I’ve written about jazz composer/trumpet player Avishai Cohen on several occasions. The reason I’m so passionate about his music is that Cohen brings incredible thought and emotion to his playing. Watching him, as I did earlier this year in New York, is to see and hear a musician so beautifully expressing himself through his art. The Avishai Cohen Quartet will be appearing on Friday and Saturday night at Blue Whale Music in Little Tokyo.
Cohen’s most recent album is Playing the Room, a recording he made with pianist Yonathan Avishai. The two have been friends since they were teenagers in Tel Aviv. Simply put the album is sublime. It was released on ECM Records in September.
These two shows do not find the collaborators performing together. The line-up for the Blue Whale shows finds Fabian Alamazan on piano; Barak Mori on bass and Ziv Ravitz on drums.
I recommend that you definitely check out of these two shows. And before you do, go to whatever streaming service you use and explore Avishai Cohen’s music. (Making sure you get Avishai Cohen the trumpeter and not the bass player). This is first-rate music that will provide countless hours of pleasure.
The shows are scheduled on Friday and Saturday from 9:00 pm to 11:45 PM. The website doesn’t currently show pre-sale tickets. You’ll either need to buy them at the door or call the venue (213-620-0908) for ticketing details.
Photo of Avishai Cohen courtesy of his website.