Gently Disturbed is the album that made Avishai Cohen explode on the European Jazz scene, attracting huge crowds and expanding way beyond the traditional jazz audience. And yet Continuo, the album that preceded Gently Disturbed is the one I find the most interesting, perhaps because the blend of musical cultures is slightly more pronounced.
It's no surprise that Avishai Cohen's and his trio are adept at drawing from multiple influences: Cohen himself is Israeli born and bred but came to musical prominence in New York City backing the likes of Chick Corea. Sam Barsh started classical piano before switching to jazz with a blend of funk, r&b and groove on top. These threads are immediately apparent when you listen to his playing. Mark Guiliana is a New Jersey born drummer with fingers in both the jazz and the rock pies and adept at mixing both. Maybe this overview of the trio give you a sense of the musical blend I was talking about earlier. The addition of Amos Hoffman on Oud on a couple of tracks adds the little bit of spice that makes Continuo exotic.
What I like about the music on Continuo is that it's uncompromisngly melodic without being tame. It seems to me that Jazz has a complicated relationship with melody because it's a necessary element that you must nonetheless kill if you can. Avishai Cohen's trio manages both to perfection in my opinion. Fans of exploratory jazz improvisation might feel frustrated I guess, but for me the limited level of "out" is just right. Listen to Nu Nu, the opener: slow dirge intro to strong syncopated oriental melody gives to hard groove with oud and bass improvisations. There's variety and entertainment without compromise.
Avishai Cohen demonstrates that even in the 21st century you can play jazz with integrity but without necessarily sacrificing listenability. You can also play a jazz that draws from very varied influences without compromising the essential jazz nature of the music. That's what excites me about this record, and - to be honest - the two Avishai Cohen records that followed.
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