ALBUM REVIEWS
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ALBUM REVIEWS |
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Neil Cowley Trio
The Face Of Mount Molehill NAIM JAZZ 23.1.12 @www.vanguard-online.co.uk
What to say that I didn’t say when we covered Neil’s last album, radio Silence? This is charming and witty stuff, full of dynamics and a fresh sounding piano that switches between pounding and picking out melodies. As a trio, there is plenty of room for the bass and drums though some spaces are filled with strings. That’s a new thing here and not entirely welcome. It does add colour but music as vibrant as this doesn’t need frilly doilies adding to it. Cowley would enthusiastically disagree, since he has made a point in writing tunes to include strings here. There are times when having a written string chart to follow prevent the band from improvising but their live gig in Leeds last year, attended by local luminaries, The New Mastersounds, showed that the compositions are pretty thoroughly through-composed and not the improv-fests some jazz acts are. The tight dynamics are led from the piano and the bass and drums clearly directed in a theatrical fireworks display. The piano, being a percussion instrument, ensures this set has a strong and punchy rhythmic base, coloured in with double bass, straight-forward drums and the aforementioned (subtle) strings. Neil Cowley has provided the piano for Adele’s album this year and served an apprenticeship as keyboardist for The Brand New Heavies, Gabrielle and Zero 7. That has given him an ear for the hit and he knows how long to draw an idea out for and how to point our ears at it. It doesn’t leave a lot of space for extended head-nodding jazz improvisation sessions but it does keep the attention riveted and this album could never be accused of being boring. Extremely accessible and entertaining, whilst maintaining sufficient cool to hold its head up in a crowd of people wearing black turtle-neck jumpers. www.neilcowleytrio.com |
