Hi-Res Downloads

96kHz/24-bit WAV, ALAC, FLAC, Naim Jazz Records Naim CD206 (supplied by www.naimlabel.com)

Former Brand New Heavies keyboardist Neil Cowley – a child prodigy playing Shostakovich piano concertos at the age of ten – can arguably lay claim to being one of the world’s most heard pianists in current times, having accompanied Adele on both her 19 and 21 albums. This fifth release from the trio with drummer Evan Jenkins and bassist Rex Horan (who replaced Richard Sadler after 2010’s Naim album Radio Silence) sees Cowley once again crossing myriad musical boundaries. His compositions encompass everything from playful jazz-funk and dance rhythms to anthem-like pop and prog-rock chord progressions – making the description of Cowley’s trio as ‘jazz for Radiohead fans’ highly appropriate. Recorded in London’s RAK studios, Touch And Flee is a fabulous recording with a naturally open and authentic sound to the piano, bass and drums, and with lifelike dynamics. JB

Sound Quality: 85%

Hi-Fi News Lab Report

This 96kHz download sees the trio performing as just that [The Face Of Mount Molehill – HFN Oct ’12 – included strings and guitar] but the clean rendering, free of digital artifice and compression, is equally refreshing. PM