It’s Wednesday, which means the time has come again for me to take a closer look at a tune I previously mentioned in passing only or have not covered at all to date. In this case, I’m bending the rules a bit since technically I already published a post about the song I decided to highlight today, but it was brief and dates back a few years to June 2019.
The first time I heard about Gino Vannelli must have been around 1980. I seem to recall my brother-in-law had the versatile Canadian singer-songwriter’s sixth studio album Brother to Brother on vinyl, which I ended up taping on music cassette. Released in September 1978, Vannelli’s most successful record is primarily known for the romantic ballad I Just Wanna Stop, a song that had been written by his brother Ross Vannelli, which Gino didn’t want to record initially since he didn’t like it!
The tune that I’ve picked for this post is the album’s title track. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find many details about it. But when I heard my good music friend Mike Caputo perform Brother to Brother last Saturday night with his excellent band Good Stuff who celebrate the music of Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder, Gino Vannelli and Sting, it reminded me what a killer of a tune it is musically speaking. Check this out – the musicianship is truly outstanding!
Like most other tunes on the album, Brother to Brother was written by Gino Vannelli. The tune wasn’t among the record’s four singles, which in addition to I Just Wanna Stop included Wheels of Love, The River Must Flow and Appaloosa. At 7:16 minutes, Brother to Brother wasn’t exactly radio-friendly, plus I guess it’s fair to say it wasn’t as “easily digestible” as those other songs, especially I Just Wanna Stop.
One of Brother to Brother’s highlights is the guitar solo by Carlos Rios, which starts at around 2:49 minutes. Also noteworthy is the great bass and drum action beginning at approximately 4:35 minutes by Jimmy Haslip, cofounder of American jazz fusion band Yellowjackets, and rock and jazz drummer Mark Craney, respectively. Here’s a nice live version of the tune from a 2015 recording titled Live in LA, featuring Gino’s other brother Joe Vannelli on keyboards. Like Ross (backing vocals), Joe (electric piano, synthesizers) played on the original recording. Both brothers, especially Joe, also played on many of Gino’s other records.
Gino Vannelli, who in June 2022 turned 70, remains active to this day. His most recent album is titled Wilderness Road and was released in 2019. Based on Wikipedia, since his 1973 debut Crazy Life, Vannelli has put out 20 additional albums. This total includes what looks like three live recordings and one compilation.
According to a recent news post on Vannelli’s website, a new album, The Life I Got, is scheduled for the summer. After nearly 3.5 years, he also resumed touring in early March with two shows in Florida. Currently, his schedule lists four upcoming gigs slated for September in California, Illinois and Michigan.
Admittedly, my knowledge of Gino Vannelli’s music remains limited. Based on what I’ve heard, he’s a talented, versatile and I think underappreciated artist.
Sources: Wikipedia; Gino Vannelli website; YouTube
Christian's Music Musings 
talent as big as his hair, LOL! We Canadians know him and like his music by and large, he had quite a string of hits there in the ’70s and early-’80s …’Wheels of life’ off that album was a real good one for instance. I know somehow he got summoned to sing for the Pope one time, I guess he’s a good Italian Catholic and his range of music is bigger than we might think. Glad you’re spotlighting him.
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I should check him out further. For the most part, I only know the “Brother to Brother” album and a few of his ‘80s hits like “Black Cars” and “Wild Horses”.
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More than many Americans know of him.
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Really good seventies pop. I remember him for Living Inside Myself but of course he had more. I do remember this song…it has a jazz feel to it.
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Another good one from him. Canadian yacht rock at its best, eh!
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Yes it was…it’s not some easy song either…there is a lot going on
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That song has some crazy stuff going on. I think it’s Steely Dan caliber!
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Yea I agree with that
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I’m familiar with several of Gino Vannelli’s songs but had never heard this one. It’s a good song, with lots of jazz elements, which is probably why it resonates so highly with you Christian. I hear some progressive elements too.
Interesting bit of trivia: Vannelli teaches small Art of Song & Voice Master Class sessions at his music studio in Troutdale, Oregon, and an L.A.-based artist I’ve written about a few times named Jamie Alimorad has co-written and recorded songs with Vannelli, who also produced his 2019 album. Jamie’s also worked with Ross Vannelli, who co-wrote and produced his single “Give a Little Lovin'”, which I reviewed last year: https://eclecticmusiclover.com/2022/01/07/jamie-alimorad-single-review-give-a-little-lovin/
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Thanks for sharing, that’s great background!
While it was my brother-in-law who first brought Gino Vannelli on my radar screen, I largely had forgotten about him until I became friends with Mike Caputo. He’s a huge fan and many years ago had a tribute band dedicated to Vannelli.
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