October 1998

Brian Trainor
Portraits
Candid Records

By Sunsh Stein

In musically saluting people who've had an impact on him pianist Brian Trainor exposes aspects of his intellectual and emotional life. Whether interpreting other people's compositions ("In Walked Bud,""Mr. PC."), or playing his own tributes ("Baldwin," "Bardot," "Ali"), Trainor and his quintet paint evocative portraits.

Particularly moving is "A Cup of Joe for Lost Friends." A student of both Bill Evans and Albert Ayler, Trainor absorbed and gives back an essence of both.