RecommNeds | Jamie Saft & Neil Cowley Trio

Piano forte

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Jamie Saft with Steve Swallow & Bobby Previte: The New Standard

A majority of the time you go see or listen to Jamie Saft play music you’re typically getting something that’s kinda in your face, one way or the other: from heavy-duty metal-infected instrumentals to the far-flung fusion of Zorn’s Electric Masada. But Saft is one of those guys that’s unpredictable, and on his new album, The New Standard, he takes an old school jazzman’s laid back approach. Joined by drummer Bobby Previte (who’s no stranger to going out there) and career all-star sideman Steve Swallow on bass, Saft delivers a fantastic jazz album. For the most part, the sound is fairly straightforward piano trio stuff, but it crackles with the wild energy of the musicians just beneath the surface… and it sounds really damn good.

Rdio: http:/ /www.rdio.com/artist/Jamie_Saft

Spotify: Jamie Saft – The New Standard

Rhapsody: http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/bobby-previte/album/the-new-standard

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Neil Cowley Trio: Touch and Flee

What can I say, I love a good jazz piano trio, and I’m always on the lookout for threesomes that are pushing the boundary. Thankfully, I finally got my ear turned to the Neil Cowley Trio (what took me so long, I don’t know) who are highly evocative of one facet of my gold standard trio, The Bad Plus. Hailing from the UK, Cowley, joined by Evan Jenkins on drums and Rex Horan on bass, play gorgeous, layered, building compositions closer to something Thom Yorke would produce than Duke Ellington. Each piece is a work of art and the trio just clicks like the best of ‘em always do. This is my favorite jazz album of 2014 to date, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Rdio: http://www.rdio.com/artist/Neil_Cowley _Trio/album/Touch_and_Flee/

Spotify: Neil Cowley Trio – Touch and Flee

Rhapsody: http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/neil-cowley-trio/album/touch-and-flee

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Written By: Aaron Stein