Second Cup Cafe: Peter Cincotti

(CBS)  Singer/songwriter/pianist Peter Cincotti knows how to soothe the soul when his fingers hit the piano keys. And even though his jazz roots may run deep, he's not limited to the one genre.

Cincotti is shaking things up a bit with a new pop crossover album, "East of Angel Town," with the help of 14-time Grammy-winner David Foster, producer Humberto Gatica and producer/sound designer Jochem van der Saag.

"I love working with him (Foster). There is no B.S. He's a control freak like me," Cincotti told CNN.

Cincotti stopped by The Early Show's "Second Cup Café" Saturday to perform songs from "East of Angel Town," which combines his jazz flair with a pop/rock sound.

A native New Yorker to the core, Cincotti's music and lyrics paint vivid images of New York City in all of its craziness and glory.

Loyal to the East Coast, Cincotti describes the seduction and lure of Los Angeles in his song "Angel Town." In "Goodbye Philadelphia," there is a sense of loss and despair, as well as love and loneliness in the urban jungle of New York City in "Cinderella Beautiful."

Cincotti broke into the jazz music scene when he was just 19 years old. His talent for creating impressive jazz standards helped him rise above the rest, thus making him the youngest musician to top Billboard's Jazz chart.

Cincotti started playing piano at the age of three, and started writing music at nine.

He was inspired by Jerry Lee Lewis' "Great Balls of Fire," describing Lewis to CNN as the "first piano player that really got under my skin.

He also cites music legends Stevie Wonder and Billy Joel as inspirations.


For more info:

petercincotti.com