by S. Victor Aaron
Listening to Shawn Costantino’s Waltz For Anne, you’re reminded of Stanley Turrentine or Gene Ammons. Also, he takes on a few standards, but only one of them (“The Touch of your Lips”) is a jazz one. The other two are taken from The Beatles (“Can’t Buy Me Love”) and James Taylor (“Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight”). However, the best cut comes from his own pen: the dreamy, soulful “Whatever You Do” not only features some inspired sax playing from Costantino, but Andrew Synowiec’s distinctly rockin’ Larry Carlton dialect on guitar. The record is perhaps a tad uneven with a little bit of filler, but nonetheless a very good first step overall. Costantino seems to have a lot to say musically, and hopefully we’ll be hearing more from him.
Purchase: Shawn Constantino – Waltz For Anne
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