Neil Cowley Trio: Live at The Stables

There’s a maturity and sophistication to the jazz of the Neil Cowley Trio. And this ensemble really is a trio - a whole being in its own right that is far, far greater than the sum of its parts.

The Neil Cowley Trio at The Stables, Milton Keynes

The parts individually are impressive - Neil Cowley himself is a brilliant pianist and composer. On a sonorous and expressive bass is Rex Horan, while making extensive use of the drum kit is Evan Jenkins. Their interpretation of the Cowley compositions and improvisation within the clear structure brings a real, high quality performance that demonstrates how much work has gone into learning this complex music.

The trio’s performance at the Stables in Milton Keynes was truly exemplary and, as Neil explained during one of his humorous addresses to the audience, the whole Built on Bach project began as a minor detour between albums and grew “bigger by mistake”. It’s a glorious mistake, because the trio use their explicit skills to bring Bach into the jazz world, while maintaining their own style.

Neil Cowley (with Derek the Dinosaur)

Not only are the tracks inspired by Bach’s music, but the titles are all chosen with a sense of humoour that seems to run through the band’s DNA. There was the dextrous and speedy Chatterbox, the deliberating swaggering John Wayne and Thomas, inspired by the church where Cowley discovered Bach’s final resting place and began what was intended to be a brief project.

Alongside tracks from Built on Bach, the trio also played some of their classic tunes, well known to many in the audience, including the devastatingly speedy How Do We Catch Up? which formed the final encore and sent the highly appreciative audience on their way.

The Neil Cowley Trio tour continues and ‘Built on Bach is available on Bandcamp