I don’t think Joe Bowden ever performed in Milwaukee, but many Milwaukeeans have watched him play. He’s the pianist on the Canadian crime comedy “Frankie Drake Mysteries,” seen Saturdays on Milwaukee PBS playing gospel in church and jazz in the clubs. On his new album, Roots—Tales of the Urban Yoda, Bowden follows the funky pop-jazz path laid out decades back by Herbie Hancock. A drummer as well as a keyboardist, Bowden’s production is grounded on rhythmic precision. On “Sentimental,” he slides easily into contemporary R&B.
