Neil Cowley


Neil Cowley is a composer. He has also released music as part of Fragile State, the Green Nuns of the Revolution, and the Neil Cowley Trio. With his trio, he appeared on Later... with Jools Holland in April 2008 and won the 2007 BBC Jazz Award for best album for Displaced.. In 2018 Cowley announced he was working on a new electronic focused solo project.

Biography

Cowley was born in London. He began as a classical pianist and performed a Shostakovich piano concerto at the age of 10 at Queen Elizabeth Hall. In his late teens Cowley moved into being a keyboardist for soul and funk acts Mission Impossible, the Brand New Heavies, Gabrielle and Zero 7. He also appeared as a co-composer and session musician with the jazz-rock group Samuel Purdey. An early album was "Foxbury Rules", released under the pseudonym Diamond Wookie.
In 2002 he formed the duo Fragile State with Ben Mynott; after its end, the Neil Cowley Trio. In 2006 he released an album called Soundcastles under the name Pretz.
In 2008 the Neil Cowley Trio recorded cover versions of the Beatles' "Revolution 1" and "Revolution 9" for Mojo magazine. In 2012, he appeared as the session pianist on Adele's album 21.
In 2013 he was Musician in Residence for Derry when it was designated the inaugural UK City of Culture.
On 16 September 2016 the album Spacebound Apes was released by Neil Cowley Trio.
In 2018 Neil announced that the trio was on hiatus and he was working on a new electronic focused project.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

Neil Cowley Trio
Live At Montreux 2012
Neil Cowley
With Diamond Wookie
With Fragile State
With Green Nuns of the Revolution
With Pretz
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