Neil Cowley Trio with the Mount Molehill Strings, Dora Stoutzker Hall, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff, 21/03/2012.

I’ve been a regular attender of jazz events in the fine city of Cardiff for a number of years, mostly at the “pub” venues Café Jazz and the consistently enterprising Dempsey’s. The latter, located in an upstairs room above an Irish theme bar may look a little scruffy and down at heel but the adventurous booking policy (by Alistair McMurchie and Brenda O’Brien), the knowledgeable and listening audience plus the presence of a good, full sized piano combine to make it one of my favourite jazz venues. I’ve reported on some memorable events at Dempsey’s.

My first visit to the newly opened Dora Stoutzker Concert Hall (hereafter DSH) at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama suggested that although very different this splendid new facility will be joining Dempsey’s on my favourites list. Brand spanking new the DSH seats around 200 in comfortable seats with plenty of leg room. Wood panelled, it possesses excellent acoustics and another “grand” piano, it’s a wonderful new facility enhanced by a well stocked café bar area in the foyer and looks set to become a real asset to the city. Although the DSH is used mainly for classical performances the exciting “Collisions” jazz programme has already featured Polar Bear and Empirical with pianist Dave Stapleton’s new “Flight” project to come (Friday,May 4th). Most of these concerts have featured projects with some kind of “crossover” element (and I don’t mean that in the pejorative sense). Pianist and composer Neil Cowley’s regular trio were augmented by a string quartet and Stapleton’s ensemble will feature something similar.

Tonight’s performance represented the second date of Cowley’s tour in support of his latest album “The Face of Mount Molehill”, an album already reviewed elsewhere on this site and generally acknowledged to be Cowley’s most mature work to date. A late comer to jazz Cowley was a childhood classical prodigy who later rebelled to take up work in funk and soul bands before embracing minor pop stardom with the bands Brand New Heavies and Zero 7. A prolific session musician he played on both of Adele’s chart topping albums hence his claim to be the “most listened to pianist on the planet”.

“Mount Molehill” is the Cowley trio’s fourth album following on from the award winning “Displaced” (2006), the similar but less well received follow up “Loud, Louder, Stop” and the more expansive “Radio Silence”. Cowley’s music combines poppy, catchy hooks with hard driving grooves and was initially inspired by bands such as E.S.T. and The Bad Plus. His energetic stage performances and irreverent, very British sense of humour have helped to attract something of a cult following although attempts to bring his music to a younger, more rock oriented audience have only been partially successful. The last time I saw Cowley in Cardiff was at the rock venue The Point in Cardiff Bay around the time of the second album. That event was poorly attended despite the quality of the music but tonight’s audience of around 120 or so was on the trio’s side right from the off; not a full house then, but a crowd offering plenty of warmth and enthusiasm.

I’ve seen Cowley several times over the years in performances ranging from the disastrous (piano malfunctions in Shrewsbury) to the brilliant (a packed Pillar Room at Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2007) but never before with a string quartet. The “with strings” experiment began with live performances at London and (a later) Cheltenham Jazz Festivals and culminated in the latest album featuring the core trio plus the Mount Molehill Strings and guest guitarist Leo Abrahams. The latter was unavailable tonight but as his role on the album was largely textural/ambient his absence was not overly noticeable.

I’ll admit to not always being a fan of strings on jazz recordings where they have often been cloying and overly saccharine. However the present generation of classical players are less afraid of improvisation than their predecessors and their jazz counterparts more open minded and less suspicious of classical techniques. This has resulted in fruitful cross genre collaborations such as the Mercury nominated Basquiat Strings led by cellist Ben Davis. In a live context I was particularly impressed by saxophonist Gilad Atzmon’s use of a string section during a live performance of his “In Loving Memory Of America” album at The Edge Arts Centre in Shropshire, a performance reviewed elsewhere on this site.

The success of Atzmon’s “with strings” project helped to convince me that Cowley’s foray into the area was a “must see” and in a lengthy, uninterrupted single set performance I wasn’t disappointed. Cowley made judicious use of the Mount Molehill Strings led by violinist Julian Ferrereto who had also handled the arrangements- the other players, introduced by Cowley only by their first names were Miles (violin), Helen (viola) and Alex (cello). The strings supplied both rhythmic impetus through their unified pizzicatto plucking and melodic and textural content through the use of their bows, often soaring above the dense grooves of the resident trio. As on the album they were used judiciously and effectively, entering and exiting the stage as the music required but generally acquitting themselves very well.

Besides the addition of the strings a highly significant change has taken place within the core trio with original bassist Richard Sadler being replaced by London based Australian Rex Horan. Where Sadler was happy to undertake an anchoring role the Aussie is a far more flamboyant player who gives the group an even fiercer rhythmic drive as befits a funk and session veteran, concurrently co-leader of the soul/funk outfit Mama’s Gun. Unlike the rather introverted Sadler Horan is also a huge personality with an eccentric dread-locked appearance who clearly loves being in the spotlight. He’s also a highly accomplished soloist and the interplay between the members of the core trio is more exciting and democratic than ever before with a greater sense of genuine musical dialogue than previously. Cowley and the dynamic Jenkins have always enjoyed their musical jousts as Sadler acted as referee but new man Horan is not content with that, he wishes to join in and wades into the proceedings with aplomb. It all makes for a very tasty mix, particularly in the trio’s numerous high octane numbers. As for Jenkins his drumming combines rock power with jazz precision and his playing this evening was wonderfully crisp, dynamic and exciting. Significantly only the string players were reading, possibly because the core trio are   already fully familiar with the material but perhaps to allow for a greater degree of improvisation than the trio have sometimes offered in the past.

Not that the new look Cowley trio are all brio and bluster. Cowley’s classically honed technique plus the presence of the strings ensured that there was   plenty of sophistication about the evening’s proceedings. Opener “Lament” began with a tender passage of solo piano and a lyrical dialogue between Cowley and Horan before the hammer of Jenkins’ drums and the savagely plucked strings of Ferrereto and his colleagues set up the groove for “Rooster Was A Witness” one of the new album’s stand out tracks with its soaring string melodies above a distinctive trio groove.

Also from the new album “Distance By Clockwork” offered a darker, film noirish feel with densely layered strings being added to a theme initially stated by the core trio. The next item was unannounced but featured the trio and the sole violin of leader Ferrereto, listening to the album again I suspect it was the piece entitled “Slims”.

From the previous album “Radio Silence” the playful, boogie fuelled “Hug The Greyhound” offered the core trio the chance to rock out as Ferrereto also left the stage. They took their chance with gusto with Horan throwing shapes during a particularly funky and extrovert bass solo. This proved hugely popular with the crowd who gave the group their biggest reception thus far.

“Box Lily”, the “secret track” on “Radio Silence” was dedicated to Cowley’s young daughter Matilda who was born premature and spent the first three weeks of her life in an incubator (all is now well). Unsurprisingly the piece re-introduced an element of tenderness with Jenkins deploying brushes until the tune gradually swelled to take on some of the anthemic qualities which have characterised much of Cowley’s recent writing. Following this it was back to the heads down approach for an unannounced trio work out that saw an increasingly animated Cowley, another exuberant Horan bass feature and the deployment of rock dynamics on a feature from the effervescent Jenkins. 

“Mini Ha Ha”, another dedication to young Matilda, dispensed with the sampled child’s laughter of the album track and if anything was more effective as a result. Shorn of novelty the piece took on additional tenderness emphasised by a delicate passage of solo piano, a lyrical, deeply resonant bass solo, brushed drums and layered strings. From this, percussive, almost Monkish piano emerged before the piece ended abruptly in a significantly different manner to the recorded version.

“Hope Machine”, the new album’s lengthiest cut represented another excellent example of the string quartet riding the trio’s groove followed by a lyrical trio interlude before Cowley ratcheted up the tension again as the piece rose to a climax with Jenkins’ drum feature before subsiding again. The broad scope of the music represented Cowley’s writing at its most cinematic.

The track “La Porte” has been featured extensively by Huey Morgan of the band Fun Lovin’ Criminals on his show on BBC Radio 6 and here featured jagged string passages punctuated by more lyrical piano interludes.

Cowley’s song like themes have been compared with Coldplay’s stadium filling anthems and the next tune, though unannounced was in that vein. If memory serves it may well have been “Meyer” from the new album. Next it was back to the hammer and tongs approach for another example of Cowley’s groove boogie nuggets, again unannounced but possibly “Fable” also from the new release.

The set closed with “The Face Of Mount Molehill” itself, the title Cowley’s wry reflection on the trivialities of modern life. It’s a suitably quirky piece fuelled by a typically perky Cowley hook but also featuring hip hop grooves from Jenkins and whimsical contributions from the strings. With its blend of energy and genial eccentricity it was a great way to finish an excellent set.

The Cardiff crowd, which included relatives of Horan and Jenkins from Australia and new Zealand respectively, gave the ensemble a tremendous reception with many of them rising to their feet. An encore was inevitable and was undertaken by the trio alone with Cowley first asking the audience to leave their designated seats and move closer to the front. I seem to recall him beckoning the audience forward at The Point as well. Cowley plundered his back catalogue for a segue of two tunes from his breakthrough album “Displaced”, the odd meter stomp groove of “Kenny Two Steps” and a rousing “She Eats Flies” (“it’s about a spider that lives at the bottom of our garden that’s the size of a dinner plate”. It must be a very old spider by now, too).

Another standing ovation ensued and an enormous queue built up in the foyer for the subsequent CD signing. I’d estimate that a good third of the audience must have bought albums, a measure I think of the success of the music and Cowley’s style of presentation. The introduction of Horan has given the trio’s music a shot in the arm and the addition of strings has compounded this by adding a wider variety of colour and texture but without in any way diluting the core trio’s trademark energy and vitality.   

Six years on from “Displaced” the Neil Cowley Trio have confounded their critics and are still moving forward and expanding their horizons. Cowley’s uniquely British take on jazz is well worthy of celebration and this current tour represents something of an “event”. Further performances are scheduled for April 2012 as follows;

13th April BIRMINGHAM CBSO Centre
14th April SOUTHAMPTON Turner Sims Concert Hall
26th April BRISTOL St Georges Hall

 

   

 

 

 

 

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