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Avishai Cohen Trio: "The Wonder of Jazz, Passed On to Future Generations"
The Yomiuri ShimbunIsraeli-born jazz bassist and composer Avishai Cohen has formed a trio with rising young musicians, and the group performed in Japan in February. A new album recorded with the trio is also planned for release. Of the trio, Cohen says: “Meeting talented young people is also a source of hope for me.” He recently turned 56, with a new album release planned for April.
The trio features Cohen on bass, alongside Itay Simhovich on piano and Eviatar Slivnik on drums. Cohen, who met Simhovich around two years ago, says: “He has flashes of genius — I’m completely captivated by the beauty of his rhythm and tone.” Of Slivnik, he says he combines the intelligence required of a drummer with a real sense of color and tone.
Cohen praised the trio’s performances in Tokyo and Osaka, cities they’ve visited many times, noting that the audience always listens closely and that “every time we play, it gets better.” During this Japan tour, the trio also added trombone and saxophone, performing in Tokyo at Blue Note. Of Blue Note Tokyo, he said: “It’s a place I cherish — I always have such great memories there.”
The trio — joined by drummer Jeff Ballard as a guest — also features on Cohen’s new album Child (Naïve). The album includes nine new tracks alongside material drawn from more traditional jazz sessions. Cohen says he hopes listeners will enjoy both the new compositions and the more classic jazz pieces.
On the new material, he says: “We each brought our own distinctive voice, at times raising the intensity together, interlocking through deep mutual trust.” He praised the interplay between the trio members, his own use of bow and pizzicato in his solos, and the chemistry of the group as a whole. “I’m really happy with the chemistry between the three of us,” he said, adding that he hopes to keep passing on the wonder of jazz to the next generation. “This album is one I poured myself into, and I think it’s something the young people who look up to me can enjoy too. I think it turned out to be a genuinely meaningful piece of work.”