”Very excited that the Neil Cowley Trio is back in business. He’s a real master musician … a very wide conception of what a jazz trio can be.”

— BBC Radio 2: Jamie Cullum

In 2006 the Neil Cowley Trio burst onto the scene with an exciting sound that fizzed with energy; their muscular anthems, galloping grooves and tender moments placed them at the forefront of a new movement in jazz, paving the way for 6 highly acclaimed albums over 10 years.

They are back with their second single, Father Daughter, from ‘Entity‘, the long-awaited new album from the Neil Cowley Trio, who return triumphantly after a 7-year hiatus.

LISTEN TO ‘FATHER DAUGHTER’ SINGLE HERE:

Dedicated to the deepest and most indefinable of special relationships; that which provides a bond of strength beyond all others and yet built upon a foundation of the utmost delicacy. “It remains and prospers despite all external influence and threats” says Cowley, “ It shapes the future and it holds onto the past. It is a finite experience and yet continues beyond its own lifeline, designed to protect and nurture. Most of all, it is love at its purest; the compound of opposites”.

‘Father Daughter’ has all the hallmarks of a Neil Cowley Trio ‘song without words’, seemingly traversing from verse to bridge to chorus without a lyric in sight. Like that special relationship, Cowley’s composition sets the melody – both sweet and sorrowful – to a backdrop of an indomitable pulse. By the time the chorus kicks in, the melodic yearning is at its peak and as each piano note passes it decays and merges into a confluence of musical memories.

Over the course of 12 years and 6 critically acclaimed albums, the Neil Cowley Trio had had built an army of loyal fans and achieved considerable successes. Yet in 2017, pianist and composer Neil Cowley pressed pause on his trio to embrace a new solo (and equally successful) musical direction. But after 7 years of solitary music making, he has something to say. The power of technology that controls our lives is its ability to control our interactions with each other. The checking in on social media to circumnavigate the awkwardness of a moments silence, or the endless supply of studio tools to create the sonic effect of an orchestra, alone. It was time for him to return to the joy of human connection. For Cowley, there are no closer musical allies and brotherhood than his Neil Cowley Trio cohort, bassist Rex Horan and drummer Evan Jenkins. A studio reunion was arranged, tears were shed, and Entity was born.

Entity is the magnificent new recording from Neil Cowley Trio, released on 20 September. While the trio’s bombast and whimsy may have taken a back seat– this is after all a trio maturing – Cowley’s ear for a killer melody, majestic rolling grooves, power hungry cadences and emotionally charged pieces remain. Father Daughter, follows the trio’s first single, Adam Alphabet, a jack-in-the-box head-nodder, while the introspective V&A rolls flagrantly across bar lines blossoming into orchestral style eruptions as the drama intensifies. The majesty of the epic opening track, Marble and the beauty of the expansive closing track Entity are masterclasses in expression, atmosphere and emotion. ‘Entity’ is neither a return nor a departure from the Neil Cowley Trio sound. It is the Neil Cowley Trio sound, with the finger lifted from the pause button.

‘Entity’ is three friends, reunited, giving their all to each other to reach one common goal, inspiring, conversing and metaphorically dancing together. It is a mature, sophisticated album of uplifting melody and delicate beauty. It is about the inherent joy, comfort and rewards of human connection in our digital world and an ode to friendship.

WATCH ‘FATHER DAUGHTER‘ LIVE: