Avishai Cohen: Brightlight

After gaining exposure in Chick Corea's trio in the late 1990s, Avishai Cohen has taken his dramatic acoustic bass sound mixed with Jewish folk music, jazz, world and classical influences and weaved them into a distinctive and accessible style. That style and his abilities as a showman and performer have given him global recognition and a wide network of influence, cementing his position as one of the top bass players of his generation.

Israeli-born Cohen has used many formats to communicate his sophisticated compositions, including symphony orchestras and string quartets. He has also explored his singing abilities in Ladino and Hebrew. He seems most at home in a piano trio. His trio album Shifting Sands (Naïve Records, 2022) was acclaimed and featured in many "best of" lists in 2022. That album introduced drummer Roni Kaspi and she brings her energy to Brightlight alongside pianist Guy Moskovich, who follows in the footsteps of previous Avishai Cohen Trio pianists Shai Maestro, Elchin Shirinov and Nitai Hershkovits (no pressure there).

Brightlight combines new compositions, standards and reworks some older compositions. This works well as an introduction to his work, but those expecting the next step from Shifting Sands could be disappointed. The trio are augmented on some tracks by guest musicians, notably saxophonist Yuval Drabkin, who has a track named after him, as does Kaspi.

The terrific opener, "Courage," begins with Cohen's signature bass sound. He establishes a driving groove and then changes mood as the ever-vibrant Kaspi builds drum crescendos over Moskovich's melody. The pianist's role in Cohen's trios is often to play memorable repeating rhythmic chord progressions, before breaking out into improvisation, and so it proves in the intriguing title track. "Hope" is one of the standout tracks, with excellent interplay and significant contributions from guest musicians guitarist Yosi Ben Tovim and flautist Ilan Salem.

"Roni's Swing" is dedicated to Kaspi and has all the hallmarks of Cohen's trios; rolling rhythmic swing from the piano before a flowing solo, Cohen's bass solo excels and Kaspi's interjections are razor sharp. "Drabkin" has the trio accompanying Drabkin's rich sax melody. A couple of older tracks are revisited. Taken from Shifting Sands, "Hitragut" is opened up to accommodate a sax part but loses some of the gentle swing. "The Ever and Ever Evolving Etude" is a slight rework of "The Ever Evolving Etude" on Gently Disturbed (Razdaz Recordz, 2008).

Three cover versions close the album. Franz Liszt's nocturne, "Liebestraum," gets a fine, light bluesy makeover with flowing work from Moskovich. George Gershwin's "Summertime" features Cohen's vocals and gets a jumping new rhythm and could have been a natural choice to end the album on a high. Instead, a slow bass and sax version of Jimmy Van Heusen's "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" ends the album on a more mellow note.

The compositions and playing style reflect Cohen's wide musical universe and are often exhilarating and intense. Kaspi is crisp and powerful throughout, Moskovich fits perfectly and Cohen's bass drive is terrific. The album is witness to Cohen's creativity and showcases his trio's versatility and dynamism.

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