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Avishai Cohen
Devotion
(Concord)
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by Nichole T. Rustin
This is really good music. Composing 11 of the 14 tracks,
bassist Avishai Cohen evidences a conceptual and aesthetic
breadth that is amazing. Drawing on influences as varied as
his own Israeli heritage to Latin and African rhythms, to
jazz from the hardbop tradition, Cohen manages to sound rich
and new, rather than derivative. He began on the electric
bass, deeply influenced by Jaco Pastorious and Stanley
Clarke, and then moved on to the upright. Cohen plays both
acoustic and electric bass on Devotion, as well as piano,
synthesizer, and percussion. His facility with these
instruments lends itself to the complexity of his
compositions. Cohen is especially happy to write pieces
which stretch our expectations, as for example writing bass
lines in conjunction with the oud (on "Musa"), a string
quartet (Ti-Da-Do-Di-Do) featuring Cohen overdubbing with
the bass and Danny Freedman accompanying on balafon.
Devotion is Cohen's second album as a leader. The first,
Adama, was also released on Stretch Records, and received
critical acclaim. Before settling in NY in 1992, Cohen
spent most of his life in Isreal (except for a brief period
in the 80s when he lived in the U.S.). Since that time,
he's been performing with a number of musicians, including
Chick Corea who is one of "Devotion's" executive producers.
"Devotion" is marked by Cohen's interest in diaspora as both
a musical practice and a cultural history. "Ot Kain" draws
on a poem written by Shay Yemini, who addresses Cain's
search for peace after his murder of Abel. Cohen also turns
to the rhythms of the African diaspora with songs like
"Negril" and "El Capitan & The Ship at Sea." A particularly
beautiful, and all too short, piece is "Linda De Mi
Corazon," which features Cohen and singer Claudia Acuna.
"Devotion" represents the work of a musician at ease, both
as a performer and composer, with a number of musical
influences and traditions. Cohen is an artist to keep your
eye on.
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