Glenn Zottola, Chick Corea - The Legend & I

Styles: Trumpet And Piano Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:21
Size: 125,0 MB
Art: Front

( 9:50) 1. But Not For Me
( 3:57) 2. Crystal Silence
( 5:14) 3. Autumn Leaves
( 3:46) 4. Z-Mother Test Project
( 5:33) 5. Skylark
( 5:38) 6. Moog 1 Arp Project
( 2:32) 7. You Go To My Head
(12:01) 8. Gliden Not Haydn
( 5:46) 9. Bonus Track - Crystal Silence

There have been several musical tributes to the late great Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea since his untimely passing in February, 2021, mostly from fellow musicians. However, The Legend and I is an intimate musical portrait from LA multi-instrumentalist Glenn Zottola who just happened to be one of Corea's best long-time personal friends. As Zottola affirms "He was my best friend and is dearly missed, but I know he will continue to create as that was his relentless purpose in life." The album features nine previously unreleased tracks of music in which both Corea and Zottola collaborate in laying down fresh new interpretations of familiar standards, four Corea originals and two versions of Corea's classic electronic "Crystal Silence."

Zottola plays the trumpet, his preferred instrument, on five of the nine tracks on the album, while performing on tenor and alto saxophones on the balance of the tunes. The pianist documents his talents on the piano, keyboards, marimba, bass, programming and even drums on "Autumn Leaves." Other musicians gracing this tribute include bassist Avishai Cohen and drummer Adam Cruz. There is one particular track in which the legend does not appear, and that is on the second version (bonus track) of "Crystal Silence," arranged by guitarist Romero Lubambo who plays the guitar and is accompanied by Pamela Driggs on vocals, singing the lyrics penned in 1972 by Neville Potter, another close friend of Corea.

Though he is gone but not forgotten, Corea's music now lives on forever and this homage, while including a somewhat personal touch, actually affirms that his incredible music now belongs to us all. Zottola's warm trumpet and saxophone voice is a perfect vehicle for expressing Corea's music. Zottola also stated that, in his opinion, Corea was the "greatest artist of the 20th century." Well, I believe that Corea would have argued with that conclusion; after all, he was around for 20 years in the 21st century.By Edward Blanco https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-legend-and-i-glenn-zottola-and-chick-corea-self-produced

Personnel: Glenn Zottola: trumpet; Chick Corea: piano; Avishai Cohen: bass; Adam Cruz: drums; Romero Lubambo: guitar; Pamela Driggs: voice / vocals.

Additional Instrumentation: Glenn Zottola: tenor saxophone, alto saxophone; Chick Corea: keyboards, programming, marimba, bass, drums; Romero Lubambo: programming.

The Legend & I

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Chick Corea - The Montreux Years

Styles: Piano Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 84:26
Size: 193,9 MB
Art: Front

( 7:51) 1. Fingerprints
(13:41) 2. Bud Powell
(11:46) 3. Quartet No. 2 (Pt. 1)
( 4:31) 4. Interlude
( 4:41) 5. Who’s Inside the Piano
( 7:14) 6. Dignity
(10:07) 7. America (Continents Pt. 4)
(14:10) 8. New Waltz
(10:19) 9. Trinkle Tinkle

If there is anything more ambitious than curating an extensive, comprehensive collection covering the history of an artist, it is collating selected works which vividly outline a particular timeline or theme. Chick Corea's The Montreux Years is a fine example of the latter; this seventh edition in the archive series devoted to the iconic festival not only reflects the late composer and pianist's technical skills, but also his eclectic stylistic tastes. And that is not to mention his fondness for collaborations in all manner of settings.

Eight cuts from six performances, with a running time of about seventy-four minutes, somewhat belies the twelve year chronology of The Montreaux Years. The late esteemed musician first appeared at the iconic festival in 1972, then almost two dozen times thereafter, an extended sequence of events which lent itself to exactly the kind of rotating presentations of which this set is a microcosm.

Corea's inimitable combination of formality and playfulness is potent throughout. And it is not just readily on the Akoustic Band's "Quartet #2 (Pt. 1)," but also (literally) at the opposite end of the musical spectrum on "Interlude;" unfortunately, this overlong audience call-and-response, in the company of the Elektric Band, illustrates the man's penchant for crowd-pleasing as an end in itself. As throughout this CD, on "America (Continents Pt.4)" the sound of the recording has all the realism of the room in which the musicians are playing, no doubt due to the MOA process used in the restoration and mastering of the audio by Tony Cousins.

That latter cut is the closest this anthology gets to a solo piano piece here but, fortunately, a snippet of the man alone at the ivories at the outset of "Dignity" mitigates the absence of such a track. On this dedication to the author's mother, the invigorating interplay with drummer Jeff Ballard and bassist Avishai Cohen balances the tranquility of the leader's interval, while saxophonist Bob Berg's high-flying interlude during the final track, just over fourteen minutes of "New Waltz," also makes for a fittingly rousing close.

The liner notes for The Montreaux Years could have been better conceived and executed to more fully align with the music to which they are devoted. Rather than filling many of the fourteen pages inside the hardbound covers with sentimental reminiscences, more pertinent details about the respective timelines of the groups that appear in the set (and perhaps even some discographical info) would accurately place the ensembles within the chronology of Corea's career; such scholarly information would have been more in line with the borderline deluxe design of the package with its 3D lettering on the outer front cover alongside Joe Weghon's colorful art (which also appears on the compact disc itself).

Fortunately, such academic criticism becomes moot when listening to the likes of the easy-going shuffle of The Freedom Band's take on "Bud Powell," especially as it so dramatically contrasts the New Trio's rollicking opening of "Fingerprints." The Montreux Years is a suitably celebratory historical homage to one of the most iconic jazz musicians of our time. By Doug Collette https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-montreux-years-chick-corea-bmg/

Personnel: Chick Corea: piano; Frank Gambale: guitar; Eric Marienthal: saxophone, soprano; Bob Berg: saxophone; Kenny Garrett: saxophone, alto; Tim Garland: saxophone; Hans Glawischnig: bass; Christian McBride: bass; John Patitucci: bass, acoustic; Avishai Cohen: bass; Marcus Gilmore: drums; Dave Weckl: drums; Roy Haynes: drums; Jeff Ballard: drums; Tom Brechtlein: drums; Gary Novak: drums.

The Montreux Years

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Avishai Cohen - Shifting Sands

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:08
Size: 121,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:40) 1. Intertwined
(4:34) 2. The Window
(7:05) 3. Dvash
(5:27) 4. Joy
(4:30) 5. Below
(6:45) 6. Shifting Sands
(3:23) 7. Chacha Rom
(4:15) 8. Hitragut
(4:14) 9. Videogame
(5:12) 10. Kinderblock

In the end it’s all about connection. The connection with your inner self, the connection between the musicians on stage, and, of course, the connection between the band and its audience. For the last twenty five years, legendary bassist, singer and composer Avishai Cohen has grown to be one of the heavyweights of contemporary jazz, with a catalogue to rival those of even the most legendary in the field of jazz… and beyond. He became a name of concert hall stature around the world and headlined the best festivals any artist could dream of.

Shifting Sands his brand-new album proves he’s not resting on his laurels, but don’t take our word for it. Listen to ‘Intertwined’ the charged opening track and the cornerstone of the record and you’ll feel right away that he raised the bar again. The message is loud and clear: it’s a new adventure on the DNA that you were already familiar with. Since the beginning of the century Avishai Cohen has travelled a varied road. He appeared leading with orchestras, led smaller ensembles and even duets. But it is the Trio format that he always returns to.

A trio always works because all elements are there. The piano is like an orchestra in itself. Add a beat and the low register of the bass, and you have everything. Yes, there have been different line-ups over the years. In 2008 he made Gently Disturbed, a landmark album considered a classic now, and some people even wondered if Avishai Cohen would ever be able to better it. Today we know he has. “That time with Shai and Mark was very special. But I honestly think I now have a trio where that kind of magic is happening again. First of all, Elchin Shirinov from Azerbaijan is a magnificent pianist in his own right. He’s very focused and confident, and I’m sure that comes across. Then I found drummer Roni Kaspi. She may only be 21, but she’s an exceptional talent and a new spirit who brings her own strong personality.

On stage, it’s about trust and feeling good in each other’s company. You can feel the joy we have in playing together, and to be completely honest the concerts we’ve been doing evolved way beyond the record.” Kaspi is very young, Shirinov will be 40 shortly, and Avishai Cohen celebrated his half-century back in 2020. Still,the age gap evaporates from the moment the trio starts playing. “I had that sense with Chick Corea. He was thirty years my senior,but when we played together there was a joy in the fact that he was his age, and I was mine. There was no barrier. Kaspi and Shirinov both grew up listening to my music and consider me an influence, which is incredible to me. Because they challenge me too.

One of the reasons why my music has progressed so well, is because of the musicians. I have a clear idea of what I want, but the musicians have total freedom. That, to me, is modern jazz. It’s the most democratic form of music but you have to be well invested and intelligent enough to respect what you’re getting. The hardest thing is to be yourself, and to give the freedom to others to be themselves too. And this new album is the highest level I’ve reached so far: of me being the composer and the idea-maker, but having them both state the mood and the vibe.”

That unity between human, sound and soul creates a sublime, sonically layered record that links mature compositions with a very youthful energy thriving through the music. Avishai feels it too. At this stage of his life, he has a degree of self-belief that gives him the courage to keep on pushing the boundaries. The compositions on Shifting Sands were born at home near Jerusalem on his piano during the pandemic. For the first time in years, this kept him off the road for several months. He kept communicating with his audience through regular live sessions on Facebook and Instagram. He considered it his little assignment. He had to practice, and it gave him motivation, and some distraction in a period of time where the whole world felt lost and lonely.

“It was an unusual way of working, but at the same time I found it cool and challenging to at least excite a few people every day. And excite me. Not being able to play shows for such a long time had never happened to me. It made me appreciate what I get to do for a living even more than I did before.” The compositions came to life when the trio played a handful of shows in the summer of 2021 in Europe, before they travelled to Sweden to record them. The result is a splendid, uplifting recording that ranks among his very, very best. https://avishaicohen.com/shifting-sands/

Personnel: Avishai Cohen - Bass and Vocals; Elchin Shirinov - piano; Roni Kaspi - drums

Shifting Sands

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Avishai Cohen - Two Roses

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:29
Size: 144,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:59) 1. Almah Sleeping
(3:52) 2. When I'm Falling
(4:45) 3. Song for My Brother
(4:24) 4. Two Roses (Shnei Shoshanim)
(4:33) 5. Nature Boy
(7:14) 6. Emotional Storm
(6:24) 7. Puncha Puncha
(5:17) 8. Arab Medley
(8:35) 9. A Child Is Born
(4:55) 10. Alon Basela
(4:11) 11. Morenika
(4:16) 12. Nature Talking

Avishai Cohen dreamed big, with images of symphony orchestras dancing in his head. The Israeli-born bassist maneuvered that dream into a reality with Two Roses, a recording that finds Cohen in the company of the ninety-two piece Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, in addition to his jazz cohorts, Azerbaijani pianist Elchin Shirinov and New Jersey born and bred drummer Mark Guiliana. Eleven of the tunes presented here, in this lush landscape, come from Cohen's pen. The title piece is a popular tune from Cohen's homeland. "A Child Is Born" comes from the Thad Jones Songbook, and "Nature Boy" is the familiar Eben Ahbez tune, recorded by everyone from Miles Davis to Nat King Cole, Sarah Vaughn, John Coltrane, Zoot Sims and many more.

The majestic, sweeping scope of this music suggests Cohen as a nominee for the "Aaron Copland of World" Music Award, as the bassist brings to the table influences which span the globe Afro-Caribbean music, melodies of Israeli folklore, Middle Eastern motifs, North African tinges and hints of Slavic and Russian shadings, all intertwined to create its own unique multicultural listening experience. With a beautiful and implacable grandeur in the embrace of a collective momentum of eighty-plus players including Cohen's occasional "every man of the world" vocals (he sounds like a nondenominational priest singing some kind of jazz Mass) the music could serve as a soundtrack to a grand epic of Cecil B. DeMille proportions, the orchestra at times delicate and fragile, at others powerful and momentous, and always profound.~ DAN MCCLENAGHAN https://www.allaboutjazz.com/two-roses-avishai-cohen-naive-believe__23161

Personnel: Avishai Cohen: bass; Mark Guiliana: drums; Elchin Shirinov: piano.

Two Roses

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Avishai Cohen Trio - Gently Disturbed

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:47
Size: 130,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:50)  1. Seattle
(5:10)  2. Chutzpan
(5:25)  3. Lo Baiom Velo Balyla
(6:30)  4. Pinzin Kinzin
(3:53)  5. Puncha Puncha
(5:16)  6. Eleven Wives
(3:48)  7. Gentle Disturbed
(6:16)  8. The Ever Evolving Etude
(5:33)  9. Variations In G Minor
(5:42) 10. Umray
(6:20) 11. Structure in Motion

With this release on his own Razdaz Recordz, Avishai Cohen firmly entrenches himself as a frontrunning innovator in the piano trio medium. The Israeli bassist is joined by Mark Guiliana on drums and countryman Shai Maestro on piano the latter a change in personnel from Continuo (Razdaz, 2006) and Live At The Blue Note (Razdaz, 2007). "Seattle" represents a slightly ponderous start, with a lyrical bass solo from Cohen over meandering chordal piano vamps, but it is not more than a gentle prelude to what is coming up. The next track, "Chutzpan," gives a fuller insight into the incredible locked synchronisation that exists between these three musicians. Shifting between angular, cascading motifs and jumping, jittery movements with consummate ease, the trio is well-drilled yet instinctive in its manner of interaction. "The Ever Evolving Etude" is an outstanding track, a perfect example of Cohen's minutely accurate compositional style. Based around a couple of piano riffs and building in degrees, it works up to a frenzy of intricately subdivided phrasing with manically precise off-pulse syncopations. It's a wall of sound that doesn't stand still. Similar traits are present on tunes such as "Pinzin Kinzin," "Eleven Wives," and the dense album closer "Structure in Emotion," but they are all different enough to make the CD unpredictable. 

A few slower items add further spice to the mix: "Variations in G Minor," "Puncha Puncha," and the title track, "Gently Disturbed," are more relaxed but no less crafty. It's all perfectly executed and Cohen's compositional identity has become distinctively recognisable particularly in piano voicing and the rhythmic intensity he draws from his group. In Maestro and Guiliana he has found ideal poetic partners.  The disc's title is reflective of the music many of Cohen's ideas are challenging, but not inaccessible. Listeners can almost obliviously float through the advanced concepts without getting hung up, in the same way the musicians do. So, while it can take several listenings to fully understand what's going on, that effort should not be a deterrent to enjoying this release. ~ Frederick Bernas https://www.allaboutjazz.com/gently-disturbed-avishai-cohen-razdaz-recordz-review-by-frederick-bernas.php

Personnel: Avishai Cohen: bass; Mark Guiliana: drums; Shai Maestro: piano.

Gently Disturbed

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Chick Corea, Origin - Live At The Blue Note

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:26
Size: 150,5 MB
Art: Front

( 1:30)  1. Say It Again - Pt. 1
( 1:28)  2. Say It Again - Pt. 2
(17:32)  3. Double Image
(10:53)  4. Dreamless
(11:26)  5. Molecules
( 9:00)  6. Soul Mates
(13:34)  7. It Could Happen To You

One thing that must be said about Chick Corea: musically, the man does not stand still. Whether one is going in his direction is another issue altogether. Chick's newest group, Origin, was recorded during a week-long gig in December '97 at New York's celebrated Birdland nightspot. It's a tight sextet with an exuberant front line - saxophonists Bob Sheppard and Steve Wilson, trombonist Steve Davis - capably supported by Corea, bassist Cohen and drummer Cruz. The band opens the set with a three-part suite, the concise "Say It Again," parts 1 and 2, and the blustery "Double Image," whose 17:32 running time provides abundant solo space for everyone. All were written by Corea, as were the next three numbers "Dreamless," "Molecules" and "Soul Mates" (the briefest of the trio at 9:00). Origin closes the set with an extended version of the standard "It Could Happen to You," on which Corea's Tatum-esque introductory statement paves the way for some zestful straight-ahead blowing by the band (I'd have welcomed more of that) and frisky solos by Chick, Sheppard (tenor), trombonist Davis and Wilson (alto). Corea lays out behind half of Wilson's chorus while Cohen's sonorous bass keeps time and Cruz deftly works the rims with sticks. Bass and drums have their say too (with Corea and Cruz trading eights) before the ensemble returns to enclose the package in style. 

An observation you can take to the bank is that Corea is a first-rate post-bop pianist (ask almost anyone); why I've seldom warmed to his muse remains a mystery, even to me. While I admire his proven technical prowess and writing skills, and must admit that he can swing hard whenever he chooses to, he simply doesn't reach me on an emotional level - a shortcoming that I know is mine, not his. This recording is a splendid example of what I am trying to point out. The melodies aren't unattractive, everyone plays well, and yet none of what is produced (with the possible exception of "It Could Happen to You") touches a responsive chord. Why? I don't know. Either it does or it doesn't, I suppose. Look, this is an ambitious session by a widely acclaimed pianist and his well-assembled working group. Although it doesn't happen to grab me, you may find yourself enraptured by its charms. Go for it. ~ Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/live-at-the-blue-note-chick-corea-concord-music-group-review-by-jack-bowers.php?width=1920

Personnel: Chick Corea – piano; Avishai Cohen – double bass; Adam Cruz – drums; Bob Sheppard – flute, bass clarinet, baritone saxophone, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone; Steve Wilson - flute, clarinet, alto and soprano saxophone; Steve Davis - trombone

Live At The Blue Note

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Ilan Salem - Wild

Styles: Flute Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:19
Size: 117,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:58)  1. Wild East
(6:18)  2. Ballad of a Stream and the Sea
(4:39)  3. Bad Boy
(3:44)  4. Zameru
(6:03)  5. Neula
(4:31)  6. Blessing
(3:29)  7. Le Troubadour
(3:53)  8. Going Wild
(4:25)  9. Song for Anna
(3:36) 10. Anna Boei
(5:39) 11. Ann's Tune

llan Salem, Israel’s best known and most influential flute player releases his third album Wild (Razdaz Recordz, RD4611). A journey through old and new collected from Israel’s musical heritage and his own modern ideas as a composer. Salem’s playing showcases his ability to give the flute a strong and unrestrained voice that leads the other instruments to flow. Born and raised in Israel, Salem began playing the flute at the age of 11, and discovered jazz during his studies at the prestigious Thelma Yellin School of Arts. He continued his studies at Berklee College of Music in Boston USA, and started to perform and tour with groups in the U.S. and Europe. Ilan returned to Israel and has not only become the flute player in Israeli jazz, but a dedicated and talented educator as well. He currently heads the Jazz department at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and founded the Jazz department at the Tel Aviv School for the Arts. Ilan composed and recorded his first album – Songs from the Big City (NMC, 2002) followed by Twists and Turns (Jazz 972, 2005) with Kenny Werner. Ilan Salem is also the 2011 recipient of the Israel Prime Minister’s Composer’s Prize for Jazz. Salem is accompanied on Wild by Amos Hoffman on oud and guitar, Gilad Abro on contrabass, Nitay Hershkovits on piano and Amir Bresler on drums. Bassist and composer, Avishai Cohen who is also the creator of the label Razdaz Recordz, contributes vocals and contrabass on Anna Boei and his own composition, Ann’s Tune. Percussionists Ilan Katcha and Itamar Doari, along with pianist Shai Maestro make unique guest appearances. https://razdazrecordz.com/ilan-salem/

Personnel:  Alto Flute, Flute – Ilan Salem;  Contrabass – Avishai Cohen, Gilad Abro;  Drums – Amir Bresler;  Electric Piano – Shai Maestro;  Guitar, Oud – Amos Hoffman;  Percussion – Ilan Katchka;  Piano – Nitay Hershkovits;  Piano, Vocals – Avishai Cohen;  Tambourine – Itamar Doari 

Wild

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Avishai Cohen - 1970

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:24
Size: 103.9 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[3:45] 1. Song Of Hope
[3:09] 2. My Lady
[3:53] 3. It's Been So Long
[4:17] 4. Se'i Yona
[3:27] 5. Emptiness
[3:14] 6. For No One
[2:57] 7. Motherless Child
[3:49] 8. D'ror Yikra
[3:33] 9. Move On
[3:52] 10. Ha'ahava
[5:43] 11. Vamonos Pa'l Monte
[3:38] 12. Blinded

As recent stellar performances at the world’s major venues have shown Israeli double-bassist-composer-vocalist Avishai Cohen is at the peak of his creative powers. Those who have followed Cohen’s career in the past fifteen years or so will know that his musical references reach far and wide, moving seamlessly from classical to jazz and traditional songs. Cohen plays and sings magnificently, and often gives vent to his love of melody as well as the art of improvisation. Cohen’s new album 1970 highlights the more accessible side of his talent without compromising his artistic integrity.

“It’s not a jazz record,” he explains. “I don’t know what it is, but I’ve always had a connection to pop. I like pop as much as I like Bach and Charlie Parker. Singing has become very serious in my life over time. I’ve been asked by many people, when is the vocal album gonna come? Well, this is it, right here.”

1970

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Avishai Cohen - Cross My Palm with Silver

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:40
Size: 88,7 MB
Art: Front

(10:20)  1. Will I Die, Miss Will I Die
( 5:24)  2. Theme for Jimmy Greene
( 3:51)  3. 340 Down
(12:09)  4. Shoot Me in the Leg
( 6:55)  5. 50 Years and Counting

If trumpeter Avishai Cohen's ECM debut, Into The Silence was a work of deeply personal content, Cross My Palm With Silver plays out with the same emotional impact, but on a global stage. Cohen composed the five pieces on this album in his native Israel, while contemplating the impact of political division on the human psyche. His hope is that the music contributes to a healing process.

Returning from Into The Silence quintet is drummer Nasheet Waits, a member of Cohen's Triveni group and whose close ties to the leader make for a seamless synergy. A long-time collaborator, pianist Yonathan Avishai, had also played with Cohen and his two siblings (multi-reedist Anat Cohen and saxophonist brother, Yuval) in their namesake trio. Replacing Eric Revis on bass is Barak Mori, a friend dating back to high school. Bori has most recently appeared on Madeleine Peyroux's Secular Hymns (Verve, 2016). The sound if not the sentiment on Cross My Palm With Silver is quite a bit different in comparison to the previous album which included tenor saxophonist Bill McHenry. "Will I Die, Miss? Will I Die?" opens with Cohen's mournful muted trumpet, Avishai quietly adding background color while Waits brushes the cymbals. At more than ten minutes, Avishai and Cohen have the space to trade leads taking the piece to its forlorn conclusion. In a halting manner, Waits and Avishai usher in "Theme for Jimmy Greene" setting up for Cohen's evocative response. The piece builds up to a dramatic swell then ends reflectively.

"340 Down" opens minimally with haunting trumpet, augmented by Waits light touch before Bori and Cohen layer in a more complex textures. Avishai's extended solo with an off-kilter classicism begins "Shoot Me in The Leg," the most abstract of the compositions on the album. Another long piece, it closes with a haunting solo from Cohen. "50 Years and Counting" closes the album with an upbeat theme and Cohen playing at his freest. Cross My Palm with Silver has a political point to make, reflecting the turmoil of the Middle East and global conflicts elsewhere. Titles like "Will I Die, Miss? Will I Die?" and "Shoot Me In The Leg" are testimonials to that effect. There remains an otherworldliness in much of Cohen's music whether elevating or affecting and he importantly, avoids saccharine effects in conveying powerful emotions. ~ Karl Ackermann https://www.allaboutjazz.com/cross-my-palm-with-silver-avishai-cohen-ecm-records-review-by-karl-ackermann.php
 

Personnel: Avishai Cohen: trumpet; Yonathan Avishai: piano; Barak Mori: double bass; Nasheet Waits: drums.

Cross My Palm with Silver

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Nnenna Freelon - Maiden Voyage

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:31
Size: 152,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:24)  1. Come Into My Life
(4:55)  2. Four Women
(8:28)  3. Maiden Voyage
(5:32)  4. Buy And Sell
(4:46)  5. Future News Blues
(6:00)  6. Until It's Time For You To Go
(8:06)  7. Women Be Wise
(5:43)  8. Sepia Wing
(4:07)  9. Pick Yourself Up
(4:34) 10. I Won't Dance
(4:31) 11. Inside A Silent Tear
(4:21) 12. Sing Me Down

No matter how impressive the voice, no matter how well oiled the pipes and Lord knows Nnenna Freelon is abundantly blessed in both respects he or she simply cannot rise far above the material. Although Freelon makes a gallant effort on Maiden Voyage, the ship barely gets out of drydock, overladen with forgettable lyrics and lashed to its moorings by mundane melodies. Too harsh? Perhaps. But if I were going to open a set with eight sleep inducing originals, as Freelon has done, I wouldn’t remind the listener of their relative lack of substance by following them with “Pick Yourself Up” and “I Won’t Dance,” enduring classics from the golden age of Tin Pan Alley (with memorable words by the clever tunesmith Dorothy Field). In fact, the session doesn’t take wing until Freelon introduces those treasures and closes with Blossom Dearie’s pensive ballad, “Inside a Silent Tear” (lyrics by Linda Albert), and her own “Sing Me Down“ (actually her lyrics set to a folk song whose name, I believe, is “Turn Around”). The melodies and lyrics that precede them really are lightweight; while Herbie Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage” and Marian McPartland’s “Threnody” (here renamed “Sepia Wing” to mirror Freelon’s lyrics) are splendid as instrumentals, appending lyrics does nothing to enhance their appeal. Among the others, only Freelon’s “Future News Blues” held this listener’s ear for more than a moment. While I am hardly conversant with the works of Nina Simone, Laura Nyro and Buffy Sainte Marie, surely their reputations weren’t built on the sort of uninspired material that is presented here. On a brighter note, if one would like to sing along, lyrics to each song (not always unerring) are provided in the accompanying booklet. As for Freelon, she sings beautifully which, for the most part, is rather like adding a delectable frosting to cow chips. ~ Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/maiden-voyage-nnenna-freelon-concord-music-group-review-by-jack-bowers.php
 

Personnel:  Nnenna Freelon, vocals; Michael Abene, piano, arranger; Joe Beck, guitar; Avishai Cohen, bass; Sammy Figueroa, percussion; Danny Gottlieb, drums; Herbie Hancock, piano

Maiden Voyage

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Seamus Blake, Marc Miralta Trio - Sun Sol

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:00
Size: 123,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:02)  1. Go
(7:29)  2. Cirkle K
(7:50)  3. Boston in 3/4
(8:04)  4. Now and Here
(5:18)  5. Pure Imagination
(7:31)  6. Mr Omaha
(7:41)  7. 70's Child
(5:02)  8. Sunsol

For the first time on record, tenorist Seamus Blake teams up with his old Berklee schoolmate, drummer Marc Miralta. They each contribute three tunes, while the session's bassist, Avishai Cohen, offers the opening minor blues "Go." The one non-original is "Pure Imagination," the Anthony Newley ballad used in the film Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Cohen co-arranged this tune very differently for Claudia Acuña's debut disc Wind from the South. 

The tracks "Circle K," "Now and Here," and "Mr. Omaha" build upon loosely flowing grooves and open-ended blowing, while "Boston in 3/4" and "70's Child" center around more lyrical melodies and structures. The title track, a quasi-African vamp, has more of an experimental flavor than the other tracks. Cohen is never one to restrict himself to basic timekeeping; his playing here is characteristically aggressive and percussive. Blake and Miralta are both masters of their respective instruments, but it is their fine-tuned and highly musical interplay the result of years of collaboration that recommends this album. ~ David R. Adler http://www.allmusic.com/album/sunsol-mw0000728404

Personnel: Double Bass – Avishai Cohen; Drums – Marc Miralta; Tenor Saxophone – Seamus Blake

Sun Sol

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Daniel Freedman - Bamako By Bus

Styles: Jazz, Bop
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:38
Size: 123,8 MB
Art: Front

(1:53)  1. Odudua featuring Abraham Rodriguez
(6:23)  2. Elegba Wa featuring Lionel Loueke
(5:55)  3. Deep Brooklyn
(5:15)  4. Rumba Pa' NYC featuring Abraham Rodriguez and Pedro Martinez
(5:40)  5. Alona featuring Mark Turner
(9:00)  6. All Brothers featuring Lionel Loueke
(6:40)  7. Darfur/Oasis featuring Joshua Levitt
(6:43)  8. Sa'aba featuring Mark Turner and Avishai Cohen
(6:05)  9. Bamako By Bus featuring Lionel Loueke

The sophomore release for drummer Daniel Freedman could simply be retitled Passion and not be too far off the mark. To be this comfortable with who you are and where you are going is a gift but to pull off the same passion as an artist is a thing of rare beauty. Freedman is a first call world class percussionist having been heard on recorded works with such luminaries as Sting, Tom Harrell and Youssou N' Dour. Bamako By Bus is a stunning release as it fuses a myriad of influences that range from jazz to African, Cuban, funk and pop and the end result is a stunning new land of sonic texture and feeling. Welcome to the land of rhythm and groove! A highly personal recording of a musicians inner vision of where another journey may well start but the end is not specifically laid out but left up to the listener and Freedman. Bamako By Bus is also meant to confirm that New York City is indeed the mecca of the jazz universe with musicians coming together from all over the world to pool their collective talents.

Music was specifically written with certain players in mind but there is united core of Meshell Ndegeocello on bass, the incredible Avishai Cohen on trumpet, Jason Linder on keyboards and of course Daniel Freedman handling the duties behind the kit. There are virtually too many highlights to list in their entirety including the most under rated saxophonist on the planet Mark Turner and his musical union with the haunting and gorgeous ballad "Alona." Perhaps a personal favorite would be the sonic fire power of Ndegeocello and Linder taking funk to the next level while Avishai Cohen lays down a jaw dropping solo showcasing his ability not to simply blow but play with lyrical purpose and direction as do all participants here. Rumba Pa' NYC is old school, music celebrating the time that culture filled the streets and the air with the rhythmic intoxication that is Cuban music. The wide range of influence from global sources is staggering. Yoruba Afro-Cuban prayer chant, mixed with a subtle splash of Regga; rumba; Afro-Moroccan Gnawa music merged with Brazilian grooves; and the West African Malian tones that balance the title track. The title track as much of the release itself, inspired by an arduous 30 hour bus trip the young Freedman took in Mali. Freedman's musical adventures have taken his prolific talents to West Africa, The Middle East and Cuba.Texture, timbre and tone but from the other musicians are the emphasis on this stunning release. Freedman does what the premier drummers do, he pushes the music to center stage and lets the ensemble play out while not remaining comfortable but owning the pocket. Phrasing, dynamics and harmonic placement are done with the ensemble in mind. At no time does Bamako By Bus become a self indulgent percussive bash fest any more than Feldman being something other than a human metronome.
A stellar work. One of the best releases for 2012. 5 Stars! http://www.criticaljazz.com/2012/04/daniel-freedman-bamako-by-bus-anzic.html

Personnel: 
Avishai Cohen – trumpet, Lionel Loueke – guitar and vocals, Jason Lindner – keyboards, Meshell Ndegeocello – bass, Omer Avital – acoustic bass (track 7), Daniel Freedman – drums, percussion, Pedrito Martinez, Abraham Rodriguez – vocals and percussion, Mark Turner – tenor saxophone.                                                                         

Bamako By Bus

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Avishai Cohen - After The Big Rain

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:07
Size: 135,4 MB
Art: Front

( 6:15)  1. After the Big Rain
(11:48)  2. Parto Forte
( 4:38)  3. Gbede Temin
( 8:16)  4. Meditation on Two Chords
( 7:19)  5. Afterthoughts (Mozartine)
( 3:44)  6. Miryama
(11:04)  7. African Daisy (La Suite African)
( 6:00)  8. After the Big Rain (Epilogue)

Trumpeter Avishai Cohen has had a varied musical career. He toured with the Young Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra and then went into a wider spectrum playing jazz, pop and rock. However, it was when he was at Smalls jazz club in New York, that he had the opportunity to interact and expand his musical horizons with Jason Lindner, Claudia Acuna and Omer Avital. Cohen carries his wide-ranging vision with effect into After The Big Rain. The title tune sandwiches the selections, the last being an "Epilogue. The first has an underlying power brought to the front by singer Lionel Loueke, his voice a worthy minstrel. Although the words are in Fon, the language of Benin, West Africa; the listener is drawn into the emotional vortex that Loueke creates. Cohen brings in a seductive tensile quality, letting the lines of his trumpet inveigle their way into the melody before he sprays the mellowness with a welter of notes to break up the linear movement. The epilogue shines from the interaction that takes place. Cohen, Daniel Freedman (percussion), Loueke (guitar), and Yosavany Terry ( chekere) stimulate an effervescent air. Add Loueke's vocals, both sung and spoken, and the tune stamps its undeniable class.

The fermenting tide of "Parto Forte is a melting pot from which emerge African rhythm, jazz harmony, free movement, and a dollop of funk. The shift comes in gradually, the chekere and the vocals sashaying in before Cohen shapes it with a structured melody. His jazz instincts serve the tune well and bring it to the forefront. The rhythm bed stirs headily as Cohen continues to recharge the melody with intense phrases that jump and probe. Jason Lindner (keyboards and Fender Rhodes) uncoils light and slowly, his lope to the Rhodes unlocking a percolating swizzle of notes. Cohen then funks in as he filters his trumpet through electronic effects. This CD is the first in a trilogy. Before The Big Rain and The Big Rain: Birth of the World are set to follow. On the evidence here, the wait is salivating. ~ Jerry D’Souza https://www.allaboutjazz.com/after-the-big-rain-avishai-cohen-trumpet-anzic-records-review-by-jerry-dsouza.php

Personnel:  Avishai Cohen: trumpet & FXs;  Lionel Loueke: guitar & vocals;  Jason Lindner: keyboards and Fender Rhodes;  Omer Avital: acoustic bass;  Daniel Freedman: drums and percussion;  Yosvany Terry: chekere (1, 2, 7, 8).

After The Big Rain

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Avishai Cohen - The Trumpet Player

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:56
Size: 135,0 MB
Art: Front

( 6:03)  1. The Fast
(10:31)  2. The Trumpet Player
( 7:43)  3. Dear Lord
( 8:44)  4. Olympus
( 6:52)  5. Idaho
(10:32)  6. Shablool
( 6:27)  7. Giggin'

Avishai Cohen, the trumpet player (not to be confused with the bassist/keyboardist of the same name), comes from a rich musical heritage in his native Israel. His sister is clarinetist Anat Cohen, his brother saxophonist Yuval Cohen, and together they front a fine progressive/contemporary jazz group, 3 Cohens. For his debut CD as a leader, the trumpeter has chosen a trumpet/bass/drums format, challenging because there are no chordal instruments to play off of. The sparseness of the instrumentation means there's nothing to lean on, play off of, or hold back from. This lends itself to the burnished attack and matted finish the horn offers, but also can tend to lead to overly lengthy stretches where Cohen's playing has to constantly command attention and remain interesting to the listener. Certainly drummer Jeff Ballard (also a member of the other Avishai Cohen's bands) is more than valiant in keeping the rhythm navigation on an intriguing keel. Two ten-and-a-half-minute tracks, "The Trumpet Player" and "Shablool," could be virtually the same piece, both in waltz time, both drawn out and singular-minded, both more treatise than short story. "The Fast" is a neo-bop, upbeat jam that displays Cohen's clean lines and angular ideas. Clearly influenced by hard boppers like Clifford Brown, Lee Morgan, and Freddie Hubbard, Cohen takes those precepts and turns them into inexhaustible Zen-like epics. Tenor saxophonist Joel Frahm is added, but plays after the fact on the 5/4 exercise "Olympus," taking the first solo, while a welcome interchange during "Idaho" mixes the group dynamic in a manner reminiscent of the partnership between Don Cherry and John Coltrane. 

The trio does a nice version of Coltrane's "Dear Lord" in 4/4 to implied 3/4, while Frahm jumps in as a soloist only for Ornette Coleman's choppy "Giggin'," where Cohen leaps out of his shell after a playful intro from Ballard and before a deft solo from bassist John Sullivan. The Trumpet Player is a first effort with loads of potential, and as Avishai Cohen's career goes ahead, there will be many collaborators to join with and concepts to explore. This CD sports clear, present, and solid musicianship, but if there is a shortcoming to the proceedings, it is the sameness or lack of variety that prevents the music from becoming great. That should happen in due time.~Michael G.Nastos http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-trumpet-player-mw0000322943

Personnel: Avishai Cohen (trumpet); Joel Frahm (tenor saxophone); John Sullivan (bass); Jeff Ballard (drums).

The Trumpet Player

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Roberto Gatto Quartet - Sixth Sense

Styles: Contemporary Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:16
Size: 140,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:07)  1. One for Avi
(7:25)  2. Sixth Sense
(4:43)  3. Hat on the Bobcat
(5:41)  4. Togo
(7:50)  5. Bonanza
(4:54)  6. Dee's Dilemma
(5:05)  7. Unknown Shape
(7:01)  8. Black and Tan Fantasy
(5:36)  9. Remember Rockefeller at Attica
(7:50) 10. Peace

"Sixth Sense" is the first CD of a new, spectacular training pianoless. The quartet assembled by Roberto Gatto is the most unique and interesting you could find in issue. The melody part is performed by two horns, trumpet young and acclaimed Avishai Cohen and the tenor sax and clarinet Francesco Bearzatti.  "Sixth Sense" to be released March 30, 2015 for the label Music Park Records, it is the first CD of a new, spectacular training pianoless. The quartet assembled by Roberto Gatto is the most unique and interesting you could find in issue. The melody part is performed by two horns, trumpet young and acclaimed Avishai Cohen (Rising Star 2012 according to the Downbeat Critics Pool already internationally established) and the tenor sax and clarinet in a great representative of Italian music in the world Francesco Bearzatti (named best European musician in 2011 by the Académie du Jazz). To support him and accompany him in the rhythm part, a prominent representative of the new generation of jazz bass, the New York Doug Weiss.

Four personalities who have put at the service of music, their cultural and musical with great transport and energy, but above all with originality. He imposed on the national jazz scene in the mid-70s, Roberto Gatto - born in 1958, with a path that knows no setbacks from about forty years - has never exhausted the thirst of research and testing. The latter feature that, combined with extraordinary skill, led the drummer to write the history of Italian jazz. Removed the clothes of prestigious sideman alongside national players (Enrico Rava, Enrico Pieranunzi) and international (Johnny Griffin, John Abercrombie, Chet Baker, Steve Lacy, Pat Metheny, Bob Berg, Curtis Fuller, George Coleman, Joe Zawinul etc.) Cat, undertook more vigorously the activities of leaders creating its formations harbingers of original projects, never predictable. To mention in this regard the acclaimed Perfect Trio completed by Alfonso Santimone and Pierpaolo Ranieri, the recent New York Quartet, index increasingly frequent stays in the Big Apple, which sees drummer converse with the brass of the Chilean young saxophonist Melissa Aldana, next Nir Felder and Joe Lepore, and the newest play with Zappa Quintorigo, especially live work dedicated to one of his best-loved artists defined the best and most convincing jazzy tribute to the music of Frank Zappa. Translate by google  http://www.traccedijazz.it/index.php/nuove-uscite/24-nuove-uscite-italiane/1063-roberto-gatto-sixth-sense

Personnel:  Roberto Gatto – Drums;  Avishai Cohen – Trumpet;  Francesco Bearzatti - Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet;  Doug Weiss - Double Bass

Sixth Sense

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Diego Urcola - Viva

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:04
Size: 158,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:51)  1. Tango Azul
(7:32)  2. Viva
(5:40)  3. Afroraffo
(8:11)  4. El Camino
(7:06)  5. Blues For Jimmy
(6:42)  6. 40/40
(6:55)  7. Sound for Sore Ears
(7:39)  8. Adios nonino
(7:35)  9. Gringo dance
(4:49) 10. Emilia

American jazz fans sometimes neglect talented instrumentalists from other countries, and with Viva, trumpeter Diego Urcola reminds us that there are other Argentine horn players besides Gato Barbieri.

Born in Buenos Aires, Diego Urcola began studying music at age nine, eventually earning degrees from Argentina's Conservatorio Nacional de Música, Berklee College of Music, and the City University of New York. His big break came when legendary Latin jazz maestro Paquito D'Rivera needed a replacement for trumpeter Claudio Roditi. A faculty member at Berklee recommended Urcola, who has now been with D'Rivera for fifteen years. Urcola has also performed with numerous other luminaries. Recorded in November 2005, Viva is Urcola's third album as a leader, and he refers to the lineup on this session as his "dream band." His sidemen are well-established players and bandleaders in their own right, particularly pianist Edward Simon and bassist Avishai Cohen. Several big names appear as guests, notably Jimmy Heath, Urcola's academic advisor while he was working on his Master's Degree at CUNY. D'Rivera plays alto sax and clarinet on three tracks. Urcola makes no bones about his indebtedness to this mentor, asserting "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for Paquito."

Another longtime friend on this session is Conrad Herwig, a former band mate in the United Nations Orchestra. Calling him a "trombone god," Urcola recounts that while in Argentina with D'Rivera, Herwig met a woman whom he subsequently married. Now fluent in Spanish, Herwig has become "half Argentinian," declares Urcola. Vibraphonist Dave Samuels, who has worked with Urcola in the Caribbean Jazz Project, appears on two tracks. Samuels points out that while they "all knew each other and some ... had already played together, this particular combination was new, different and fresh." The result is a relaxed atmosphere that nonetheless has a comfortably charged energy familiar without being rote, experimental yet assured. Like Barbieri, Urcola integrates the loping, slightly asymmetrical rhythms of the tango into the jazz idiom. 

All but one of the album's ten cuts (including three by Urcola) were written by Argentine composers: Guillermo Klein, Juan Raffo and Astor Piazzolla. A Latinized version of Heath's "Sound for Sore Ears" partakes in this overall spirit. "I like to bring ... my country into the mix," says Urcola, patriotic while never parochial, "but foremost I'm a jazz musician." The album opens with Urcola's "Tango Azul." An opening bass vamp with a pleasant 7/4 hiccup leads into a modal vehicle that evokes Kind of Blue. 

Appropriately, the tune's highlight is a solo by Herwig, known for exploring Miles' Latin side. Another subtle rhythmic experiment is Raffo's "Gringo Dance," a tricky 3/4 piece "with all kinds of different bars added in," according to Urcola. "Blues for Jimmy" features Heath's urbane tenor, and D'Rivera provides two delightful reacquaintances with the clarinet on "40/40" and "Emilia." Reflective ballads like "El Camino" and "Adios Nonino" nicely balance the up-tempo cuts on this well-produced, interestingly eclectic offering. ~ Victor Verney  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/viva-diego-urcola-cam-jazz-review-by-victor-verney.php

Personnel: Diego Urcola: trumpet, flugelhorn; Edward Simon: piano; Avishai Cohen: bass; Antonio Sanchez: drums; Pernell Saturnino: percussion; Jimmy Heath: tenor saxophone (5,7); Paquito D'Rivera: alto saxophone, clarinet (3,6,10); Conrad Herwig: trombone (1,4,5,9); Dave Samuels: marimba, vibes (3,8).

Viva

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Avishai Cohen Trio - From Darkness

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:38
Size: 95,5 MB
Art: Front

(2:05)  1. Beyond
(3:47)  2. Abie
(5:53)  3. Halelyah
(5:13)  4. C#-
(7:40)  5. Ballad for an Unborn
(3:04)  6. From Darkness
(2:59)  7. Lost Tribe
(2:54)  8. Almah Sleeping
(1:11)  9. Signature
(3:22) 10. Amethyst
(3:26) 11. Smile

Bassist Avishai Cohen is both prolific and eclectic. His latest album, a trio recording his regular band, pianist Nitai Hershkovits and young drummer Daniel Dor, is jazz infused with rock, classical and Latin influences. Though led by a bassist, it is very much a piano trio. All the tunes are written by Cohen, bar the rendition of Charlie Chaplin's Smile which closes the CD, it is Hershkovits' piano which is to the fore.

The opener Beyond features Dor, starting gently enough with Cohen and Hershkovits vamping behind him. One of the shorter pieces, they move swiftly on to the Latin-tinged Abie, in which Dor keeps several different rhythms going whilst Hershkovits plays the theme, the chords getting heavier and darker. The mixture of jazz, Latin and classical tones has an almost klezmer feel at times, but the rhythmic complexities hint at greater depth (and no dancing). Calling a tune Ballad for an Unborn can't help but recall another piano trio - est, who recorded their Ballad for the Unborn on 2003's Seven Days of Falling. Cohen is in very different territory: his piano trio is more wistful and lyrical. This Ballad is a vehicle for Cohen's bass, with a long solo over some very gentle, subtle brush work from Dor and some quiet, understated piano from Hershkovits. The title track, From Darkness, also features Cohen, on what sounds like an electric bass. Dor's drumming is more into Rick territory, with thunderous fills on tom toms as Cohen executes some very fast fretwork in the upper register. 

The lovely, almost lullaby-like Almah Sleeping has Cohen bowing his bass over Hershkovits gentle, repetitive piano and Dor's soft-again brushed drums. There are lots of standout moments on the record, but this tune I think is my favorite. At just over forty minutes for eleven tracks, it isn't a long CD, and one that of us who grew up in a vinyl world may appreciate. Several of the tunes are quite short, too, ending before the band have really been able to stretch out; it would interesting to hear whether the trio extend these pieces in a live setting. I'd certainly have been happy for some of the tracks to be longer, to see where they'd have got to. ~ Patrick Hadfield  http://www.londonjazznews.com/2015/02/cd-review-avishai-cohen-trio-from.html

From Darkness

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Avishai Cohen & Nitai Hershkovits - Duende

Styles: Straight-ahead/Mainstream
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:05
Size: 78,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:59)  1. Signature
(3:50)  2. Criss Cross
(3:54)  3. Four Verses / Continuation
(3:57)  4. Soof
(4:29)  5. All Of You
(4:47)  6. Central Park West
(4:09)  7. Ann's Tune
(3:25)  8. Calm
(2:29)  9. Ballad For An Unborn

Avishai Cohen is a distinctive player: his raw energy, deft and fluid fretting style and tough, forceful right hand combine in one of the most readily recognizable double bass sounds in contemporary music. He's brought this sound to collaborations with many leading musicians including pianists Chick Corea and Brad Mehldau, and drummer Mark Guiliana, and has produced a dozen albums as leader. Duende, Cohen's third album for Blue Note, is something of a new departure: a duo record with up-and-coming pianist Nitai Hershkovits. In current terms it's short at just under 34 min utes, but every tune indeed, every note counts.Cohen first heard Hershkovits playing in a Tel Aviv bar when the pianist was only 20 years of age. Hershkovits was still in his early-20s when the duo recorded Duende, but his style and confidence demonstrate a mature talent and sensibility. The album title is derived from a Spanish word for artistic soul or spirit; according to Cohen, "It's a feeling that nurtures music." The music that's nurtured on this album is a mix of Cohen's own tunes and some classic jazz compositions. Cohen's tunes tend to be gentle, pretty, ballads or mid-tempo numbers. Whether it's the waltz-time feel of "Ann's Tune" or the rolling, fluid, lyricism of "Signature" or "Soof," the duo performs exquisitely, sharing lead and rhythm roles with equanimity.

Hershkovits sits out "Ballad For An Unborn," leaving Cohen to take over the piano fora heart felt solo rendition of his own melancholy composition.The musicians give Thelonious Monk's "Criss Cross" a stabbing, almost military, rhythm. Cohen opens and closes the tune with extended periods of arco bass, his playing powerful, with a low down growling groove. The pair's interpretation of John Coltrane's "Central Park West" is, by contrast, very down-tempo and relaxed, the interplay between bass and piano beautifully affecting. Hershkovits doesn't get a composer credit on Duende but his arrangement of Cole Porter's "All Of You" brings freshness to the standard an up-tempo, jagged, rework that switches lead roles between piano and bass with imaginative grace. Although it's Cohen's name writ large on the album cover, this is a genuine duo recording. Hershkovits is an equal partner in performance, clearly unperturbed by the bassist's experience and talent, and Cohen is happy to share the spotlight with this exciting young talent. Duende is an all-too-brief introduction to an impressive new partnership. ~ Bruce Lindsay  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/duende-avishai-cohen-blue-note-records-review-by-bruce-lindsay.php

Personnel: Avishai Cohen: double bass, piano (9); Nitai Hershkovits: piano.

Duende

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Avishai Cohen - Triveni II

Styles: Trumpet Jazz, Fusion
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:33
Size: 120,6 MB
Art: Front

(9:40)  1. Safety Land
(4:39)  2. B.R Story
(5:50)  3. Nov. 30th
(2:39)  4. Music News
(2:53)  5. Willow Weep for Me
(3:57)  6. Woody `n' You
(7:44)  7. Portrait
(4:37)  8. Get Blue
(2:15)  9. Follow The Sound
(8:14) 10. Art Deco (Alt. Take)

Trumpeter Avishai Cohen had already reached the upper echelons of the jazz world when he put Triveni into motion, but this trio's debut Introducing Triveni (Anzic Records, 2010) still managed to mark a quantum leap in his artistry. The Israeli-born horn man first made stateside ripples when he placed third in the Thelonious Monk Jazz Trumpet Competition in 1997 and those ripples turned to waves as he became an established presence on the scene. A string of albums in his own name, work with his equally sublime siblings in the 3 Cohens, and a slew of sideman dates helped him climb the ladder of success, but his ascendancy was marked by his arrival as the trumpet heir in the SFJAZZ Collective and the formation of this trio. Triveni, a Sanskrit word that means "the place where three sacred rivers meet," is an accurate descriptor for this bold trio. 

Cohen called on bassist Omer Avital and drummer Nasheet Waits to help him achieve his artistic aims, sans chordal instrument, and he couldn't have asked for two better-suited partners. The trumpeter has a longstanding relationship with Avital, which includes their collaborative efforts within Third World Love, while Waits' drum work in triangular settings led by pianists Jason Moran and Fred Hersch has established him as the most important, now-practicing stick wielder in the artistic medium known as the jazz trio. When these three men match wits, barbs and quips, the results are stunning. They demonstrate that a trio can be off-the-wall without veering completely off the tracks ("Safety Land"), and they toy with the idea of musical solid ground forming and failing at a moment's notice. Cohen sneaks in one number with mournful, Hebraic undertones ("November 30th"), but the majority of the music doesn't betray his birthplace; instead, the music simply betrays his love for free spirited travels that marry straight line jazz with post bop and free bop tendencies. 

He gives a nod to trumpet legend Dizzy Gillespie without trying to imitate the high note king ("Woody 'N' You"), touches on broad- toned beauty with a nod to bassist Charles Mingus ("Portrait") and displays a love for Ornette Coleman by borrowing two numbers from the saxophone maverick's book ("Following The Sound" and "Music News"). While the inclusion of "Willow Weep For Me" might seem odd on paper, it fits in perfectly and proves to be one of the most memorable performances on an album full of them. Rather than deliver this one as a soothing balm to heal the fire-borne marks left by earlier numbers, Cohen goes full tilt, trafficking in heady and raunchy melodicism; swagger reigns supreme here, as bubbling, bravado-based lines burst from his bell. Compare-and- contrast discussions that put this album and its predecessor in head-to-head competition may ensue, but these discussions will serve little purpose. Both Triveni dates are triumphant outings; now, it's time for Cohen to buckle down and make another record to complete a Triveni trifecta. ~ Dan Bilawsky   

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=42990#.UyztUoUqPro
 

Personnel: Avishai Cohen: trumpet; Omer Avital: bass; Nasheet Waits: drums.

Triveni II

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