Widely acclaimed as a composer of dynamic, cinematic music
and having "genuine vision" (The Sunday Times), pianist Neil Cowley
presents his latest creation, a bold exercise in atmosphere and emotion; an
ambitious multi layered outing that's quite possibly his most musically
confident statement to date.
'Spacebound Apes' - Cowley's 6th studio album with his trio
- is a concept album; a glorious, hypnotic
soundtrack to an out-of-the ordinary, thought-provoking tale of one man-
Lincoln- an everyday kind of guy whose unfolding blog reveals a bizarre story
that culminates with the album release and show. This intriguing and inspiring story is woven
together with some of the most impassioned music that Neil has created.
Spacebound Apes Live sees Neil Cowley Trio perform the album
in its entirety. As on the album, Cowley is joined by long-time band mates,
Evan Jenkins on drums and Rex Horan on bass.
Together, they present a powerful, atmospheric and captivating musical
tale ensuring that Spacebound Apes Live in North America is a rare treat and
one of the must-see shows this summer!
On bringing the Trio back to North America, Cowley said,
"well it's been a while since we flew across the Atlantic but 'Lincoln'
our main character from our new album 'Spacebound Apes' is finally putting his
feet down on American and Canadian soil. We'll be presenting a lot of the new
album, which includes a fair few electronic components; a departure for us...
as well as some of our more familiar high energy material. Montreal and
Vancouver are extremely vivid and fond memories for us, and we're dead excited
about creating new ones in places we've longed to visit such as Nashville and
Chicago."
"This is a project 'I've been working towards for a
long time" Cowley says. "It takes in themes of guilt, fear, loss and
longing with a few twists along the way. It's been utterly immersive yet incredibly
exciting. And yes, I'm not ashamed to say it, it's a concept album!" He continues, "It sounds a bit cryptic,
but hopefully everyone will come along for the ride". Catch up with the story so far.
www.spaceboundapes.com
Spacebound Apes musically charts Lincoln's journey. Hypnotic passages create heart-pounding
suspense while sweet, whispered themes create heart-shattering empathy. Bold, bombastic tunes create drama, and in a
departure from Cowley and his trio's more usual acoustic setting, electronics
orchestrate desolation and despair. And
while the inclusion of a choir brings an emotional depth of mammoth
proportions, it's the epic finale, The Return of Lincoln, that stuns and
silences.
By his mid-teens, Neil Cowley had given up a promising
classical music career (having performed a Shostakovich piano concerto at the
age of ten to a full house at London's Queen Elizabeth Hal) in favour of his
true passion - old school RnB, soul and funk.
He went on to tour and record with some of the most successful bands of
the day including Brand New Heavies and Zero 7 alongside his own chill-out band
Fragile State. Since then, Cowley has
become the go-to pianist lending his golden touch to many chart smashing hits
including contributions to Adele's global chart toppers, 19 and 21 making him
quite literally 2011's most listened to pianist on the planet!
In 2005 Cowley returned to his first love, the piano, and
formed the Neil Cowley Trio with whom he has released five highly acclaimed
studio albums; Displaced (2006) winner of the BBC Jazz Award for Best Album;
Loud Louder Stop (2008), hailed by Mojo as a "Modern Classic"; Radio
Silence (2010), The Face of Mount Molehill (2012), arranged for a string
ensemble that earned them the a Jazz Fm award for Best UK Jazz Act and Touch
and Flee (2014)that cemented his credentials as a brilliant, dazzling composer.
The trio's new album Spacebound Apes could quite possibly be
Neil's crowning glory.
June 24th: Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival
June 25th: Nashville City Winery
June 26th: Lincoln Hall, Chicago, IL
June 27th: TD Toronto Jazz Festival
June 29th: TD Ottawa Jazz Festival
June 30th: TD Victoria International Jazz Fest
July 1st: TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival
July 4th: Festival International De Jazz De Montreal
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