Jon Cowherd
Nashville’s as good a place as any to put together a stacked band of players with ears for their chosen musical style’s regional roots. For evidence, look no further than the new jazz ensemble COW.
“I kind of had envisioned the concept of this band to be a mix of those ’70s Dr. John records and ’70s Miles Davis, if you can combine those things,” says Jon Cowherd, the seasoned pianist who is the band’s namesake.
Cowherd chases those and other sounds in a four-piece that includes two longtime friends from his years in New York: guitarist Ryan Scott and drummer Keith Carlock. Scott is earning quite the positive reputation around town as a singer-songwriter, while Carlock has sat behind the kit for such legends as Toto, Steely Dan and Sting. Fourth member Mike Elizondo is a Dr. Dre protégé whose writing credits range from 50 Cent’s “In da Club” to Carrie Underwood’s “Cowboy Casanova.” The renowned producer and multi-instrumentalist has won three Grammy Awards from seven nominations.
“I met [Elizondo] through the radio show that Chris Thile did that came after A Prairie Home Companion, called Live From Here,” Cowherd explains. “Mike Elizondo was the musical director of that, and I met him doing that gig. We ended up doing some Joni Mitchell tributes and things together.”
Cowherd is accomplished in his own right, namely for his Grammy-nominated work with drummer Brian Blade in the Brian Blade Fellowship. Cowherd’s discography dates back 30 years and includes two full-length albums as a band leader: Mercy (2013) and Pride & Joy (2023). Between Cowherd’s growing catalog of originals and his bandmates’ own distinct musical voices, there’s plenty of space in a live setting for jazz improvisation.
“I like to leave a bit of room for freedom,” Cowherd says. “There will be some sections of the songs that are meant to be open so we can take it somewhere new and somewhere exciting.”
COW’s Aug. 16 appearance at Analog at Hutton Hotel, a joint presentation with the Nashville Jazz Workshop, is the group’s second show. Their debut gig was earlier this year at Rudy’s Jazz Room.
“There are a number of instrumentals that I’ve written over the years, and I’m choosing things that have kind of a New Orleans flavor because I went to college there and I’m a big fan of that sort of brand of funk that they do — Dr. John, The Meters … kind of that style,” Cowherd says. “I have some originals in that style, and I’ve arranged some covers to be in that style. So it’s a mix.”
Cowherd sings in COW. That’s a role he’s rarely embraced outside of his past duties in Rosanne Cash’s band.
“They’ve all played with singers and produced singers, so I know they’re the right musicians to play with and to try this with,” Cowherd explains. “There’s definitely comfort with these guys to try things.”
A native of Paducah, Ky., whose wife has relatives in Nashville, Cowherd moved to town a year-and-a-half ago for more than just family ties and regional familiarity.
“I’ve always wondered what kind of fun things musically I could get into here,” he says. “I have a lot of friends that have moved here from New York, where I lived before here for about 30 years. I know there’s so many great musicians here, and hopefully I can get into the recording scene a little bit.”
Cowherd’s immersion into the local studio scene will likely net more than additional session work for the former Iggy Pop collaborator. After all, he’d love to record with COW, as he’s constantly working on new arrangements and new originals for the quartet.
