By Ashante Infantry
 Entertainment Reporter

Avishai Cohen has built an enviable career since arriving in New York from Tel Aviv as a jazz neophyte in the early 1990s, but he still has fond memories of the days when he busked in the subway and on sidewalks.

“The street is always a very objective and relatively important medium or environment for a musician or an artist to share art with people, because if it’s not formal with ticket buying, then it’s even more of a task to make it happen,” the now 40-year-old bassist told the Star in a phone interview.

“Either you get the attention, or not. You have to feel every corner of what this art is about; it’s not only about practising at home and playing gigs. I liked the struggle; it was very important for my growth. New York doesn’t really hug you and kiss you and welcome you. You got to do it, or you can leave.”

Cohen withstood the challenges. A member of keyboard legend Chick Corea’s band for six years, he has collaborated with the likes of Bobby McFerrin, Alicia Keys and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Named one of the “100 Most Influential Bass Players of the 20th Century” by Bass Player magazine, Cohen has cut a swath through traditional and Latin jazz, funk and reggae and released nearly a dozen albums as a leader.

The musician, who makes his Toronto debut at the Isabel Bader Theatre on Oct. 19, also paved the way for much-lauded compatriots, like saxophonist Anat Cohen and her trumpeter brother Avishai Cohen (same name, no relation).

“I made enough noise to really open some doors,” said Cohen. “In the last six, seven years, there’s been a bunch of young Israelis going to New York; it’s like a disease right now. Some of them are better than others, but they’re all enjoying what the city’s got to give.”

After 12 years in the Big Apple, the bassist returned to live in his native land in 2004.

“I felt that when I came back to New York I was still on tour,” he explained. “I wanted to be more at ease, at a slower pace, when I’m off the road. I prefer to be in a beach town like Tel Aviv, closer to my family, my old friends, when I’m not touring.”

Being home has influenced his music. Cohen’s 11th disc Aurora finds him incorporating his own vocals more than ever before.

“The singing came because I’ve gotten closer to Israeli music. I sing also in English and Spanish, but my first preference for singing is Hebrew, as I feel that Hebrew really defines my voice more than any other language.

“The intimacy and what you show when you sing is on another level, as opposed to just playing, or even composing. Sharing your voice is more of an insight to your feelings and your heart. So, in that sense, it’s a very daring and not easy process to do, but it’s a very healing and beautiful and important part of the music for me today.”

The album showcases Cohen’s eclectic sound, which melds the Afro-Cuban influences of Latin jazz musicians he played with in New York, the Arabic and Eastern European influences he grew up with in Israel and the classical composers he studied first.

“The fact that I’m considered to be a jazz musician is sometimes weird to me; but cool if I can bring a new hue to the music because of my connection to my heritage.

“I’m just a musician, or a person, that collects information and emotions from different places and different times in my life and compiles into this identifiable sound that I have now — which is great, because I’ve never planned for anything. Nothing is intentional other than my serving my passion. That’s all I do.”

JUST THE FACTS

WHO: Avishai Cohen

WHEN: Oct. 19, 8 p.m.

WHERE: Isabel Bader Theatre, 93 Charles St. W.

TICKETS: $18 to $30 at www.ticketweb.ca or 1-888-222-6608