When reviewing all the styles Israeli double bassist Avishai Cohen has explored since his early days in the 1990s with Chick Corea’s trio and Origin group, before quickly rising to become one of the major figures in global jazz, one could almost forget the crucial impact he has had on the international jazz landscape.
It’s fair to say that Cohen has tried nearly everything: all kinds of cross-genre fusion, recordings with symphony orchestras, film scores, and even vocal music. But it is largely thanks to him that Israel is now recognised as a rich breeding ground for composers and improvisers. He has discovered and nurtured a multitude of instrumentalists who have since gone on to forge their own paths and make their mark, among them pianists Shai Maestro, Nitai Hershkovits, and Omri Mor, as well as drummer Mark Guiliana.
In recent years, he has continued to bring together a new generation of Israeli musicians who share his taste for genre-blending and experimentation. His most recent album, Brightlight, is proof that this tireless bandleader and talent-scout still has an unerring instinct.