As a 10 year old child prodigy he performed a Shostakovitch piano concerto … Read Full Bio ↴As a 10 year old child prodigy he performed a Shostakovitch piano concerto to an audience of 1200 at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall. Having answered an ad in Melody Maker at 17, he entered the world of pop, and by 21 had performed to over 5,000 at the Royal Albert Hall. In 2002, Q Magazine described his music as “beautiful and delicate”, while The Independent on Sunday added “sweeping and epic”. Yet just two years ago, London born pianist-composer Neil Cowley was locked in a damp dark room with a few keyboards and an apple mac, desperately “trying to extract creative art from within”. An experience he refers to as “lonely and depressing”. Neil Cowley turned his back on the Royal Academy at an early age, choosing instead to record and tour with some of the best soul and funk bands of the day, including The Brand New Heavies and Zero 7, until in 2002 he formed his own band, Fragile State. As one half of the production duo, Cowley produced two critically acclaimed albums that set the world of jazzy chill-out music alight. Yet when the record company dissolved, the act went down with the ship, and with it, his heart and soul. Cowley continued to make music, yet found the experience of extracting music from a computer chip unbearable. So, he called on the oldest friend he had – his dear old piano, and set forth with a renewed enthusiasm to present creativity without technological hindrance. Cowley began composing, embarking on late night sessions of piano discovery.
The result is Displaced, an outstanding album of original recordings that present Cowley as a thoroughly modern player with an impeccable touch. As a pianist, Neil Cowley is dazzling, and as a composer he is stunning. With Richard Sadler on double bass, and Evan Jenkins on drums, Cowley has assembled a masterful jazz trio, whose bursts of energy and emotional infectiousness underpin Cowley’s tremendous flair for creating beautiful, sometimes forceful melodies.
Having rehearsed the material for one week, The Neil Cowley Trio recorded Displaced in one take over two days at Real World Studios. For Cowley, the tunes on Displaced had to tick the boxes of the past masters that live on his shoulders. Shostakovich, Ahmad Jamal, Frank Zappa, Errol Garner, Taraf de Haidouks. “I love a chord!” he says, “My chords always come before my melody. Each chord has to have its own life and story and touch on something I feel. The melody is often how my fingers play around those chords.”
Displaced is an album of emotional integrity, and one that will surely become contender for Jazz Album of the Year. One thing is for sure, The Neil Cowley Trio have produced an album that demonstrates what should be at the core of all music making. Playing for sheer joy!
The result is Displaced, an outstanding album of original recordings that present Cowley as a thoroughly modern player with an impeccable touch. As a pianist, Neil Cowley is dazzling, and as a composer he is stunning. With Richard Sadler on double bass, and Evan Jenkins on drums, Cowley has assembled a masterful jazz trio, whose bursts of energy and emotional infectiousness underpin Cowley’s tremendous flair for creating beautiful, sometimes forceful melodies.
Having rehearsed the material for one week, The Neil Cowley Trio recorded Displaced in one take over two days at Real World Studios. For Cowley, the tunes on Displaced had to tick the boxes of the past masters that live on his shoulders. Shostakovich, Ahmad Jamal, Frank Zappa, Errol Garner, Taraf de Haidouks. “I love a chord!” he says, “My chords always come before my melody. Each chord has to have its own life and story and touch on something I feel. The melody is often how my fingers play around those chords.”
Displaced is an album of emotional integrity, and one that will surely become contender for Jazz Album of the Year. One thing is for sure, The Neil Cowley Trio have produced an album that demonstrates what should be at the core of all music making. Playing for sheer joy!
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Rooster Was A Witness
Neil Cowley Trio Lyrics
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The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
@gnyx1566
I was the DOP on this and just to mention, the reason it looks so moody is because after those 4 lights went up, the next lights blew the circuit breakers again and again and there was a bit of messing around to get something out of those 4 lights to bounce off various things to make up lights I couldn't use. So that ate into our time but think we got a decent result in the end. Thanks to the boys for their patience and Joss for directing it all with aplomb.
@sirleto
nice info, thanks for writing it down 🙂
@Alexsc69
OMG!!! I am so there on July 6th! Tickets are on their way! AWESOME! Merci beaucoup Monsieur Cowley!!!
@lisak32
Just discovered this artist thanks to a friend and it's just brilliant!! Should see him at the barbican in London next Saturday!!
@singha6
This is so good- really nice to know that people are making good music that makes you happy!
@Maryasha33
Genius! Be creative and give pleasure with your masterpieces!
@jackrabs1275
i just discovered you guys today, thanks to RTR.fm here in Perth WA, i dont normally listen to the radio but the CD player broke in my car- man i was so lucky i tuned in at just the right time! im so so happy i have found your music!
@tomvband
I stopped by to tell you thanks for visiting,...then I saw this. This is so damn cool! These guys are the bomb! Oh, and thanks for stopping by,...hahaha. Allmost forgot.
@lecoude83
I was at their paris gig, that was just fantastic. Now waiting for an eventual Live album
@mckennaaidan
Brilliant! Love the strings and the punchiness. Can't wait to here the new album.