Avishai Cohen (bassist)

Avishai was born in Kabri, a kibbutz in northern Israel.[1] He has Spanish, Greek and Polish descents. [2] He grew up in a musical family at Motza and Beit Zayit near Jerusalem until the age of six, when his family moved to Shoeva in western Israel. He began playing the piano at 9 years old but changed to the bass guitar at the age of 14, inspired by bassist Jaco Pastorius.When his family moved back to Israel he joined the Music and Arts Academy in Jerusalem with a focus on acoustic bass.[3]

Avishai Cohen in Uppsala, 2015

Cohen played with Chick Corea and Claudia Acuña.[4]

At age 22, after having served for two years in an army band, Avishai moved to New York City, where he initially performed on the streets while working in construction. While studying at the new School in New York he became part of Panamanian pianists Danilo Perez’ Trio, which led him to experiment with Latin sounds. In 1997, Avishai Cohen became a member of “Chick Corea’s New Trio” and co-founder of Corea’s ensemble, “Origin”. During the six years of musical collaboration with Chick Corea, Avishai fine-tuned his skills as a performer and composer.[5]

Avishai’s first four albums, Adama (1998), Devotion (1999), Colours (2000) and Unity (2001) were released under Corea’s label ‘Stretch/ Concord Records’ and featured Mediterranean and Latin influences as well as the use of horns and vocals. Unity was recorded with the International Vamp Band, a group of fellow musicians formed by Avishai, from different parts of the world (Mexico, Argentina, Cuba and Israel). The idea behind the project was to allow different cultures interact and converse using the medium of music.[6]

Avishai Cohen Trio in Uppsala, 2015

In 2002, Cohen founded his record label, Razdaz Recordz. "I've always been interested in several genres of music, including jazz, rock, pop, Latin and funk," says Cohen. "I'm always packed with ideas. I decided to start my own label because I'm involved in so many different projects."[7] Lyla was the first album released by Razdaz.[8] Cohen reflected on his work, "Lyla reflects much of who I am as an artist. The International Vamp Band has been touring for two years and I wanted to document that. I also started a rock band Gadu with Israeli drummer named Mark Guiliana [...] I've also been working on pop tunes with a female vocalist named Lola. And, of course, to show the whole picture on the CD, I wanted to acknowledge my relationship to Chick."[8]

Cohen's signature sound is a blend of Middle Eastern, eastern European, and African-American musical idioms.[9] The New York Times describes his 2006 album Continuo as conjoining "heavy Middle Eastern groove with a delicate, almost New Age lyricism".[10] Cohen often sings in Judaeo-Spanish (Ladino), to which he has a connection through his mother. For example, "Morenika", from his album Aurora, is a very famous Ladino song he grew up hearing his mother singing around the house.[11]

• List of jazz bassists
• List of jazz arrangers

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Avishai Cohen.

• Official website