Little secrets
How do we catch up
Displaced
Pair of teeth
She eats flies
Degree in intuition
Thats my space
Clown Town
Pinball number count
Kenny two steps
Mourn
Pillar to post
Taller than me
How do we catch up (The Emily Mix)
Neil Cowley (piano)
Richard Sadler (bass)
Evan Jenkins (drums)
Recorded 22nd-23rd August,
2005, Real World Studios, Nr. Bath
At the age of ten Neil Cowley
performed Shostakovich at the Royal Festival
Hall; later he played keyboards with bands
such as The Brand New Heavies and Zero 7.
Now here he is leading a hugely impressive
jazz trio, playing mostly his own compositions
- ‘Pinball number count’ is by Walt Kraemer,
everything else on this debut album is by
Cowley – but drawing on an obviously very
considerable knowledge (though that word is
too cerebral - Cowley’s ‘knowledge’ in his
fingers as much as in his mind) of a range
of musical traditions.
I don’t mean to diminish
Cowley in any way if I say that the listener
will hear echoes of Bill Evans, Thelonious
Monk, Ahmad Jamal and Brad Mehldau; that there
are times when one thinks of the Esbjorn Svensson
Trio or The Bad Plus; that this is obviously
the work of a pianist with a classical training;
that his time in soul and funk has also left
its mark on his music. We have passed the
time when the distinction between ‘originality’
and ‘influence’ could have any very precise
meaning in the world of jazz. Suffice it to
say that Cowley’s eclecticism is fused by
a powerful and distinctive musical vision
of his own, and that with Sadler and Jenkins
he forms a remarkably cohesive trio whose
commitment is evident in everything on the
disc.
There’s playing of tender
lyricism (notably on the title track); there
are many rapid changes of tempo and many very
telling silences; there are some percussive
explosions on the keyboard; there are some
thoroughly funky rhythms and inflections;
there are some powerful climaxes; there are
moments of gentle beauty; there are lots of
striking keyboard figures. It adds up to trio
music that is vigorous and passionate, but
also witty and intelligent. The interplay
between the instruments is impeccable without
ever sounding at all cold or over-prepared.
In short, this is very much
the modern state of the piano trio. Just occasionally
I would have liked to hear the trio stretch
out a bit more, explore an idea or a pattern
at slightly greater length. But, save for
such a reservation, this is very impressive,
enjoyable music; it deserves to find many
hearers.
Glyn Pursglove
CD Reviews
Hidelnside HIDECD001 [55:45] 
