Jon Cowherd

Cowherd was born and raised in Kentucky. Being a son of musicians (and music educators), Cowherd began music at an early age singing, playing the piano, French horn and violin. In 1985 Cowherd moved to New Orleans to attend Loyola University, where he studied jazz piano and improvisation under Crescent City legends Ellis Marsalis, John Mahoney, Steve Masakowski, and Michael Pellera.[2][5]

In New Orleans Cowherd began his partnership with drummer Brian Blade, in which they later formed the Brian Blade Fellowship together in 1997. The Fellowship consists of bassist Chris Thomas, saxophonists Myron Walden and Melvin Butler, guitarist Jeff Parker, pedal steel guitarist Dave Easley and guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel. The Fellowship Band released their debut album in 1998, their second album, Perceptual in 2000 and their third album, Season of Changes, in 2008. Cowherd is referred to as "the band's secondary leader",[6] whose playing "shows an artful touch to the keys in ways Thelonious Monk used to".[7] Cowherd also worked with Brian Blade in his debut singer-songwriter album Mama Rosa, which was released in 2009 on Verve Records.[8]

In 1993, Cowherd moved to New York City, where he earned his master's degree in Jazz Studies from the Manhattan School of Music.[9] Cowherd is currently a member of Cassandra Wilson's band, and has previously worked with Rosanne Cash, Lizz Wright, Iggy Pop, Marc Cohn, Mark Olson, Victoria Williams, Daniel Lanois, Joni Mitchell, John Leventhal, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Dave Easley, Jeff Parker, Marcus Strickland and Jack Wilkins.[10][11]

As a producer, Cowherd has overseen albums by Lizz Wright, Alyssa Graham and The Local NYC. He also recently served as keyboardist for and co-musical director for the all-star Joni Jazz concert at the Hollywood Bowl, in honor of Joni Mitchell, where he performed with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Chaka Khan, Kurt Elling, Aimee Mann, Glen Hansard and Cassandra Wilson.[2][3]

Cowherd's debut album as a leader, Mercy, was released in 2013 on ArtistShare. Mercy features Brian Blade, John Patitucci, and Bill Frisell.[5][12] Reviewing the album for allaboutjazz, John Kelman said:

And the chemistry shared amongst these four players is no coincidence; instead, it's the sum total of working together in various combinations, just never in this particular one, with Blade representing a connective thread; in addition to his work with Cowherd in the Fellowship Band and his relationship with Patitucci in Shorter's quartet, Blade also toured with Frisell and the perennially undervalued Sam Yahel in 2004, in a trio that never released a commercial recording but is documented in the fourth installment of the guitarist's ongoing Live Download Series.

With music this well-conceived and a band so telepathically connected, it may have taken Cowherd a long time to release an album under his own name, but with Mercy as the result, it's been well worth the wait; hopefully there won't be such a long one for the follow-up.[13]

• Official Jon Cowherd Website
• Official Jon Cowherd Facebook Page