Neil Cowley Trio - Entity (2024)

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Neil Cowley Trio - Entity (2024)

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In a joyous reunion after a long, 7-year hiatus, the Neil Cowley Trio reconvene giving rise to a creatively inspired recording, Entity, their 7th studio album.

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 the new 'post jazz' movement, paving the way for 6 highly acclaimed albums over 10 years. Cowley then pressed 'pause' to pursue a solo career - no less successful - with a focus on electronica. Now, stirred by his extended time of solitary music making, he makes a firm statement about the joy, comfort and the rewards of human connection in the digital age. Joining Cowley are his close musical allies, bassist Rex Horan and drummer Evan Jenkins; three friends giving their all to each other.

Cowley is a brilliant composer and dazzling pianist and the trio flame still burns bright. Entity is a magnificent return to form cementing the 'Neil Cowley Trio sound' - head-nodding wonky grooves, killer melodies, emotionally charged pieces with a glass like fragility laced throughout. It is a mature, sophisticated album of deeply impassioned music, delicate beauty, hooks aplenty and an ode to friendship.

In my life there have been no closer allies in musical support and brotherhood than my beloved ’Neil Cowley Trio’ cohorts Rex Horan and Evan Jenkins. So in my quest to end a period of musical solitude it was obvious to me who I should call; and so a studio reunion was arranged. A week long one in fact.

I went into the session not entirely sure of how much I should bring with me from my recent musical experiences. To cover all eventualities I brought pre recorded synth and drum machine parts to play along to, feeling that these could still serve my compositions well. But it was immediately obvious that these pre produced ideas just interfered with the human connection between us…. nay, our reconnection!

I feel as a species we are still learning how to interact with each other after the difficulties of recent years and technology doesn’t seem to want us to reignite those flames. It would rather we dwell in its artificiality and continue to scroll, jealously guarding our attention for commercial gain.
Maybe this is my bands small contribution to some kind of human push back! This music and this band are by example an exercise in human interaction and the inherent joy that that brings. A manifest reminder of the benefits of communal activity.

We have made a warts and all human sounding record. It is music that does not conform to a digital pulse or an algorithm. It is three people conversing, supporting and metaphorically dancing together. It is a society of friends all looking out for each other. It is difficult music to execute and therefore without the support and commitment of all the people in the room, impossible to achieve. Therefore everyone gives all of themselves in pursuit of the goal and leaves parts of their individual self at the door.

There were tears in the process of recording ‘Entity’. For me, mainly over the recollection of how hard it’s been in recent solitary times and the joy and sadness in equal parts of realising how much we’ve missed each other. There has always been a special kind of love between the three of us. A feeling of selflessness and of doing something for the greater good.

There is a level of interaction that we can all participate in as humans to avoid becoming very glum automatons. We hope we represent a small example of that spirit and in contrast to the machines we seem slave to, present something that is unmistakably human. Communal, supportive, flexible, reactive, instantaneous and flawed; and perhaps, when we are at our most elevated and selfless, what you might call an entity!

Entity: an organization that has an identity separate from those of its members.