Avishai Cohen has got to be one of my favorite Bassists/Composers... I have been slacking recently and it took me till last week to pick up the latest album "Lyla".. It is amazing... Has anyone else heard it or other albums of his that has absolutely moved you!?! I wasn't able to catch him with Chick Corea (either Origins or the trio), but I saw him a while back with Danilo Perez in Boston... OMG! he was amazing then, I can only imagine that he is killer now. www.avishaimusic.com
I saw him here in town last week, and it was a great show. He played DB for all but the last two or three tunes, and then picked up a Fender jazz and played a couple of numbers on that. I thought it was really nice to see a young jazz musician simply enjoying playing music without worrying about what the "boundaries" of "jazz" are, or worrying about breaking them. There was real joy in the music, which to me is all that really matters. I'd highly recommend catching his quartet live if he happens to come through your area.
Chris, After I made that post I hopped on his site and notice that he was just in l'ville... My Parents just moved to Lexington, KY (from MA) about 2 month's ago... I wish I knew about it, I would have tried to go. I hear ya RE: "boundaries" ... Fearless innovators really impress me too!
i have one of his cd`s from my teacher - amazing stuff. so much feel and soul. i absolutely love his articulation and sound.
I really like his debut album, Adama. Danilo Perez' Panamonk album with Cohen is also one of my favs. The Origin box set is also happenin'. Very nice band. I think Colours is the last solo disc of his I picked up... BTW, another cat worth checking out is Ben Allison. "Similar" to Cohen in that he also writes & plays some cool stuff.
And- ...if you like Cohen's Middle Eastern/Ethnic vibe- You may like Fima Ephron's solo disc, Soul Machine(URB & electric bass).
Yeah I've been into Fima since that Screaming Headless Torsos album 1995, now I have Every SHT/KiF/BCAL album... He has the best Fender Jazz tone ever!!! His work with M'eshell is also the bomb. I emailed Lian Amber (Her, SHT and Fima are probably out of town till the 10th, tour) this afternoon about Soul Machine, seeing that Fima's site is down... if I can find his email addy, I'll have to ask him... Funny that you know what kind of writing I like, good call my brother...
Yeah, he came and played here on campus back in October...I was astounded. I really enjoyed the show, so I bought Lyla right afterwords. For our show, he played DB and a Sting Ray.
Another one is Kyle Eastwood - he's leading his own band and writing the tunes. I heard a couple recently on the radio (BBC) and one was a DB - led tune and the next was a great funky tune with a nice 16th note Bass guitar line! What do people think of him - are you actually put off by the name ?
Bruce, Kyle isn't bad at all, I have his first solo album, Cohen is still in a different league IM'h'O... But Eastwood is still very good. On a side-note, I was working at HMV records in Harvard Square back in '97, when a guy came into the jazz section and began to ask me a bunch of questions about "Eastwood after dark" (or something to that similar name). That is a double album with Kyle and a big band full of big time players... Well this guy asked how the album was selling and what I thought about it. He said that he produced it with Clint Eastwood... I (of course) didn't believe him, till he bought something and paid for it on a credit card that said Bruce Richter... Later I went back to that CD and saw on that both Clint and this guy Bruce were the exec producers... Small world, not sure how interesting that anecdote was...
I'm assuming you also have the Hasidic New Wave stuff, too? I was thinking more about the Cohen/Allison connection. Drummer Jeff Ballard has played with both. Clint Eastwood is a huge Jazz buff...I'm not real surprised he produced his son's record. Clint produced Bird with Forrest Whitaker, right? Hasta...
Actually I think my girl might have Hasidic New Wave, I'll have to look... If not, I'm going to have to pick up both. Does that have Rufus Capodoccia on it? His playing on Fuzes KiF is amazing. I didn't not know that he played with both... I'm ordering a Ben Alison CD, which should I get? Jeff is one of my favorite drummers I have heard that Clint is a big Jazz Buff... Alot of this is starting to make sense... That Movie Bird was really good, Forrest Whitaker did a great job at being Charlie Parker...
J- The HSNW have 4 albums... Jews & The Abstract Truth(w/ Kenny Davis on bass) Kabalogy Psycho-Semitic From The Belly Of Abraham The HSNW has "Fuse", Ephron, Frank London(trumpet), Greg Wall(sax), & Aaron Alexander(drums)...Wall & London are amazing; Alexander kicks some butt. Some of their materila smacks of Miles' Bitches Brew-era meets Hendrix meets Weather Report. As far as Ben Allison...man, that's tough. I think he has 5 solo discs, all happenin'. Personally, I like his first(Seven Arrows) & his latest the best(Peace Pipe. They're all good. Check out www.palmetto-records.com www.benallison.com Check out some of the sound bites...
Hey JimK, Since Fima's Site has been down for almost a year I decided to email Lian Amber. She is Fuze's wife (SHT, BCAL, KiF, Jazz Punk, Lunar Crush). Fuze and her are actually pretty good friends (she did my business cards a while back)... She is a performer and a graphic artist/Web-designer... She was the one that put a site up there for Fima. Fima is on tour with SHT for kind of like a reunion thing. Lian is working on getting up another site for him, I'll post the URL once it is up. She also just mentioned to me that they are working on a new SHT and KiF album that is to come out with in the next few months.
J- Thanks. I do get e-mails & such from www.torsos.com Lian sings on Lunar Crush(Fuse/Medeski album with Ephron, Jo Jo Mayer, Gene Lake, etc)...rockin' album to say the least. That's weird about Ephron's website; it's been a year since it's been up. I e-mailed him after I bought Soul Machine(I think I bought my copy from Tower Records)...I was wanting some details on "Free Man" from the Torsos' debut record. In any event, keep me posted!
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