Trumpeter Avishai Cohen Plays Penultimate Show In Xavier’s 2018-2019 Jazz Series

Trumpeter and composer Avishai Cohen is among the most critically-acclaimed musicians in modern Jazz, earning high praise from all over the world, including from esteemed U.S. outlets like The New York Times (which wrote, “Like (Miles) Davis, (Cohen) can make the trumpet a vehicle for uttering the most poignant human cries”) and the U.K.’s The Guardian, which also name-checked Davis in its commendation, writing that “every generation of Jazz trumpeters revisits the legacy of Miles Davis in their own ways, but … Cohen’s version of the journey has been particularly skillful.”

While comparing a Jazz trumpeter favorably to the greatest player of all time might suggest heavy hyperbole and certainly comes with a ton of pressure and expectations (like saying a basketball player is Jordan-eque or an opera singer has Pavarotti chops), the Israeli-born Cohen certainly fits the mold and seems up to the task. Cohen shares a similar creative curiosity, ambition and versatility with Davis that has found him gracefully blending elements from Rock, Classical, World Music and Klezmer music into a spectrum of Jazz motifs (from Be Bop to Fusion to more avant-garde styles), while also exploring different lineup and compositional approaches.

Cohen’s latest album is 2017’s Cross My Palm with Silver, his second for legendary Jazz label ECM, which includes the profound and evocative “Theme for Jimmy Greene,” a tribute to the saxophonist who lost his daughter in 2012’s Sandy Hook school shooting. The album was presented in a quartet format, which is how it (and other material) will be performed when Cohen comes to Cincinnati this Friday (March 22) to play the penultimate concert in Xavier University’s 2018-2019 Jazz series. (Brad Mehldau plays the final series show on April 16.) Cohen’s current touring band features bassist Barak Mori (who played on Cross My Palm), pianist Fabian Almazan and drummer Marcus Gilmore.