Say the name “Jon Cowherd” in elite jazz circles, and his acclaim is that of a towering, tender pianist, organist, and electronic keyboardist who’s equally at ease in cross-genre exploration as he is with jazz greats. The foremost example is Joni Mitchell, with whom Cowherd played and produced the legendary songwriter’s Joni 75: A project in 2018. (Relatedly, he played piano on Joni acolyte Brandi Carlile’s concerts performing the Blue album in Los Angeles and New York.) He has additionally recorded with Lizz Wright, Norah Jones, Cassandra Wilson, and punk rocker-turned-lounge-lizard Iggy Pop.
