CaneFire’s signature sound revolves around its unconventional use of the steelpan. Under the hands of virtuoso Mark Mosca, the pan plays a leading role in CaneFire, taking its place alongside the horns at the front of a latin jazz combo. Caribbean-flavoured Latin jazz is what the septet specialize in and they do it with fire and versatility. Their unique sound blends the Latin and African folk traditions of the Caribbean with Trinidadian carnival and not so straight ahead jazz. French Caribbean ‘zouk’, Puerto Rican plena, Brazilian samba and a variety of Cuban rhythms from ‘songo’ to ‘chachalokefun’, jazz, blues and all of it smothered in Trinidadian calypso and steel band. The tunes are an intriguing mixture of influences from everywhere and the solos draw on the deep roots of the players. The band members hail from Canada, Cuba and Trinidad, and their accumulated training and performance credits are as impressive as they are diverse.
“If Dizzy Gillespie were still with us, he would love CaneFire” – Vancouver Sun
“Edge is what separates CaneFire from their contemporaries in the Caribbean jazz scene” – Errol Nazareth
“More than just a beautiful album . . . quite simply, one of the most memorable records to come out of Canada in a long time.” – latinjazznet.com
“A riot of great music . . . I’ll go so far as to say it’s a collector’s item.” – Trinidad Guardian