesh out their state-of-the-art sound, among them
Dave Grusin,
Omar Hakim, and
McCoy Tyner. Long favoring an accessible and slick jazz-pop sound, the duo significantly altered their identity with 1990's
Just Like Magic, adopting a more acoustic texture and exchanging
Jinda's electronic percussion for what he dubbed "wooden world music."
After 1995's
Body Language,
Minucci and
Jinda split, with the latter continuing to work under the
Special EFX name. However, in early 1997, tragedy struck when
Jinda -- having recently completed the album
Here to Stay -- suffered a massive stroke and lapsed into a coma from which he never recovered.
Jinda passed away in New York on January 11, 2001 at the age of 60.
After
Jinda's passing,
Minucci (who had transitioned into a successful solo artist) respectfully decided to continue recording under the
Special EFX banner, occasionally appearing as
Chieli Minucci & Special EFX. He debuted the new moniker with the album
Sweet Surrender (2007), which found him revisiting many of
Special EFX's eclectic stylistic influences, from Latin to funk to fusion jazz. He then returned to his solo work with the atmospheric, new age-infused companion albums Travels (2008) and East of the Sun (2008).
In 2010,
Minucci delivered the two-disc
Without You. Two years later, he returned with
The Genesis, which featured several longtime
Special EFX associates, including percussionist
Omar Hakim, saxophonist/flute player
David Mann, and pianist
Lao Tizer. In 2017
Minucci marked
Special EFX's 35th Anniversary with the release of
Deep as the Night. Featured on the album were guest appearances from
Tizer, as well as violinist
Antoine Silverman and saxophonist
Elan Trotman. ~ Jason Ankeny