Jazz long ago became a worldwide musical phenomenon and nobody illustrates the point better than Israeli-born bassist Avishai Cohen. Cohen is a former employee of the great piano master Chick Corea, whose influence can be heard here along with Satie, Chopin and the profound folk music of the bassist’s native Middle East. However, Cohen has developed into a major composer, songwriter and arranger, capable of blending his own physically strong but nimble bass playing and the piano trio that’s at this beautifully melodic music’s heart with instrumentation from both within and without the jazz tradition – namely the deeply soulful, jagged-edged oud and a lightly applied horn section. Cohen sings, too, lending a further mysterious air to music that switches effortlessly from breezy melody to urgent riffing and exciting soloing, with the wonderful Shai Maestro digging in creatively on piano and percussionist Itamar Doari unfailingly lending drive and detail.
Think EST with a Middle Eastern accent, and buy with confidence.