The album drops on Friday as the title track continues its fast ascent of the Billboard singles chart.
As a producer, composer, arranger, programmer, and keyboardist, Michael Mani has conquered the pop music world with a GRAMMY-winning collaboration with rock guitar legends Carlos Santana and Eric Clapton, and discovered and developed three-time GRAMMY-winning singer-songwriter Tori Kelly and Latin hip-hop superstar Becky G. For four decades, Mani has had an unexplored passion for contemporary jazz. With the release of his debut album, “Triangles,” this Friday (May 9) on Baja/TSR Records, he fulfills a long-held desire to record his own collection of songs fusing jazz, R&B, and funk.
Mani’s muse on the fifteen stylistically diverse tunes that he wrote for “Triangles” ranges from musical to spiritual. In music, relationships, and in his faith, he sees triangles everywhere.
“I named the album ‘Triangles’ because it symbolizes how many relationships and situations in life that come at us in threes. The relationship we have with our parents, for example, or the triangle between the piano, God, and myself when I am creating. The decisions we make every day to do right and wrong are triangles. I was raised Catholic so obviously the holy Trinity is an immensely powerful triangle in my life. Triangles are considered the strongest structure in nature and have been utilized in constructing the largest buildings in our cities dating back to well before the pyramids,” said Mani, a Bay Area native who spent his formative years there learning from and working with three-time GRAMMY-winning producer-songwriter Narada Michael Walden (Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin).
In advance of the album release, the label issued the title track as the first single. The dynamic, deep-pocketed groove filled with shimmering keyboard and piano melodies is No. 13 and is still climbing the Billboard singles chart. It is number one at WFSK, Nashville’s jazz station.
“Initially, I played all the instruments on the single and later added saxophonist Mike Parlett and live drums by Dante Roberson to the mix. I called the track ‘Triangles’ because it combined what I feel are the most important elements in music: melody, rhythm, and harmony,” said Mani who lives in Los Angeles where he has a recording studio and production facility called The JAM.
The solo-performed Mani track “In The Moment” bodes to be a single with its vibrant piano melodies and clever rhythm arrangement. Mani acknowledges some of his primary jazz influences on “Night Thrills.”
“I’ve always loved Jeff Lorber and David Sanborn. ‘In The Moment’ is a fun throwback song with great driving energy. When I set out to make this album, I wanted it to be a sonic journey for the listener. I think that is reflected on this track,” said Mani whose nimble piano work shines on this electronic track.
Parlett and his sax rejoin Mani to illuminate the danceable “Just Can’t Stop.” Two of Mani’s labelmates, Billboard chart-topping guitarist Nils and bassist Tony Saunders, enter the fray on “Echoes of Love.”
“I wanted to create a song we could all get down and play on together. I love the dynamic and rhythmic changes on this record. It has so many flavors echoing through it. I just loved the vibe,” said Mani who has known Saunders since they were teenagers playing in local bands.
While working with Becky G, Mani crafted music in the Latin space. “Walks in Brazil” grants him the opportunity to indulge his affection for Brazilian jazz.
“One of my favorite pianists is Michel Camilo and I wanted to have a bit of that flavor on the album because it would be amazing to play live. I had so much fun playing the piano on this track. I tried to imagine that I was walking on a beach near a Brazilian rainforest,” Mani shared.
Saxophonist Ashley J guests on the midtempo “Night Shift” adding soul to Mani’s swinging piano.
Saunders returns on “I Can Hear You Calling,” a melody-rich retro R&B joint.
“This song came to me in a dream, and I felt it was God calling me to make this track. It began as more of a ballad, but I decided to pick up the tempo and energy by adding Tony (Saunders) on bass. I love the chorus on this record. It feels like a vintage 70s classic pop/R&B hook,” explained Mani, who also revisits this period on “Skyline.”
“‘Skyline’ was very much inspired by some of the amazing funk-pop records I listened to while growing up. Mike Parlett’s sax helped bring it to life and it just feels like you are on a penthouse balcony of a high rise in New York City on a beautiful summer night looking at the city lights on the skyline.”
Paying homage to Sanborn and the late sax icon’s frequent co-conspirator, bassist Marcus Miller, “Funk City” is a go-for-broke jam featuring Saunders and Parlett. Mani said, “I love David Sanborn and Marcus Miller and their 80s recordings that were super driven and funky. I wanted an all-out banger of a funk-jazz track. We had a blast recording this one.”
A three-piece horn section invites “Smiles” on the warm and amiable piano melody set atop a hip-hop beat.
“I have produced a ton of hip hop songs on my journey, and I wanted to create something very chill and soulfully urban. I started this song with the drum beat and improvised piano parts over the top of it. It had such an easy smooth vibe to play on that I smiled while playing the parts. I met an amazing trumpet player named Arturo Solar who toured with Luis Miguel. He played flugelhorn on this track and arranged and recorded the brass section. He’s a true genius to work with,” said Mani who also features Solar on the sparkling “Pacific Blue.”
Mani deploys a downtempo hip hop groove on “All Night” on which he rips incessant keyboard runs in the company of Nils’s cool electric jazz guitar. Another hip hop groove backdrops “Head Over Heels,” a love song that Mani penned for his wife, Julianne. Saxophonist Bryan Thompson helps Mani bring the album to a close with the divinely inspired “By Your Side.”
“This is a spiritual song about our creator who is always by our side loving us and providing for us. I wanted to finish the album with that kind of energy, a heartfelt inspirational track. While I was working on this track, our corgi, Scooby, passed away. He was always by my side. This song is a tribute song of appreciation to God and the things like Scooby that he puts into our lives that lift us up,” Mani shared.
A classically trained pianist, Mani has plied his artistry to recording dates with Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Lady Gaga, Al Jarreau, Michael Bolton, New Kids on the Block, Leona Lewis, Regina Belle, Tevin Campbell, Shanice Wilson, En Vogue, Siedah Garrett, and the Backstreet Boys. In addition to teaming with Walden, Mani contributed to recording projects by multi-platinum-selling and GRAMMY-winning producer-songwriter Walter Afanasieff (Mariah Carey, Kenny G). Mani won a GRAMMY for the instrumental “The Calling” from Santana’s “Supernatural” album, which highlighted two Rock and Roll Hall of Famers: Santana and Clapton. Mani’s contributions to Saunders’ 2024 album, “The Romance Continues,” including the top 10 single, “Loving You Is Easy,” led to his own record deal with Baja/TSR Records. He cowrote and produced Saunders’ forthcoming single, “Swagalicious,” and upcoming projects by R&B/jazz vocalist Tommy Davidson and pop singer Stefan Benz. Mani has composed music for television, film, and commercials for mega brands such as Honda, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Apple, Taco Bell, and Hallmark.
In a music genre in need of new voices, different creative approaches, and imaginative sounds, Mani’s arrival should be a welcome and exciting breath of fresh air.
“The ‘Triangles’ album is the culmination of many stylistic influences throughout my career. From taking classical piano lessons when I was seven to learning jazz and funk fusion as a teenager to playing in rock bands at high school dances to learning how to write and produce pop dance and R&B music with Narada Michael Walden. The opportunity to make this solo album with Baja/TSR Records provided me the freedom to blend all these influences together. I wanted to make an album that included many different music styles and felt more like a playlist than a repetitious body of work. There’s great energy on this album because I had so much fun making it. It was just me creating whatever came out of my head and heart.”
Mani’s “Triangles” album contains the following songs:
“Triangles”
“In The Moment”
“Night Thrills”
“Just Can’t Stop”
“Echoes of Love”
“Walks in Brazil”
“Night Shift”
“I Can Hear You Calling”
“Skyline”
“Funk City”
“Smiles”
“Pacific Blue”
“All Night”
“Head Over Heels”
“By Your Side”
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