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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