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Album of the week: 

Neil Cowley Trio, The Face of Mount Molehill (Naim)

The Face of Mount Molehill – named for their leader’s liking for turning simple ideas into romantic epics – represents a further refinement in the Neil Cowley Trio’s vision of the piano, bass and drums format. Cowley’s group has always sat slightly uncomfortably in the jazz world, being more concerned with composition than improvisational development, and here he seems to be settling into the idea of creating pop songs without words or a series of mini film soundtracks that make strong thematic statements and sometimes strut along with big rhythmic momentum but also let the listener simply enjoy the mood. Each track is beautifully written and carefully arranged, with much tight interaction between the three main constituents, and the introduction this time of a string section and some sonic “architecture” from guitarist Leo Abrahams and Cowley’s baby daughter’s sampled gurgling lends both a certain grandeur and an appealing quirkiness, while the opening and closing solo piano pieces underline Cowley’s talent for movingly tender reflection.

From The Sunday Herald, January 22, 2012.

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