Jazz breaking news: Cool hand Cowherd’s quiet storm

In drummer Brian Blade and double bassist John Patitucci there is one half of the Wayne Shorter quartet while guitarist Steve Cardenas is a subtle star in Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra. As for leader-pianist Cowherd, he has a long running association with Blade and has also produced Lizz Wright.

The credentials, then, are impeccable and the palpable anticipation of the audience at this London Pizza Express date makes it clear that this is a highly respected, if not much loved ensemble, even if Cowherd’s profile in the UK is relatively low. It is nonetheless easy to see why the music has such immense appeal. The lyricism is supreme, with each piece marked by yearning, deeply emotive themes that are sometimes relatively sparse in construction, as Cowherd is wont to let his notes breathe and vividly resonate over a song’s pulse.

Fittingly, the accompanying figures from the whole ensemble strike a balance between the more fleet-footed character of swing and the unhurried, often heavily sustained legato notes of country and gospel. The sacred sensibility is indeed strong and there are moments when the music feels as if it has distilled both the voice and texts of James Cleveland, Joni Mitchell or Cassandra Wilson into haunting, wordless sounds.

Cardenas’ alternation of spindly, steely lines and tougher, crunchier chords is crucial insofar as he lends the music a muscularity that is not at all lumbering, and this blend of finesse and force characterises each element of the group. ‘The Mercy Suite’ may be a highlight of the evening for its sultry narrative sweep but as soloists the players are superlative. Patitucci is depth and fluidity, Blade measured funkiness amid cultured comping, Cowherd sophistication rooted in earthiness.

– Kevin Le Gendre