Gates is one of the most extraordinary singers working in jazz today, the owner of a joyful baritone who has synthesized a host of influences—Eddie Jefferson, Jon Hendricks and Sinatra among them—and turned them into something uniquely his own.
—Glenn Whipp, LA Daily News
Jazz troubadour and terminal hipster Giacomo Gates just keeps getting better and better. Gates is one of the top male jazz singers around today. He's a talented, skillful, and a rock-solid professional. With his vocalese and bebop attitude, he sings, scats, dropping his swinging baritone voice into every lyric he sings. A few years ago, singer, spoken word recording artist Tony Adamo asked Gates to stop by and dig Adamo’s recording session for his CD, Tony Adamo And The New York Crew. Adamo was recording at Raw Recording Studio in Patterson NY owned by Jean-C. Santalis. The music was produced by drummer Mike Clark who assembled a gang of very talented musicians for this recording date to including: Lenny White (drums), Tim Ouimette (trumpet), Michael Wolff (piano), Donald Harrison (alto saxophone), Richie Goods (bass), Bill Summers (percussion), JC Santalis (recording engineer and guitar). Adamo and Gates became fast jazz friends after that recording date.
Recently Adamo asked Gates to write lyrics to a song he wrote several years ago. He could not feel the groove for the words to this cut and knew Gates could come up with a very hip storyline of lyrics that were cool and new jazz swingin’. Adamo added Michael Ray and Dave Davis on horns. They are members of the Sun Ra Arkestra under the direction of Marshall Allen.
Gates will record lyrics to this song in February 2023 at Raw Recording Studio, Patterson, NY. That song will appear on Adamo’s upcoming 2023 release on Saint Jaz Records.
~Jack Jones, Fly High Jazz Scene
Recently Adamo asked Gates to write lyrics to a song he wrote several years ago. He could not feel the groove for the words to this cut and knew Gates could come up with a very hip storyline of lyrics that were cool and new jazz swingin’. Adamo added Michael Ray and Dave Davis on horns. They are members of the Sun Ra Arkestra under the direction of Marshall Allen.
Gates will record lyrics to this song in February 2023 at Raw Recording Studio, Patterson, NY. That song will appear on Adamo’s upcoming 2023 release on Saint Jaz Records.
~Jack Jones, Fly High Jazz Scene
