Neil Cowley Trio: The Face Of Mount Molehill

Neil Cowley Trio (group)

The Face Of Mount Molehill (Naim Records; 2012)

Neil Cowley (piano)

Rex Horan (bass)

Evan Jenkins (drums)

The Neil Cowley Trio have quietly and arguably made themselves the most important and exciting group in Britain right now.


Yes, one of my other favourites that I will discuss later in the week (Phronesis) are also in the same category. Neil Cowley though seems to have made his group's compositions large and entertaining which in turn gives them an even broader appeal. And that makes The Face Of Mount Molehill one of the best albums of year.

"Lament" opens the album with a soft emotional plea. Cowley takes the listener on a journey that is mostly reflective and poignant. "Rooster Was A Witness" feels like an E.S.T. piece with big themes and arrangements. New bassist Rex Horan provides muscle and versatility that adds to Cowley's "all things are possible with music attitude" writing style. This all allows Jenkins to really cut loose with abandon.


"Fable" booms into the frame like something from Joe Jackson's best years. It's upbeat, fierce and well balanced. Kept on one fast tone, "Fable" makes a statement that Neil Cowley is here to change things around this session. 

"Skies Are Rare" returns us to Cowley's classical origins but with big ballad overtures. The piece undulates and maneuvers slowly with grace and beauty. But it also shows Cowley's panache for diversity. The title track is another moment where you might expect a vocalist to drop in but it is an appeal and highly enjoyable piece - uptempo and a chorus that sticks in your head for hours later.


"Siren's Last Look Back" is short but beautifully closes out this session on a deep yet sparse note. It's has an ambient quality to it that really carries you out on a dreamlike state.

The Face Of Mount Molehill is a long journey through the experiences of life's ups and downs. And Neil Cowley has once again proven his trio is one of the most diverse in England and possibly Europe at the moment. The gap between all others and the revered Esbjorn Svensson Trio may soon shrink if Cowley keeps this up. Highly Recommended.

Jared Gold: Golden Child

Jared Gold (organ)

Golden Child (Posi-Tone Records; 2012)

Quincy Davis (drums)

Ed Cherry (guitar)

Rolling along in a funkier groove than his previous quartet outing, All Wrapped Up, Jared Gold returns right on time with another soul jazz gem--Golden Child. This time in a trio session with Ed Cherry (guitar) and Quincy Davis (drums). It's like John Patton, Wes Montgomery and Billy Higgins been have locked in a room with a large chest of soul classics to get them through the night.

Opening with a charged up version of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come," Gold keeps the soulful impact of the impassioned ballad but adds a fire and urgency that makes the piece his own. Cherry's guitar provides the romantic element, while Davis applies the groove beat that makes for an uplifting opener to a journey that is about to sizzle.

At times this feels like a raw version of Medeski Martin Wood. It's the grit and the groove without the dramatics. That's a good thing on Golden Child. It leaves you squarely focused on the tune. "14 Carat Gold"  is the trio in a blues mood with a few twists and turns created through Gold's unique and varied lens. His improvised lines about two thirds in are smokin'. He really has a way of turning the organ into more than just the funk/blues instrument it's sometimes associated with. His lines feel like they were performed first on the piano (which I'm sure was not the case)--they are crisp, inventive and flowing.

With "Pensa Em Mim," Gold projects a soft gospel tone that soothes and creates a jubilant Sunday morning vibe. Gold's organ rises and falls while Cherry and Davis distribute colourful touches around the edges. It's somber but with a joyous undertone. "Times Up" crackles with heavy rapid exchanges during the opener by Gold and Davis. Gold tears into the keys like it was the last performance ever. The intensity is fueled by the bebop spirit that came before but Gold projects his own vision that makes this a very dynamic piece.

Jared Gold has always been consistent on each of his sessions and Golden Child is no different. Here you get a the fire and chill but you also get a trio that sounds stellar through and through. This is not an artist that you have to start at the beginning to understand. Jared Gold is one of the exciting ones that allows you to dive in at whatever point you choose. Let's hope you choose Golden Child as that primer. 

Marty Ehrlich: Frog Leg Logic

Marty Ehrlich (sax)

Frog Leg Logic (Clean Feed; 2011)

James Zollar (trumpet)

Hank Roberts (cello)

Michale Sarin (drums)

So I've really only starting getting into Marty Ehrlich work in the last few months but what I have listened to has impressed me beyond belief. His most recent, Frog Leg Logic, with his Rites Quartet is, simply put -- sumptuous. A melting pot of themes, developed by a solid band and a great deal of inventive writing by Ehrlich, makes Frog Leg Logic a joy to experience from start to finish.

Built on post-bop aesthetics, Ehrlich leads this quartet through some fantastic compositions. In addition, the members each rise to the challenge and create some high voltage duel exchanges with their leader. "Frog Leg Logic" opens up with this high energy and never let's go. Zollar and Ehrlich have intense exchanges that fuel this piece with a confidence and boldness that carries throughout the session. Sarin's drumming is rapid-fire but with a rhythmic quality that will have you banging along with the beat.

"Ballade" with its expansive yet reflective mood gives the listener a sweet sense of the blues as seen through the eyes of Ehrlich and Roberts. Hank Roberts' performance on cello is amazing. He plays the instrument with such smoothness and diversity that you almost don't recognize it as a cello until you look at the album credits. Really incredible musicianship. Ehrlich has a few moments throughout this piece where he and the group spin outward into a more free form atmosphere but then quickly return to the blues base of the song and eventually let you fade gently into its closing chords.

"Walk Along The Way" settles into an almost third-stream mood. It's sparse, dense and quiet. Sarin and Roberts add elements and harmonics that echo back and forth in your eardrums. Ehrlich's performance is steady and exploratory. Improvised notes and breaking patterns that are aptly matched by Zollar, making a stellar tandem.


"Solace" showcases the quartet in a funky yet quiet mode. Almost Brazilian at heart, this piece is romantic yet avant garde all in the span of a few short minutes. Ehrlich takes up flute for this one and sounds perfectly at home, providing refreshing perspective and contrast to the previous tracks leading up to this point.

"The Gravediggers Respite" returns the listener to the original themes of the session's opener. Ehrlich and Zollar are rolling with thunder and verve that will have you excited and stunned. Zollar is sublime, rattling off notes like Dizzy Reece or Clifford Brown. Sarin delivers a scorching improvised solo towards the end.

I was blown away by Frog Leg Logic. Fred Ehrlich shows that he may be one of the best kept secrets on both sides of the Atlantic. Frog Leg Logic is a brilliant work with various motifs that I think will be eye opening for many.

Inner Ear: Breathing Steam

Inner Ear (group)

Breathing Steam (1kilogram Records; 2012)

Mikolaj Trzaska (sax)

Tim Daisy (drums)

Per Ake Homlander (tuba)

Steve Swell (trombone)

Made up of members from Ken Vandermark's Resonance Ensemble, Inner Ear takes much of the Chicago sax man's ethics and expands on it for this stellar debut, Breathing Steam. The reduced size of the group (a quartet) allows the themes from Resonance to--as the title suggests--breath. There is a bit more experimentation as well as harmonic resilience throughout this session.

There's no leader here, so each musician gets an opportunity to stretch their chords as only the burst energy that is the opener, "Lonely Consumer." Trzaska and Daisy tear through notes in counterpoint fashion. It's a duel of juxtapositions, with Trzaska screeching into heavens; while Daisy adds staccato patterns all around. It's beautifully laid out. Vandermark would be very happy. "Monster Confession" is dark and loose. The group move in various haunting directions with Homlander's tuba presenting some ominous sounds and then folding into some great improvised work by Daisy and Swell.

"For Our Mothers" has soft avant-blues texture to it. The quartet moves slowly through some dark passages with Trzaska portraying almost a funeral-like tone. Swell and Homlander add a  billowing quality to this offering that quietly fades into the distance just as it began.

Breathing Steam might be just a one-off for these members of the larger Resonance Ensemble but its a rich and organic experience that is many times over worth listening and looking out for. Sometimes the sum is just as good and significant as the whole. Inner Ear is rewarding stuff.