Stanley Cowell
Are You Real? (Steeplechase SCCD 31790)
No Illusions (Steeplechase SCCD 31828)

YOU can hear virtually the entire century of jazz glories in Stanley Cowell’s piano. His lifetime doesn’t quite stretch that far — only three-quarters of that history. 

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The works of some of these are the themes of Cowell’s very singular piano artistry on his 2014 album, Are You Real? in which sheer serendipity caused him to be accompanied by two other powerful confreres, bassist Jay Anderson from Upland, California, who began his career playing with the Woody Herman Orchestra and has played with almost everybody else since, and the 57-year-old drummer from Newport News, Virginia, Billy Drummond — leader of his own bands and accompanist of pianists from Andrew Hill, Carla Bley and his wife Renee Rosnes.