Lifted from his current album ‘Sing My Song’, ‘Gatito’ is Euge Groove’s Latin infused tribute to the late great Leandro (aka Gato) Barbieri who through a lengthy career did much to further the cause of what back in the day was referred to as jazz-fusion. Indeed what is often described as Barbieri’s highly emotional playing style not only helped expand the audience for Latin jazz but also influenced many contemporary jazz saxophonists of the seventies and eighties including Euge Groove.
Barbieri was born in Argentina in 1932. His music for the 1972 film ‘Last Tango in Paris’ won him a Grammy Award and as the decade rolled on and his music moved towards soul-jazz and jazz-pop he enjoyed some of his greatest commercial success with albums such as the 1976 ‘Caliente’ and ‘Ruby Ruby’ that followed a year later.
He died in New York in 2016 aged 83.
‘Gatito’ by Euge Groove will be released to radio on November 2.