Avishai Cohen

Avishai Cohen, bas, glas / bass, vocals

Shai Maestro, klavir / piano

Itamar Doari, tolkala / percussion

Karen Malka, glas / vocals

Amos Hoffman, oud

Leta 1970 v Izraelu rojeni basist in pevec slovi kot nova zvezda jazzovske scene (Down Beat je o njem zapisal »jazzovski vizionar globalnih razsežnosti«), obenem pa je zelo iskan glasbenik v popu in klasični glasbi, saj je snemal z Alicio Keys in nastopal z nekaj slavnimi simfoničnimi orkestri, kot so Londonski in Izraelski filharmonični orkester ter Boston Pops Symphony. Ko je bil star malo več kot dvajset let, je zapustil domovino in šel v New York, kjer se je preživljal z različnimi deli, igral pa je po parkih in ulicah. Sledilo je obdobje igranja po klubih, v latinojazz bendih, mdr. skupaj s panamskim pianistom Danilom Perezom. Kmalu je ustanovil prvo lastno zasedbo; preboj je prišel, ko jo je slišal Chick Corea in Cohena povabil tako v svojo zasedbo kot tudi k svoji založbi Stretch.
Leta 1996 je bil tako Cohen med soustanovitelji Coreovega seksteta Origin; prve štiri albume pa je izraelski glasbenik objavil pri Coreovi založbi. Po sedmih letih je Cohen šel na svoje in začel raziskovati glasbene korenine svoje domovine. Zaslovel je z združevanjem bližnjevzhodnih, vzhodnoevropskih in afroameriških glasbenih prvin. Začel je tudi prepevati, in sicer v več jezikih, hebrejskem, angleškem, španskem in ladino. V pesmih, v katerih se dotika splošnih tem (ljubezni, življenja, svobode), pa se skuša približati tako večkulturnosti Izraela kakor tudi nekdanjemu, bolj umirjenemu življenju. Lani je podpisal pogodbo z založbo Blue Note in zanjo posnel album Aurora (sicer njegov že enajsti), ki ga bo predstavil na ljubljanskem nastopu.
Več na:
www.avishaimusic.com 

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                                 Veleposlaništvo 
                                 Države Izrael
                                
Born in 1970 in Israel, bass player and singer Cohen is considered the brightest new jazz star (having been called a “jazz visionary of global proportions” by Down Beat). A highly sought-after pop and classical musician, he has recorded with Alicia Keys and performed with several notable symphony orchestras, such as the London and Israel Philharmonic Orchestra as well as the Boston Pops Symphony. Barely 20-something, he moved to New York, where he struggled to make ends meet, taking various odd jobs, and playing bass in streets and parks. There followed a long period of performing in small clubs, as well as playing Latin jazz in a few bands, among others with Panamanian pianist Danilo Perez. He soon established his first ensemble which made its breakthrough when approached by Chick Corea, who invited Cohen into his band and gave him a record contract under his own label, Stretch.
In 1996, Cohen was a founding member of Corea’s sextet Origin; while in his own right Cohen released his first four albums under Stretch. Seven years later, Cohen broke away from Corea and turned to exploring the musical roots of his homeland. His signature sound is the blend of Middle Eastern, Central European and African American musical idioms. He also sings in several languages; Hebrew, English, Spanish, and Ladino. Addressing universal subjects (love, life, and liberty), his compositions strive towards embracing the multicultural society of Israel as well as its former, quieter existence. Last year he signed a contract with the Blue Note, which released Aurora (his eleventh album), to be promoted also within the scope of the Ljubljana Festival.
More info:
www.avishaimusic.com