Gino Amato Returns with Latin Crossroads 2: American Standards Reimagined Through the Fire of Latin Jazz

 

Pianist and arranger Gino Amato has released his second album in the "Latin Crossroads" style, “Latin Crossroads 2.” I reviewed the first "Latin Crossroads" album on February 1, 2025, and the response from my followers was excellent. It seems that listeners immediately connected with Amato’s concept of blending familiar American songs with the irresistible pulse of Latin rhythms.

Gino has an amazing talent for taking American standards—and even some well-known pop favorites—and infusing them with vibrant Latin grooves. To accomplish this transformation, Amato assembled an impressive 11-piece band, adding top vocalists and highly skilled instrumentalists. He then crafted some brilliant arrangements that give these beloved songs a completely new Latin identity.

"Latin Crossroads 2" is every bit as strong as the first Crossroads album. Once again, it exposes the listener to the wonderful rhythms and grooves that define Latin jazz. Amato creates a musical bridge for those who love American standards, allowing them to connect with the beauty, color, and rhythmic vitality of Latin music.

When Gino Amato prepares his arrangements, he is laser-focused on detail—rhythmic precision, harmonic color, and the quality of the musicians performing the music. He consistently brings in the best of the best, making the quality of the musical product his top priority. Over 38 musicians and vocalists contributed to this recording, and the result is a musical experience that can transport any jazz lover to a better place.

I have attached two songs from "Latin Crossroads 2".

The first is the Paul Simon classic “Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard.” Amato transforms the tune into a joyful Jazz mambo that swings from the first note to the last. The vocals from Arnold McCuller and Matt Cusson bring an infectious energy to the arrangement, while the band locks into a tight Latin groove.

The second selection is one of my personal favorites and also a favorite of many jazz instrumentalists, “Tangerine.” This tune is most often performed as an instrumental, so it was quite refreshing to hear the lyric brought forward by the vocal ensemble in Amato’s arrangement. The treatment gives the song new life while maintaining the charm that has made it a jazz standard for decades.

With "Latin Crossroads 2", Gino Amato once again demonstrates that creative arranging and thoughtful musical direction can breathe new life into familiar songs. By blending classic American repertoire with the rhythmic sophistication of Latin jazz, Amato has produced an album that is both innovative and deeply enjoyable for jazz listeners.

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Playlist 

1. Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard (Paul Simon) – feat. Arnold McCuller & Matt Cusson

2. I Only Have Eyes for You (Harry Warren / Al Dubin) – feat. Kandace Springs

3. When I Fall in Love (Victor Young / Edward Heyman) – feat. Kings Return

4. Moonlight in Vermont (Karl Suessdorf / John Blackburn) – feat. Kevin Osborne

5. Tangerine (Victor Schertzinger / Johnny Mercer)

6. No Moon at All (Redd Evans / Dave Mann) – feat. Janis Siegel

7. I Love Paris (Cole Porter) – feat. Veronica Swift

8. What a Wonderful World (Bob Thiele / George David Weiss) – feat. Arnold McCuller

9. Someone to Watch Over Me (George & Ira Gershwin) – feat. Janis Siegel

10. Windmills of Your Mind (Michel Legrand / Alan & Marilyn Bergman) – feat. Matt Cusson

11. Scheherazade (Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov)

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Musicians 

Piano
Gino Amato
Oscar Hernández

Bass
Ruben Rodriguez

Drums
Vince Cherico

Percussion
Samuel Torres

Trumpets
Manuel “Maneco” Ruiz
Chris Rogers

Trombone
Doug Beavers
Juanga Lakunza

Saxophones
Bobby Franceschini – Tenor Sax
Mitch Frohman – Baritone Sax

Flute
Itai Kriss

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Additional Musicians

Joe Locke – Vibraphone
Lou Marini – Tenor Sax
Aaron Heick – Alto Sax / Flute
Peter Reit – French Horn
Leonardo Suarez-Paz – Violin
Jonathan Weber – Violin
Alejandra Mahave – Viola
Danny Miller – Cello
Tuck Lee – Oboe
Alyssa Reit – Harp
Ira Siegel – Guitar

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Vocalists

Featured Vocalists
Arnold McCuller
Kandace Springs
Matt Cusson
Kevin Osborne
Veronica Swift
Janis Siegel

Background Vocalists
Aubrey Johnson – Soprano
Janis Siegel – Alto
Lauren Kinhan – Alto II
Kevin Osborne – Baritone

Kings Return:
Vaughn Faison – Tenor
J.E. McKissic – Tenor
Jamall Williams – Baritone

Gabe Kunda – Bass 

                                                     "Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard"

                                                                "Tangerine"

CD Review: Catherine Russell's "Strictly Romancin"

I just received an advance copy of Catherine Russell's soon to be released new CD, "Strictly Romancin".  Catherine has been singing and paying her Jazz dues for a long time backing artists like Carrie Smith, Steely Dan, David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper, Paul Simon, Jackson Browne, Michael Feinstein and Rosanne Cash. She finally released her 1st CD, "Cat" in 2006 to rave reviews. Her 2nd CD, Sentimental Streak", was released in 2008 and she won the prestigious German Record Critics' Award and a Hot Club of France Discovery Award. Catherine's 3rd CD, "Inside This Heart of Mine" reached #1 on JazzWeek, Roots Music Report and iTunes Jazz Charts.

"Strictly Romancin" Catherine's 4th CD was my first introduction to Catherine Russell and I was just knocked out by her voice, her style and her approach to lyrics. This CD contains a collection of great old jazz tunes out of the "Great American Songbook" that even avid Jazz lovers don't get to hear much these days. And why don't we hear these songs sung today? One reason is because they are simply not easy to sing. These songs require an emotional understanding of the story the lyric is telling and requires the singer to sing the story with style and clarity. I believe one needs to call upon past life experience to perform these songs in a way that can bring the listener in. Catherine brings a refreshing honesty and clarity to these songs. The first song on the CD is "Under the Spell of The Blues. The original was covered by Chick Webb/Ella Fitzgerald. When I first heard Catherine singing this song, I heard sounds that reminded me of Ella, Peggy Lee and Sinatra-like lyric stylizing. Please don't misunderstand, Catherine is not copying any of these mega performers, she is approaching her trade with her own great interpretation that makes her refreshingly unique.  The 4th cut on the CD is "Ev'ntide" and it has quickly become one of my personal favorites.  This tune was written by the great Hoagy Carmichael in 1936 and Louis Armstrong recorded it. Sadly the tune has rarely been recorded until now. Catherine has given us the gift of rediscovery. The 6th cut, "I'm Checkin Out Goom'bye" is an Ellington-Strayhorn song about breaking up and it includes some great trombone work from John Allred.

What puts this CD over the top, is the group that supports Catherine.  They are all perfect in their musical support and fit with Catherine like a hand going into a glove.  The producer of this CD was Paul Kahn and the recording engineer Katherine Miller and they both deserve praise for the smooth and effective way all parts of this CD were put together and mixed. The wonderful supporting cast of performers consists of Musical Director/Guitarist/banjoist/Arranger, Matt Munisteri, trumpet Jon-Erik Kellso, trombonist John Allred, Sax/clarinetist Dan Block, Saxophonist/arranger Andy Farber, accordion Joe Barbato and violin Aaron Weinstein, Piano Mark Shane. Bass Lee Hudson and drums Mark McClean. 

Catherine was born to musical royalty. Her dad, the late Luis Russell was a pioneering pianist/composer/bandleader and Louis Armstrong's long time side-kick.  Her mother, Carline Ray, is a bassist, guitarist, and vocalist who has performed with Mary Lou Williams and The International Sweethearts of Rhythm.

The CD is scheduled to be released on February 14, 2012 and I strongly recommend it. 

For those readers in New York/New Jersey area, Catherine will be performing at Shanghai Jazz in Madison, NJ on New Year's Eve.  It is a great way to bring in the New Year with great sounds and great food!

   

Steve Tyrell On The Difference Between "The Great American Songbook" and "Contemporary American Music".

Steve Tyrell has been a favorite of mine ever since he recorded his first "Standards" CD and I love everything he has recorded. In addition, he is a great supporter of the "Great American Songbook".  I recently came across a Blog called "Wentzville Patch" that published an article about Mr. Tyrell and his upcoming May 15 performance at The Sheldon Concert Hall in St. Louis, Mo. I was surprised by Mr. Tyrell's answer to the following question: "In your opinion, what is the difference between the "Great American Songbook" and "Contemporary American Music" that includes the music of Motown, Paul Simon, James Taylor and Elton John?" Mr. Tyrell answered, "The biggest difference--and I'm not knocking them in any way, shape or form--"Fire and Rain" is as good as it gets.  But you don't want to hear anybody else sing them".  "That's the difference", he said.  "I mean, I couldn't make an album of James Taylor songs, you know? Nobody would want to hear it.  Even The Beatles, you don't want to hear somebody singing The Beatles' songs.  But there's been a million versions of Cole Porter songs. Then hundreds of versions, thousands of versions, of the Gershwin songs, or Harold Arlen.  And they've been done in every genre you can think of.  And you can love 25 versions of the same song." I have heard other artists make similar statements and with all due respect to Mr. Tyrell and those other artists, I totally disagree with this opinion on the subject. Let's use The Beatles Songbook as an example.  I put together a songlist of Beatles' songs titled "The Beatles Minus The Beatles Plus Paul" that I think in many cases are at least as good or perhaps even better than the orginial Beatles' recording (My apologies to those Beatles' fans that can't deal with this possibility). My playlist has two songs sung by Paul McCartney because no one does them better than Paul! Before you reject this possibility, head to iTunes and check out these versions of Beatles' songs!

Side note to Steve Tyrell: I am absolutely sure that you could do a great new CD of songs from James Taylor and Elton John adding the Tyrell touch and style to them.  "Steve Tyrell does James Taylor and Elton John". Please give this some consideration.  I would love to see how you would approach some of the wonderful songs these great performers have recorded. I would be happy to work on a draft playlist if you had any interest.


1. Help                                                              Little Texas

2. With A Little Help From My Friends              Joe Cocker

3. Yesterday                                                      Eva Cassidy

4. Nowhere Man                                               Randy Travis

5. Can't Buy Me Love                                       Shenandoah

6. Come Together                                            Delbert McClinton

7. Something                                                    Tanya Tucker

8.The Long And Winding Road                        Ray Charles and Count Basie

9. Eleanor Rigby                                               Liz Callaway

10. Oh! Darling                                                 Huey Lewis

11. Ticket To Ride                                            Joshua Rifkin

12. Baby I Am Amazed                                    Paul McCartney

13. Lady Madonna                                           Paul McCartney