Muse Cafe
Blue Canoe, 2023
9/10
The producer, writer, arranger, and keyboardist Buzz Amato was forced to take time off from touring with Three Degrees due to the pandemic, which gave him time to flesh out these 11 tunes that were inspired by Greek Muses.
“Mount Helicon” opens the listen with Amato’s fluid and driving synth amid the frisky sax and flutes, and the title track follows with Chris Blackwell’s warm guitar and Louis Newsome’s agile drumming in the very melodic, smooth climate.
In the middle, ‘Round 12am” welcomes Joseph Patrick Moore’s meticulous bass and Newsome’s thumping drums to the dreamy display, while “Bosame Mucho” is populated by Timothy Courts’ diverse drumming and Rich Hinkle’s playful guitar, as Amato’s winds and brass make for an elegant album highlight.
The final 2 tracks, “Sappho, Last Call” and “Going Home”, don’t disappoint, either, where Bennie Sims’ moody bass complements Amato’s reflective keys on the former, and the latter exits with buzzing synth and psychedelic nods in the sublime intimacy.
Amato has over 4 decades of experience in the music industry, and has played on over 150 recordings. He cut his teeth playing keyboards for Curtis Mayfield in the ‘80s, and as evidenced by this exceptional body of work, his creative output hasn’t waned one bit.