Steve Winwood, Tito Puentes, and Arturo Sandoval have teamed up for the Latin Crossings tour, a European trek slated to kick off July 3 at its only non-European date: the Montreal Jazz Festival. The first European show will be July 5 in Udine, Italy. The concept behind the two-month European tour is to present each of the trip members' musical leanings separately and in an ensemble. Winwood is hardly a stranger to Hispanic Afro-Caribbean grooves. In the 1970s, he recorded with the Fania All-Stars, and his latest disc contains a salsa track. The Latin Crossings backing band has a cast of standout players: Ed Calle, Tommy Anthony, Walfredo Reyes Jr, Otmaro Ruiz, Manuel Equi Castrillo, and Oskar Cartava. --- Billboard, June 27, 1998