Cain, Michael: Sola

Los Angeles born Michael Cain is a jazz keyboardist and composer who has worked with a variety of artists including Greg Osby and Pat Metheny. He has made a number of albums as a band leader and is currently an educator at Brandon University, Manitoba, Canada.

His latest effort Sola is divided between two bands:

New York Band (tracks 4 and 8) consisting of Michael Cain (piano, keys), Billy Hart (drums) and James Genus (bass).

Vegas Band (tracks 1,2,3,5,6 and 7) with Michael Cain (keys and programming), Renaldo Elliot (drums), Abo Gumroyan (bass), Mike Gonzales (trumpet), Julian Tanaka (clarinet) and Eddie Rich (saxophone).

Although there are a number of players and two bands the album never feels disjointed and flows beautifully from beginning to end. Cain's dreamy keyboards and electronic textures are stamped all over this album and at times the music is quite subtle. The stick and bass work in the dream inducing "Mais Uma Noite" being a prime example. Gentle keyboard soundscapes carry the piece through a dream-like elegance, eventually leading to Genus' wonderful bass solo. In the softly played "No Se Fia" the slow rhythms and lovely horn melody are a perfect match showing just how much these players are in tune with one another. On the more electronic "Wogg" the snappy percussion and programming comes to the forefront while the album ending "My Moyo" is in the vein of classic balladic jazz with Cain's enchanting piano taking center stage. This one includes another great bass solo from Genus.

Sola is a solid and cohesive work from a fine group of musicians and a veteran band leader whose vision has clearly come to fruition. It is an excellent jazz album.

Track Listing:
1. Orun (2:50)
2. Esu Dance (Traditional) (7:20)
3. In The Front Door (4:26)
4. Mais Uma Noite (6:14)
5. Wogg (3:49)
6. No Se Fia (Interlude) (3:34)
7. The Sin You've Been Looking For (8:33)
8. My Moyo (4:44)

Added: September 27th 2015
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Official Site
Hits: 1528
Language: english

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