Neil Cowley Trio Live At Montreux 2012
Artist: Neil Cowley Trio
Studio: Eagle Rock Entertainment
Released: April 20, 2013
Reviewed: May 12, 2013
Neil Cowley is a much in demand pianist who cut his teeth on albums by the likes of Brand New Heavies and Zero 7, and more recently played piano on both of Adele’s global bestselling albums 19 and 2, making him quite literally, the most listened to pianist on the planet!
When not adding his signature touch to other people’s hit records, Mr. Cowley has his own band, The Neil Cowley Trio, which is gaining notoriety, as well. Making their debut appearance at the Montreux Jazz Festival on July 11, Neil’s Trio are virtuoso musicians. Cowley is a consummate live performer with a distinctively English wit and the ability to create a marvelous rapport with his audience, as ably demonstrated on Live At Montreux 2012. The show focuses primarily on their latest album The Face Of Mount Molehill (recorded & later toured with a string ensemble), with a scattering of tracks from their previous releases.
The line-up on Live At Montreux includes The Trio: Neil Cowley (piano); Rex Horan (bass); Evan Jenkins (drums), with Julian Ferraretto (violin); Helen Sanders-Hewett (viola); Alex Eichenberger (cello); Miles Brett (violin).
Defined by powerful riffs countered by poignant, delicate passages and witty, whimsical romps, Cowley’s jazz-meets-rock ethic has earned his trio worldwide acclaim and plaudits from across the musical spectrum. Their debut album Displaced won the 2007 BBC Jazz Award for Best Album and the trio undertook their first UK tour in the same year, going on to perform extensively around the globe, appearing at some of the world’s most prestigious jazz festivals alongside a string of triumphant shows in the US in 2012. Heralded as “strong stirring stuff” by Time Out New York, their most recent recording, The Face of Mount Molehill earned the trio Best UK Jazz Act at the inaugural Jazz FM Awards.