Neil Cowley Trio play National Concert Hall, Dublin on 14th July + FREE digital download EP to ticket holders who apply before 10th July.

Announcing a special promo in collaboration with National Concert Hall- Dublin.... All purchasers of tickets before 10th July will receive a free and digital download of our new 'Revolution EP'.
This digital only EP features our version of the Beatles track 'Revolution no.9' recorded for Mojo magazines recent 'White Album Recovered'. As Mojo themselves said of this track, here we take a moment to "plunge headlong into freeform chaos!!" Also included on the EP are 3 original and previously unreleased tracks which we are very excited about presenting to you.

On purchasing a ticket from the National Concert Hall, you will be given a ticket order number. This can then be used to collect your free ep by emailing this ticket number to office@note.ie. This is an exclusive offer for our Dublin date.

Follow this link to purchase tickets...

http://www.nch.ie/Box-Office/Performances/Neil-Cowley-Trio.aspx

Hope to see you at the gig... and hope you like the new music.

http://tinyurl.com/nctnbc (after the Chevy ad!)

You can now listen to the WNYC radio show we recorded last Monday in NYC. http://tinyurl.com/kvu2q5

An amazing night. A 1000 people, two standing ovations and church bell solo. Plus we get to be on NBC news.  Let's retire!!

So here I sit in a 'recharge' area with so many hours to kill between flights. I fell victim to the notion that customs in the US would hold us up for half a day and of course it turned out to be smooth smooth smooth. Reflecting on the last couple of weeks. Ronnie Scotts was a real boost to the trio morale. We haven't been that nervous collectively for a very long time. Ten minutes before performance the dressing room was ugly. My legs and went and nausea nearly had me revisiting the rider. Something about the reputation of the venue and its Jazz credentials and apprehension about our fitting in the to the venue ethic. But... as all around us said it would.. it was just brilliant. The audience were behind us all the way, and though it wasn't the most relaxed performance you'll see us do, we did ourselves real justice I felt. As is always our ambition with every gig we strived to connect with all in the room and it certainly felt like we came close.

Now we are doing a three gig juant in New York and Boston. Cafe 939 in Boston tomorrow night, Rochester Jazz Festival on Sunday and Joes Pub in New York on Tuesday. So many friends coming down to that one. Just seen that Prince Edward turned up at the Rochester festival so maybe well be mixing with the hoy palloy and I'll get a knighthood or a manhood or a robin hood or some such thing. For the meantime it's back to an impression of America based on eight hours in an airport lounge. Please, please send us a pilot that remembers the way. Remember... keep up with us on www.twitter.com/neilcowleytrio.... Neil x

Neil Cowley Trio play RONNIE SCOTTS on Thursday 4th June + FREE digital download EP to ticket holders.

Announcing a special promo in collaboration with Ronnie Scotts.... All purchasers of £20 and £30 tickets for this gig will receive a free and pre-release digital download of our forthcoming Revolution EP.
This digital only EP features our version of the Beatles track 'Revolution no.9' recorded for Mojo magazines recent White Album Recovered'. As Mojo themselves said of this track, here we take a moment to "plunge headlong into freeform chaos!!" Also included on the EP are 3 original and previously unreleased tracks which we are very excited about presenting to you.

On purchasing a ticket from Ronnie Scotts, your email will be stored and around two weeks before the official release of the digital EP (somewhere around mid May) you will be sent a link to download the tracks for free. Giving you the chance to hear it well before anyone else.

Follow this link to purchase tickets...

http://www.ronniescotts.co.uk/performances/booktickets/556/neil-cowley-trio/

Hope to see you at the gig... and hope you like the new music.

After a winter of hibernation to the sound of pen scribbling and new compositions, peppered with cobweb ridding rehearsals in my new practice room at the end of my garden, it was good to get back on the road and do what we do best. Playing, expressing and making exhibitions of ourselves. Paris, Hamburg and Munich were a spring tonic for our three weary souls. Now I think we feel that spring in our step of a new album approaching. Though release looks a way off yet: routining and recording will keep us busy. We even got to play a few of the newies last week at the gigs.

I did a blind selection from my DVD collection last night and found myself watching 'my best fiend' by Werner Herzog. The documentary film which tells the tempestuous story of Herzog and Klaus Kinskis working relationship. The imagery of that film is food enough. But Herzogs poetic narrative and Kinskis demonic eyes captivate utterly. Everyone chooses to express their madeness in different ways. Kinskis was so pushed to the surface, his spirit virtually sat on the end of his nose. His acting seemed to give the tormenting voices inside his head a channel. I know that I express my confusion through music. Like Gerard Depardieu and hisempathy with English football hooligans I fear that without it I could easily be lead towards more violent or destructive pastimes. I could certainly do self destructive with aplomb with a little less purpose. Thank God (as they all seem to think) I pummel the shit out of the piano rather than the opposing supporters. Actually I think I approach the piano with sensitvity, but I'm sure 'they' know best.

So as the year draws to a close and everyone looks back on the past year I think I can say it's been an exciting year for the Neil Cowley Trio. The release of Loud Louder Stop, the appearance on Later with Jools Holland, Glastonbury festival, iTunes festival, Rabat: Morocco, Canal St in Norway, the marathon at the London Jazz Festival. All great memories and a whole bunch of new friends. Though on a personal level it's been the hardest yet, with the premature birth of my daughter in January. I'm happy to say just these last few weeks she has begun to look really bonny and chunky in the cheeks, making her utterly eatable!

Yet the hunger for more highs is spurring us on to kick start next year already. A new album late on I think, more gigs overseas certainly in the early part of the year. Keep an eye on the tour page. Will get round to going public with a few soon. Promise.

..and as a nice addendum to this 12 months we were named Sunday Times album Jazz album and Mojo put us at no.49 in their top 50 albums of 2008. What a lovely xmas gift. Up from no.51 last year too!

See you after the Christmas break I hope and a Hairy Christmas from us three... xxx

Next week as part of the London Jazz Festival I am to be given a video phone with which to wander around the festival filming myself enjoying (or not) the events. I will quite possibly get to interview some esteemed artists too. Jez Nelson also has one of these phones. It will be visible on the BBC website and various others I believe. When I know more I'll post here. In the meantime, if you see me at the festival, don't pinch my phone. Auntie will come down hard!

Well I really wanted to be affected by that. Actually I was only affected by the experience of being in a classroom again. I realised I have unresolved classroom issues. The instinct to run is quite intoxicating.

The assembled group were a troubled bunch. One guy blamed Eastern European drivers for the state of the roads. One guy said "do you know what I mean" so often that at times sentences were so short and imbalanced towards "do you know what I mean" that I didn't know what he meant. Most people didn't see the need to have the class over and done with as quickly as possible. Even the lecturer was looking at his watch. Also most didn't see the pointlessness of venting their spleen to a guy that was only there for income supplement (his day job is as a driving instructor) and gassed on to him regardless about what was wrong with British roads.

For my part.. I was affected by the video evidence explaining the consequences of speeding by even a few mph and was interested to note where my driving could be improved, and yet despite this and with a real desire to not speed I was tipping over the speed limit within ten minutes of leaving the class. What is to be done with human nature???