Piano and organ ace Jon Cowherd has talents that are apparent to the best musicians of many stripes; over the years he’s appeared on records by artists as diverse as Lizz Wright, Iggy Pop, Doyle Bramhall II, Roseanne Cash and Norah Jones. But the Kentucky native had opted to lead his own dates sparingly. He finally debuted with Marcy in 2013 and only followed up once with the quietly released Gateway a few years later.
Pride and Joy by the Jon Cowherd Trio is now his third as a leader, and as it comes on the heels of some personal life changes: a move from bustling Brooklyn to the remote Rockies, the birth of his daughter and the temporary isolation of virus-induced lockdown. These things informed his music but really, his own rich life’s experience as a musician worked well for him, too.
The Jon Cowherd Trio is pretty legit on paper as it boasts Brian Blade on drums and John Patitucci on bass. Blade is not just a world-class drummer but also Cowherd’s pal going back to their days together studying to become musicians at New Orleans’ Loyola University. Eventually, the two would create the Brian Blade Fellowship that has churned out one excellent album after another since the late ’90s.
Patitucci, of course, is about as equally highly regarded as a bassist, and he’s played alongside Blade in Wayne Shorter’s quartet. Thus, Cowherd’s rhythm section came to him already crystallized, and it’s really no surprise that the Jon Cowherd Trio is pretty legit in actuality, too.
“The Colorado Experiment” doesn’t just refer to Cowherd’s new surroundings in Grand Junction, Colo., but also a product of intently listening and picking apart Chick Corea’s 1968 classic Now He Sings, Now He Sobs album, and it’s uncanny how convincing the three can soar and evoke the spirits of Corea/Vitous/Haynes. “Plainfield,” on the other hand, calls out to Bill Evans via his New Jersey hometown. But, Cowherd puts his own mark on the performance, starting with the Hammond B3 lurking in the background. During his solo, Blade and Patitucci can be heard responding acutely to the leader’s every lyrical turn and phrasing.
If you didn’t know Patitucci can play such an affecting bass, you’d come away convinced after hearing this sensitive tribute to the late Ellis Marsalis “Honest Man.” “Chickmonk” is a Patitucci piece and as the name implies, draws inspiration from both Corea and Thelonious Monk. The composer stars in his own song, delivering a swinging aside quickly followed by Cowherd’s own swinging excursion.
For three tracks, the super trio grows into a super quintet. Starting with “Grand Mesa,” Chris Potter (sax) and Alex Acuña (percussion) bolster the band, keeping things spacious with Potter bringing his typically dauntless but accessible horn. “Little Scorpio,” dedicated to Cowherd’s young daughter, is cherubic and breezy – made more so by Potter’s soprano sax – with a melody that would go quite well with the Fellowship. “Pride & Joy” testifies to Cowherd’s ability as a serious composer, a detailed piece agilely carried out by all five.
Closing the album quietly is “Quilt City Blues” is an attractive, folk-styled tune written by Blade for his old cohort, and Cowherd chose to play it solo on piano.
Pride and Joy (Le Coq Records) is available now over at Bandcamp.
- How Norah Jones Continued to Push Against Convention With ‘The Fall’ - November 23, 2024
- McCoy Tyner and Joe Henderson – ‘Forces of Nature: Live at Slugs’ (2024) - November 21, 2024
- Lydia Salnikova, “Christmas Means a Different Thing This Year” (2024): One Track Mind - November 19, 2024
