Neil Cowley Trio - Live At Montreux 2012 (2013)

Caught in concert at Miles Davis Hall at the 2012 Montreux Jazz Festival, pianist Neil Cowley and his trio mates of Rex Horan/b and Evan Jenkins/dr up the ante by including a fascinating string quartet for a number of their compositions. Unlike many “with strings” recordings, Cowley uses the extra strings to make important augmentation, and not just extra fluff on material like “Distance By Clockwork” and “The Face of Mount Molehill;” the strings wait for just the right time to make their entrance, and it adds to the trio like extra brush strokes on a canvas. Cowley uses all instruments wisely, opening unaccompanied on “Lament” and letting the trio show what they can do without extra accoutrements on “Meyer,” yet in each milieu the focus is on well constructed themes with well crafted directions and solos. Glows up warmer with each listen. ~ George W. Harris -- JazzWeekly.com