This week sees the release of the Built on Bach EP, four tracks taken from the full-length album of new music written specifically for the Neil Cowley Trio’s spring tour.

In 2023, composer-pianist Neil Cowley found himself in St Thomas’s Church in Leipzig, Germany where he came upon a gravestone flush to the floor, it marked the resting place of Johann Sebastian Bach. “I was floored to be in the great man’s presence.” He says. In that quiet moment, he recognised Bach as the origin of everything in his playing: the bedrock of his technique and the heart of his musical voice.

On Emma’s Video Shop fast-flowing semiquavers drive the piece from its Bach-inspired motif into chords that feel like a Neil Cowley Trio classic. Bass and drums underpin this harmonic quest, joining the piano to create a sound both wistful, yet optimistic.

Clever Clogs is built on a germ of a strong Bach theme featuring Jenkins on drums with pseudo-bombastic brushwork, shaped with extreme poetic license. Periwiggle has the feel of a chamber performance, blending baroque with contemporary jazz “ticky-tacky” football from bassist Horan and Jenkins. Finally, Thomas closes the EP with a contemplative recital, exploring the space and majesty of Bach’s repertoire as afternoon sunlight streams through the windows.

Built on Bach is a collection of new compositions loosely based on the works of JS Bach, but shaped in the distinctive sound of the Neil Cowley Trio. Each piece emerges from a direct connection with Bach, not as a jazz reinterpretation or reinvention, but as a way of revealing the Bach DNA that runs through Cowley’s own music. “Built on Bach is a decidedly honest, humble and collaborative. It’s what might happen if the Neil Cowley Trio and Bach got together to chew the fat and jam!”

Another exciting project… sounds fascinating (BBC R2: Jamie Cullum)

Built On Bach Tour Dates

10 April Poole The Lighthouse
11 April Bradford on Avon Wiltshire Music Centre
12 April Stroud Sub Rooms
14 April Milton Keynes The Stables
15 April Cardiff The Gate
17 April Sheriffhales St Mary’s Church
18 April Liverpool The Capstone Theatre
19 April Carlisle Tullie
21 April Sunderland The Fire Station
22 April Sheffield Firth Hall
23 April Bury St Edmunds The Apex

For Ticket Information go to neilcowleymusic.com

The Built on Bach EP is released digitally on 20 March. A Built on Bach limited edition vinyl (HIDELP007) and CD is available (HIDECD007) on tour and from Bandcamp only from 10 April. All are released on Hide Inside Records

LISTEN TO ‘BUILT ON BACK’ NOW: