Gino! Gino! Gino! was the cry at Trump Marina --   By Gary Simmens

The electricity and excitement could be felt in the room before the concert started, as fans came from New York and beyond to Gino Vannelli's first live concert on the East Coast in over 10 years.

Vannelli, from Montreal Canada, made a modest stage entrance with his six accomplished musicians, without an introduction. The crowd demonstrated their appreciation as he stepped on stage yelling Gino, Gino, Gino! These were true fans in the packed intimate Shell showroom.

He opened with "Black Cars", the title of his 1985 album release which featured several instrumental leads. The sound was tight, clear - in fact, impeccable. It was followed quickly by "If I Should Lose." He stopped to talk briefly to the crowd, to welcome the group, then he let the music do the talking with "People Gotta Move". The version was a little more jazzed up than the original award-winning recorded version. Then, the 47-year old Vannelli stopped to talk to the pumped-up crowd that was elated to see him after years of retirement.

Gino's visionary music with his mini-orchestral approach, super-charged blend of pop,rock, jazz, soul and good ol' funk, complements his clear voice. That, and his orderly styling and strong showmanship have established him as a major songwriter/performer who has earned numerous Grammy Award nominations. Vannelli, along with his brothers Joe and Ross, also earned five consecutive Juno Awards as Canada's Top Male Vocalist / Producer, and Engineer of the Year, respectively.

The musicians that joined him on this world tour are an awesome six-piece band. They were: Paul Brochu on drums, Alain Caron on bass, Francois D'Amours on sax, Luc Boivin on percussion, all from Quebec; Mario Luciani on keyboards/synthesizers, from Toronto; and David Golblat on electric piano/keyboard, from Los Angeles. All of them are accomplished individually, and play very tight together. This Atlantic City show was the first stop of a world tour to eventually return to the USA in late April or May.

The fourth song off a well-rounded 12-song set was "Tierra" off his 1998 album, Slow Love. This was a love song sung in Spanish, the charismatic Italian Vannelli held a note at the end of this song for over 12 seconds, showcasing his amazing vocal range.

An instrumental break called "Grand Cafe" followed, featuring keyboards and bass. The sound from this all-star band was very clear and progressive, yet all night not a single electric guitar was used.

The crowd reacted immediately to "Living Inside Myself". This live version, which had a more aggressive bongo beat than the recorded version, featured Paul Brochu effectively on drums. Next, "Persona Non Grata", a jazz-fusion number. "Slow Love", a slow love ballad, followed. The ninth song, "Wild Horses", featuring a sax solo and a catchy 4/4 beat.

Vannelli flowed around the entire stage all night, dancing, conducting and helping to unselfishly showcase individually his 6-piece orchestra with their funk fusion.

Next came "Hurts To Be In Love" followed by "King For A Day", starting out as a slow instrumental, progressing to a very jazzy upbeat tempo that featured and excellent drum solo.

Then they walked off stage to thunderous applause and chants of Gino, Gino. He came back to explain how he got his break with Herb Alpert of A&M Records in Hollywood after being down on his luck, waiting over four hours with his guitar at the gates outside. The next two songs Vannelli played were the same two original songs he played for Herb Alpert. The first "Crazy Life" - a slow romantic song, followed by "I Just Wanna Stop", which became a chart buster. The third song of the encore was "Brother To Brother", the title track to a best-selling 1978 album. The concert ended with a long-standing ovation. The only disappointment was many hoped Gino would play some of the several instruments that he has mastered.

Gino Vannelli learned to play drums early in life and studied music theory at McGill University; he has 15 albums released since 1973; he is a genius, unique talent. Catch him anywhere you can on tour, you never know when he may decide to retire again.