Avishai Cohen - Variations in G Minor
Avishai Cohen is an amazing
Jazz bassist/composer from Israel that my friend Mike turned me onto probably almost 10 years ago at this point. I honestly haven't really heard anything from him or his trio that I didn't like. They have stuff that's sort of your typical jazz trio, but they also incorporate lots of international musical themes and sounds, from Latin music to Mediterranean, and even Chinese/Japanese scales and ideas have appeared in some songs. I love that he is a bassist who composes for his trio; it allows him write really unique songs that focus on the bass as a lead instrument part of the time. He is also known for using his hands on the body of his bass to create a percussive effect while playing live.
Listen To/Watch the Performance Here.
This is a live performance
of his trio at "Jazz at Marciac", a Jazz festival/show in Marciac, Southern France. This song originally appeared on his 2008 album Gently Disturbed, which is one of my favorites. The live rendition is great, they get into some serious improv and make the song really interesting, especially for someone who has heard the original a lot like me. His band is equally talented, I love how they can back off at times and let the bass really come through, and yet with the snap of a finger, they can crescendo right back into the mix and really nail the songs.