What A Difference A Day Made
Self-Released, 2022
9/10
Listen to What A Difference A Day Made
A Houston resident with a glowing set of pipes and fluent composing skills, Ermelinda Cuellar brings her Peruvian roots with her across these diverse songs that take influence from legends like Ella Fitzgerald, Diana Krall and Betty Carter, to name a few.
“Man With A Horn” opens the listen with graceful keys, soulful brass and Cuellar’s stunning pipes guiding the thoughtful jazz climate, and “Sabor A Mi” follows with Greg Petito’s spirited guitar complementing the cultured singing that emits much beauty and warmth.
Moving towards the middle, the bouncy bass courtesy of Anthony Caceres and frisky drumming from Marlon Simon makes for an indeed dance friendly landscape, while “Angelitos Negros” offers a poetic and playful delivery that really benefits from fascinating finger picking on Petito’s guitar.
Inching towards the end, “Who’s Crying Now” puts a very worldly spin on the classic, which showcases the sublime keys and Andre Hayward’s well timed trombone, and “Alone Together” exits with adventurous vocal scatting, a dynamic rhythm section and an energy that’s quite captivating.
A very alluring Latin tinted affair that’s steeped in timeless jazz nods, Cuellar and company texture the songs with no shortage of grooves that unfortunately includes the percussionist Anibal Ambert’s final work as he passed away from Covid during the recording process.
His contributions are certainly a big part of the inimitable formula that makes What A Difference A Day Made such an exceptional record.
Travels well with: Liz Terrell- It’s All Right With Me; Kristin Lee Sargeant- Falling