Tom Cawley likes to make brave decisions. As the keyboard player in groundbreaking group Acoustic Ladyland a few years back, he thought it was time to break out on his own and so upped sticks and left. Curios, the piano trio he established with Sam Burgess and Josh Blackmore, quickly made its mark, and this month the band is back with its most confident set to date, The Other Place. But, as Stuart Nicholson finds out, it’s not just the jazz world keen to retain Cawley’s talents.

It could be a scene from an old Hollywood movie. A hard working young piano player is at home composing a new song. The sound of his young family can be heard from another room. The telephone rings. The voice at the other end is phoning with an offer to join the seriously big-time. The young piano player immediately suspects a wind-up. It’s got to be someone in his band. But he bites his tongue. Something in the voice tells him this is the real thing. It’s the chance of a lifetime. He lowers the phone and hangs-up as if in a daze. Cue violins and cut to a sold-out audience at the Hollywood Bowl as the young piano player walks onstage to take his place in the orchestra. Well, they don’t make them like they used to. Except in real life pianist Tom Cawley is acting this very scene.

He was at home practising, the phone did ring, and the voice at the other end was rock star Peter Gabriel’s assistant. “I had been recommended,” says Cawley, still living the dream.

This is an extract from Jazzwise Issue #138 – to read the full article click here to subscribe and receive a FREE copy of the latest Portico Quartet CD 'Isla'