Anat Cohen: Quartetinho

As it has manifested on world stages and such noteworthy releases as Luminosa and Claroscuro (Anzic Records, 2015, 2012), Grammy-nominated clarinetist, composer & bandleader Anat Cohen's deep fascination and delight with world music, especially Brazil's hot melding of South African rhythms, cajun swing, and European dance, makes Quartetinhoan irrepressible listen.

Infused and bursting with a multitude of melody left, right, and center, the charismatic Cohen takes a few steps back from her masterful tentet outing Triple Helix(Anzic, 2019) to debut her world-folk quartet Quartetinho. Parlaying each others expressive tuneful mischief, Cohen and her cohorts, Vitor Gonçalves on piano, accordion & Rhodes, bassist Tal Mashiach, along with James Shipp covering vibes, percussion, and analog synth, weave an intimate, lyrical ballet, brimming with color and design.

Beginning with Shipp's ringing, rubato dissonance, "Baroquen Spirit" quickly establishes the rhapsodic interplay which defines Quartetinho. Cohen's bass clarinet, its tone folky, rustic and bold, first pairs with Shipp's vibes, then joins Goncalves' emotive center to create an atmosphere of joyful melancholy. It is a delicious start.

A dream weaver of the first degree, Cohen's endlessly rewarding "Palhaço" follows. A cohesive blend of vibrant solos from Cohen, Gonçalves, and Shipp, held together by Mashiach's fervent delicacy, "Palhaço" is just the first of many outstanding performances. With the whole quartet bouncing off the baião beats (a tightly syncopated duple meter), the next stand out, Shipp's deliriously funky take on the Brazilian standard, "Boa Tarde Povo," is wonderfully reminiscent of many of the funkier moments found in the Herbie Hancock Headhunters playbook.

Built around a darkly textured, Rhodes powered 6/4, Cohen counters Shipp's exuberance with "Birdie." But Cohen's spirit and temperament make sure it is not dark for too long. Her disarmingly playful, second-line blues workout "Louisiana" features Shipp and Goncalves having a field day hopscotching each other amid Mashiach's light imbued pizzicato. A whimsical run at Brazilian native son, guitarist & composer Egberto Gismonti's energetic "Frevo" offsets yet compliments the closing, Old World introspection of "Vivi & Zaco" as Mashiach picks up his acoustic guitar, Goncalves his accordion, to create a welcoming backdrop for Cohen and Goncalves to discuss their thoughts and concerns while strolling a quiet side street in Sao Paulo. Two years in the making (as it did to everything except our broken politic, the plague of the last couple years shut the band down after their first gig in March, 2020) Quartetinhonever disappoints or deceives.