Following the success of his earlier project “Latin Crossroads”, veteran pianist and composer Gino Amato returns with the much-awaited sequel: “Latin Crossroads 2”. Amato picks up the idea from the first Latin Crossroads, taking familiar songs and “Latinizing” them by rebuilding grooves, reharmonizing lines to shift the songs’ emotional centers.
The result is a polished, high-concept set of eleven reimagined classics, all steered through Gino Amato’s Latin-jazz arranging lens. It’s warm and expertly arranged; a record for listeners who like their favorites repackaged with fresh instrumentation and thoughtful vocal harmonies.
The album opens with “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard,” which reimagines Paul Simon’s 1972 hit of the same name. With its lighthearted lyrics and breezy tone, this is a fun, fiesta-leaning opener that intends to prove the album’s concept by showing that you can make even a Paul Simon pop tune swing with salsa-tinged energy.
Amato’s interpretation of Victor Young and Edward Heyman’s “When I Fall in Love” is a standout on this album as it features the A Capella group King’s Return. The focus on vocal harmonies over instrumentation is a really interesting touch. But on top of that, the arrangement is mesmerizingly beautiful, drawing you in from the opening harmony and never letting go.
The album closes with another interesting experiment, as Amato creates a purely instrumental track inspired by Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade.” The mambo/salsa tune suits the original oriental theme shockingly well, and the trumpet phrases blend beautifully with the strings in the background.
These sessions were assembled from top-tier studio players and guest stars, with the likes of Oscar Hernandez, Joe Locke, Doug Beavers, Alex Norris, Itai Kriss, and Samuel Torres joining in. The recording favors live tracking for the instrumental beds with vocals overdubbed, and that foundation helps the charts breathe even when the arrangements are dense.
Overall, Latin Crossroads 2 is an elegant, well-executed project: a curator’s album as much as a performer’s. This is the kind of record that’d be wasted on a passive listening playlist, and deserves to be appreciated with good speakers so you can savor the interplay between horns, percussion, and voices.