fourwnds, I agree with the comments that what matters is whether you like Spyrogyra or not. Personally, I would be even a bit more generous in my assessment of "Morning Dance". While I can’t claim to be up to date on Spyrogyra’s total or recent "oeuvre", I remember that record fondly from college days and I believe I still have it. I would put that record in the same general category of "smooth jazz", "fusion jazz", whatever, as some of the music of Chuck Mangione. The title that works best for me is simply "pop-jazz"; of the better kind. As with much of Chuck Mangione’s music it is tuneful with strong compositional and production values and very good instrumental playing with a "pop" music sensibility. Saxophonist Jay Beckenstein can really play and he plays with a very pretty tone not the cliched and obnoxious, fast vibrato-laden, Dave Sanborn-wannabe kind of tone heard in most saxophone based "smooth jazz". I wouldn’t focus too much on whether it is "real jazz" or not for validation, but rather on whether it is good music or not. Yeah, it’s probably "better" than some current jazz, but I could make a case for why it’s also better than some old (real?) jazz that can be found on record. It’s not the genre that determines whether it’s good or not. While some can make a case for why steak is necessarily "better" than hamburger, sometimes there’s nothing like a great burger and I have had some pretty bad steaks in my time.
What I would reconsider is the suggestion that this record is on a par with Steely Dan’s work (especially "Aja"). Clearly a personal call, but SD is, generally, on a considerably higher level of musical craft if not as immediately accessible and tuneful as Spyrogyra. Welcome to the thread!