Record Reviews

AVISHAI COHEN ~ COLORS STRETCH 9031 (Barcode: 013431903123) ~ ISRAEL ~ Jazz Recorded: 2000 Released: 2000 3rd album by Israeli bassist / composer Avishai CohenFind albums by this artist and his most ambitious project to date. Cohen not only expands his personal musical range by adding electric bass and piano to the list of instruments he plays here, but also expanding the lineup of the participating musicians and even including a string quartet. The core lineup, which participates in the album’s recording is a septet with Cohen, Jimmy GreeneFind albums by this artist on reeds and flute, Steve DavisFind albums by this artist and Avi LebovichFind albums by this artist on trombone, Jason LindnerFind albums by this artist on piano, Amos HoffmanFind albums by this artist on guitar and oud and Jeff BallardFind albums by this artist on drums. In addition, some guest artists are also appearing. Cohen’s ability as a bass player is of course legendary and needs no further discussion here, but his true greatness is his extraordinary ability to compose superb Jazz pieces, which skillfully combine the American Jazz tradition with other musical elements, mainly folklore and World Music. Cohen’s Middle Eastern background is clearly evident in his music, although he is also wide open to other sources of inspiration, like Latin Music. Cohen composed all the thirteen tunes on this album. The overall effect is truly refreshing and the combined skills of the musicians involved create an album of rare beauty, which contains an immense amount of new and exciting music. This is a truly remarkable album, which portrays an extraordinary musical talent at work and shows a new path for the future of Jazz, which hopefully will open new horizons to the somewhat sleepy genre at the start of a new Millenium. A must!

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AVISHAI COHEN ~ UNITY STRETCH 9036 (Barcode: 013431903628) ~ ISRAEL ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2001 Released: 2001 4th album by Israeli bassist / composer Avishai CohenFind albums by this artist and almost a complete about face for him in many respects. Cohen abandons the acoustic bass (which brought him his glory), switching to piano and electric bass and joins four other excellent musicians to form what they call The International Vamp BandFind albums by this artist. The quintet also includes Avi LebovichFind albums by this artist on trombone, Yosvany TerryFind albums by this artist on saxes, Diego UrcolaFind albums by this artist on trumpet, Yagil BarasFind albums by this artist on acoustic bass and Antonio SanchezFind albums by this artist on drums. Together they play some of the most exciting and invigorating music I heard in a long time, skillfully mixing Jazz with ethnic influences, mostly those of Latin, Cuban and Mexican music, but also touching on others, like the obvious Cohen’s Middle Eastern roots. Cohen wrote all the music, except for one standard. The performances are brilliant throughout, with many great solos, including Cohen on electric bass a la Jaco Pastorius. This music is a great document of the true “unity” that music offers to all people, regardless of race, nationality or cultural background – when it is good, it sound good to everybody. It is uplifting to see Jazz musicians embracing and incorporating ethnic roots, creating new mixtures and expanding the somewhat stiff palette of traditional Jazz. Cohen is undoubtedly a Master of his trade and his musical adventures so far provide a superb opportunity for his listeners to step across boundaries and learn new sounds, rhythms and musical colors. A must!

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

RAVID KAHALANI / YEMEN BLUES ~ YEMEN BLUES TAV 8 7290105161031 (Barcode: 7290105161031) ~ ISRAEL ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2009 - 2010 Released: 2011 This is a brilliant example of the musical fusion that is happening in Israel in the last decade. The dozens of different cultures living side by side in the tiny country of Israel are a fertile ground for interconnections and unexpected fusions since many years, but the last decade has been especially fertile, with new ensembles springing to life all the time. Vocalist / composer Ravid KahalaniFind albums by this artist collected around him a remarkable ensemble of gifted Israeli players, mostly with a strong Jazz background, and together they recorded this superb album, which combines African, Yemenite, Middle Eastern and other musical cultures, rhythms and traditions, fusing them all together into an amalgam, which is deeply moving and overwhelmingly beautiful. Kahalani wrote all the music and the lyrics (in several languages) and sings them simply breathtakingly. Yemen BluesFind albums by this artist was born when Kahalani met Israeli Jazz bassist Omer AvitalFind albums by this artist, who adorned Kahalani´s music with brilliant Jazzy arrangements, which are intelligent and subtle enough not to overshadow the folkloristic roots, but add interesting layers and unexpected twists. Avital plays bass and oud on the album and the other musicians are: Galia HaiFind albums by this artist on viola, Hilla EpsteinFind albums by this artist on cello, Hadar NoibergFind albums by this artist on flute, Itamar BorochovFind albums by this artist on trumpet, Avi LebovichFind albums by this artist on trombone, Itamar DoariFind albums by this artist and Rony IwrynFind albums by this artist on percussion. People interested in Jazz-World Fusion will be delighted with this album from the first time they hear it, and I can only recommend everybody to try it out! Brilliant stuff!

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