b. London, England, 5 November 1972. Cowley was a pianist since childhood. He received a scholarship from the Royal Academy of Music and performed classical music at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall at the age of 10. However, his music influences include Erroll Garner and Ahmad Jamal, as well as Frank Zappa. Cowley played in a pub band from 14 and was a member of his own Mission Impossible. At 18 he was in the soul and funk band Pasadenas and then Brand New Heavies. He also recorded and traveled internationally. He recorded as Diamond Wookie in 1997, and that same year he joined the psych-trance band Green Nuns Of The Revolution. He recorded under the name Freil in the late 90s and worked with East West Connection and other artists. Cowley was a keyboard player with Zero 7 in 2001 and has been a member of a trio that includes Richard Sadler (bass), and Evan Jenkins (drums). Co-written with Siedah Garrett, his song, “Rain Down Love”, was a Freemasons hit in 2007. The debut album of the Neil Cowley Trio, Dis-placed (2006), was an ambitious collection of modern jazz that drew heavily on Cowley’s experiences with electronica and soul. The album received high praise and was awarded the BBC Jazz Awards Album Of The The Year. Allmusic
