“BALANCE”; the first all instrumental CD. His Sax tone has achieved a maturity that is a rare and exquisite ; A tone that is warm, broad, breathy, and relaxed. His approach is both angular and blues-based. The harmonica is his only equal. Listen to the track, Bam Bam Bam; not Stevie, not Toots, but a style he has forged all his own.His compositions also bear the mark of balance. Jitterbuggin starts off with his fluffy tenor whacking out a retro blues lick, transforming into a full-out Tower of Power funk fest. Art Neville (from the Neville Bros. and Funky Meters) makes his sermonizing, B3 entrance, and serving up perfect counterpoint. Wild Magnolia and Without your Love (with vocals by Holly Palmer), both in dedication to Billie and Lester Young’s musical love affair, have equally warm, nostalgic layers and a cutting edge modern pulse. With a bow towards the grooves of Eddie Harris, Eddie-ism and Hey Man put the fun back in funk by adding the effortless genius of Sheila E on congas. Stand Alone and Eternal Love intertwine his two “axes”, making a masculine/femine conversation between the two. Speaking of duets, Under the Brim brings a Soldo sax hero, Ernie Watts, to the Mic. You can hear the sacred lineage of Coleman Hawkins vs. Lester Young, with the fire of Ernie’s alto playing against the ice of Dino’s tenor.
Soldo was heard upon the mixing of this project, “Several people that I met at Jazz festivals would come up to me and comment on the Pop records; saying they were, “ nice, man, but when you gonna give us that sax/ harp record you promised?” (laughs) Well, what can you say to that except, to the people who gave me a piece of their Jazz lovin’ minds, sorry for the wait.”