Visitors and locals will get the chance to hear one of the most sought after jazz trios in the world for free in what’s being billed as a highlight of next month’s ASB Queenstown JazzFest.
Direct from the UK, the multi-talented Neil Cowley Trio will give a very special performance in the intimate surrounds of the Novotel Queenstown Lakeside’s Gallery Bar on Thursday 22 October.
Renowned for their captivating live shows featuring traditional jazz standards, original compositions and covers of contemporary pop songs, the trio has received international acclaim.
Their debut album Displaced won BBC Jazz CD of the Year in 2007 and the trio has featured on BBC’s Later with Jools Holland show, on the front of Jazzwise, the UK's leading jazz magazine, and played on the Jazz World Stage at the Glastonbury Festival.
Queenstown Jazz Festival trustee Nicola Lindsay says it’s a real coup for the festival to present one of the best and most “in demand” jazz trios in the world.
“The Neil Cowley Trio has emerged as one of the pre-eminent exponents of the new contemporary sound of jazz piano trios.
“They take the concept and sound of the traditional piano trio and blow it out of the water - think of the energy and drive of The Clash, transfer it into a three-piece band and you’ve got the Neil Cowley Trio.
“They’re absolutely captivating on stage, not just for their energetic and forceful melodies, catchy hooks, soulful moments and thrilling climaxes, but also for the remarkable rapport they build with their audiences. Neil Cowley is very funny and keeps the crowd amused in between songs,” she says.
Considered one of the finest pianists of his generation, London-born Cowley was a child prodigy and first performed a Shostakovich piano concerto at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall at the tender age of 10. At 17 he answered an ad in Melody Maker which propelled him into the world of pop.
The dazzling young pianist and composer then moved into keyboards and performed with some of the best soul and funk bands of the time including Gabrielle, Brand New Heavies and Zero 7.
In 2002, Cowley formed his own band, Fragile State, and produced two critically-acclaimed jazz chill-out albums.
He then gave up computer-generated music and returned to the piano. He began composing and eventually formed the Neil Cowley Trio joined by Richard Sadler on double bass and Evan Jenkins on drums.
Ms Lindsay says the trio’s Novotel concert will be “a perfect setting for an engaging wine, dine and jazz evening.”
Concert-goers can start the evening with drinks in the Novotel Queenstown Lakeside’s award-winning rose garden from 5pm accompanied by the cool sounds of DJ Mark Robinson from Auckland’s GEORGE FM Jazz Station. Dining options include a sumptuous à la carte menu upstairs at Elements restaurant or delicious Mediterranean-style pizzas cooked in the outdoor wood-fired pizza oven.
Music lovers can also catch the Neil Cowley Trio during the day on Wednesday 21 October and Thursday 22 October on the Village Green Community Stage.
The ASB Queenstown JazzFest runs from 17 to 26 October and brings music to the masses in a 10-day live music celebration which showcases a breadth of jazz styles from around New Zealand and the world.
Festival tickets can be purchased online through www.asbjazzfest.co.nz, at Queenstown i-Site (corner of Shotover and Camp streets) or by calling TicketDirect on 0800 224 224 (03 450 9110).
