Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » 3 Cohens: Braid

198

3 Cohens: Braid

By

View read count
3 Cohens: Braid
On this disc, recorded in a Brooklyn studio in the summer of 2006, the three Cohen siblings blend their many individual influences into one happy family outing. While reed player Anat's work clearly has more of a Latin vibe (thanks to work with groups like Choro Ensemble and her Brazilian jazz quartet), her brothers—trumpeter Avishai and saxophonist Yuval—seem to draw inspiration mostly from European and Middle-Eastern jazz. Working together, the trio has a noticeable chemistry that is undeniable—according to the liners, early in their musical studies they "practiced at home, together or separately (but still within hearing distance of each other), for years. In the process they got to know each other's musical instincts extremely well.

The varying styles are evident in their respective approach to composing. On Anat's "Tfila (Prayer), the arrangement leans into a Brazilian direction, while Avishai's "Shoutin' Low has more of a straight-ahead approach, showcasing his excellent trumpet chops. The same can be said of Yuval's "Freedom which, as the title suggests, gives a lot of space for individual expression; special mention must be made of an accomplished Eric Harland drum solo. Harland's talents are also very present on the Cuban-tinged "Navad (The Wanderer, also written by Yuval), a tune used to open their CD release celebration at New York's Jazz Standard in the Fall of 2007, as part of a week of events under Anat's leadership.

"It is not very often that we have the chance to share the stage together, Anat said as she introduced her two brothers halfway through the set. All three musicians have demanding schedules in their own right and the fact that Yuval resides in Israel (Avishai and Anat both live in New York) makes for logistical obstacles to this kind of meeting.

One of the highlights of that set was the beautiful "Beaches, Anat's clarinet redolent of bossa nova subtlety. The muse that night shone mostly on Avishai, who showed incredible fluency on his instrument. Another great live moment was their take on Ernesto Lecuona's "La Habanera (the only tune played not from the album) where they took full advantage of the song's open spaces to improvise freely. Subbing drummer Johnathan Blake skillfully held the beat together and performed an accomplished solo that was ably supported by bassist Barak Mori and pianist Aaron Parks.

Track Listing

Navad (The Wanderer); Gigi et Amelie; Freedom; Beaches; U-Valley; Lies and Gossip; It Could Happen to You; Elegy for Eliku; Tfila (Prayer); Shoutin' Low.

Personnel

3 Cohens
band / ensemble / orchestra

Anat Cohen: tenor sax, clarinet (4); Avishai Cohen: trumpet; Yuval Cohen: soprano sax; Aaron Goldberg: piano; Omer Avital: bass; Eric Harland: drums.

Album information

Title: Braid | Year Released: 2007 | Record Label: Anzic Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

Near

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.