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Concert Review
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Jewish Tribune, Concert Review >>
TORONTO – Israeli musician Avishai Cohen’s phenomenal CD launch Aurora, packed a full house recently at the Isabel Bader Theatre. The concert, presented by the Koffler Centre of the Arts, marked the acclaimed bassist’s auspicious Toronto debut. Cohen, 40, a veteran of the New York jazz scene, and his talented band, created a beguiling universe of eclectic sound, hypnotically fusing Middle Eastern rhythms, Afro-Cuban Latin jazz, flamenco and classical with folk and pop music. Concert highlights included a gorgeous rendering of a popular Israeli poem blended with jazz piano rhythms and sung in Cohen’s rich voice steeped in emotion; rousing renditions of traditional Ladino folk songs; plus haunting melodies performed by Cohen while playing his double-bass.
According to his web site, the Aurora CD, his 11th album, was recorded in Tel Aviv, and “draws its source in the earth of his home country [Israel] at the crossroads of many cultures.
“Arab-Andalusian and Hebraic, it tells the story of Bedouins of the desert and speaks of life, love, youth and freedom.” Although Cohen mines his varied musical roots, jazz anchors his unique musical universe.
He was born into a musical Israeli family who sang Ladino songs and prayers. As a child, he learned piano, but switched to electric bass guitar after discovering Jaco Pastorius.
After two years in the army, he left Tel Aviv to explore New York’s exciting music scene. He stayed there 12 years, playing with piano virtuoso Chick Corea’s band for six years, working with musical talents Bobby McFerrin and Alicia Keys, and performing with the London and Israel philharmonic orchestras as well as the Boston Pops Symphony. Bass Player magazine, named Cohen one of the “100 Most Influential Bass Players of the 20th Century.” In 2004, he returned to Israel where he’s known to surround himself with a coterie of chosen musicians and young emerging artists who’ll go on the road and play concerts with him anywhere in the world.
With launch of Aurora at the Toronto concert, Cohen and his stellar band sang in Hebrew, Spanish and Ladino. Their powerful voices fused with the mesmerizing music and soared and reverberated into the depths and heights of the Bader Theatre, causing the enraptured audience to spring immediately to their feet and clamour uproariously for encores.
CONCERT REVIEW
http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=8107
Avishai Cohen and his band delivered a rousing concert at the Winningstad Theatre this past Saturday night. Presented by the Portland Jazz Festival, the set, consisting of ten songs, had the audience cheering wildly. Concocting an eclectic blend of multi-cultural fusion, refined from jazz, Middle Eastern/Israeli folk, and a variety of Latin based motifs; a night of exultant, colorful musical expression was underway. The mix of Israeli music and black jazz fits in with the upcoming 2011 Portland Jazz Festival, Feb. 18-27, whose theme is “Jewish & African-Americans Playing Jazz Together.”
Cohen and his band mates offered selections from their current release, Aurora. Utilizing wordless vocals, and predominately Latin-infused rhythm arrangements, transitions in tempo and genre were executed with suppleness and lyrical verve. “Morenika” opened with a classical feel as Cohen began with a bowed bass, evoking a drifting Middle Eastern theme. Shai Maestro demonstrated a delicate touch on the piano and was joined with the first of several brilliant percussion runs by Itamar Doari. The pace suggested a folk cadence as Cohen and backup singer Karen Malke alternated lead and harmony vocals. The ensemble sparkled on “Lonely Tree’, an arrangement of a Yiddish story. With a classical/pop feel both piano and oud (Amos Hoffman) played a dual melody lead, highlighted by some crisp tempo breaks. Cohen explored the Semitic auditory theme on a discerning solo that segued into a dazzling improvisation. The piece was coalesced by a thunderous, climactic finish with piano, bass percussion, and guitar, building a textured “wall of sound” that permeated the dynamics of the quartet. This layered, crescendo filled approach energized the group throughout the evening. Hoffman’s oud was featured on “In One”, as his graceful, classical guitar strumming set an emotional tone. This extended piece (nearly fifteen minutes in length) evolved into a Latin jam, driven by a phenomenal bongo drum solo. The band was at its vibrant peak when the solos were transformed into “group jams”. Vocal colorations (Ladino idiom) adorned with Brazilian-like vocalese, and chants, never felt intrusive to the musicality of the compositions.
Cohen is an innovative bassist [And not to be confused with trumpeter Avishai Cohen...Ed.] After soliciting a starting point from the audience (no less than Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony), he embarked on a scintillating six minute solo. His physical mastery of the instrument included lightning-quick fingering and ebullient body movements. This piece (“An Oak Tree And A Rock”), morphed into an electrified Sephardic folk dance that had the patrons bouncing and clapping in time. The first of two encore songs, “Alfonso Y El Mar”, allowed Cohen a lone interpretation as he delineated both bass and melody lines simultaneously with grace and precision.
His stature as a bandleader and showman was evident on the incendiary finale, a raucous Salsa number that blew the house away. At the end of the piece, Cohen slid onto the piano bench to bang out the rhythm chords as Maestro reciprocated on the bass (without a break in the playing).A packed house acknowledged the emergence of an influential cultural presence. Avishai Cohen appeared compelling in an instrumental surrounding, but added a charismatic touch with his affable banter. This groundbreaking approach to global music was fresh, yet accessible. 10/27/10 >> go there
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