“Michael McNeill Trio: Passageways. Pianist, b. 1982, based in Buffalo, first album, a trio with Ken Filiano (bass) and Phil Haynes (drums). I often despair of my inability to sort out the vast wave of piano trios that come my way, but sometimes I'm caught by surprise -- just rarely by someone I've never heard of before. First clue here is the bassist, who never plays on uninteresting albums. Filiano kicks off the 20:34 opener -- that length another sign that something is up here -- but when the pianist takes over he darts in and out, never settling for something ordinary… A-” — Tom Hull “The McNeill Trio plays high-level improvisational music, built around strong compositions and sturdy motifs… His extended solo during album- opener ‘Hold On’ offers a master- class in musical storytelling, and his improvised prelude to ‘Metropolis’ is both playful and haunting.” — Jeff Miers, Buffalo News Michael McNeill, piano & compositions Ken Filiano, bass Phil Haynes, drums Recorded December 11, 2010 by Bill Sack at Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center Mixed and mastered by Jon Rosenberg Cover photo by Keating Godfrey Design/layout by Mari McNeil Produced by Phil Haynes Executive producer: Michael McNeill