For his second CD on the New York-based NYNO label, St. Aug alumni Amadee Castenel assembled half a dozen of New Orleans’ finest contemporary jazz musicians, including his mentor and producer, the legendary Allen Toussaint on piano and synthesizer.

With a tight, crisp, evenly paced and never overpowering sound that calls to mind the smooth jazz styles of Grover Washington, Jr. and Boney James, Castenell stands front and center on every track. His talented tenor creates an eclectic mix of fast and slow instrumentals, all uniformly consistent in their fluidity.

Each of the 10 songs on this album are original compositions. Six were written by Toussaint and two by Castenell himself. The album’s only major flaw is one of omission: Castenell is not given a chance to shine on flute as he did on several tracks of his self-titled 1996 solo debut album.

In the album’s liner notes, another musical immortal, Dave Bartholomew, compares him to the late Lee Allen – a sure sign that Amadee Castenell has arrived and stands ready to take his place among the greats of smooth jazz.