AVISHAI COHEN TRIO - Gently Disturbed

Imagine a thoroughbred racehorse on top form, groomed and toned to perfection but still possessing the instinct to make every stride count and you’ll begin to get the picture of Israeli bassist, Avishai Cohen and his trio. Gently Disturbed is a master class in music of any description. Thriving on unison lines, multiple layers of tonal textures that borrow from jazz, classical and Jewish folk forms, frenetic rhythms that verge on the edge of entropy but always bring you home safely and complex compositional structures like Variations in G Minor, it will take me years to uncover the mille feuille of this music. When they do take a breath the gentle renditions of Jewish songs like La Baiom Velo Balyla and Umray make their roots clear while still imbuing them with the jazz signature. Mention must be made of the impeccable piano playing of Shai Maestro - yes with a name like that you only really have one destiny. His fingers drip with arpeggios, counterpoint, rhythm and romance. Cohen himself makes the higher register of the bass, the dusty end as my old friend Mike used to call it, sound as easy to play as a 3 stringed ukulele. On first listening it may all appear frantic but you soon hear the subtleties - Seattle is full of longing, Chutzpah is full of ..well yes, chutzpah and The Ever Evolving Etude beset with blind corners and offset accents that will keep you guessing. Not for the fainthearted, Gently Disturbed will either blow your mind or leave you elated – there’s no middle ground here but both options appeal.

Do you remember when you were a child….sorry no point of past reference here. Incredible synchronicity.