Anat Cohen - Reconvexo (October 15, 2021 Anzic Records)

In their second duo album, following the Grammy-nominated release Outra Coisa: The Music for Moacir Santos, Brazilian 7-string guitar player Gonçalves and New York-based clarinetist Cohen turn their attention to music from the Música Popular Brasileira (MPB) songbook.

Artists responded to the forced isolation brought about by the 2020 pandemic in various way across the globe. In Brazil, superstars such as Caetano Veloso, Milton Nascimento and Gilberto Gil shared performances from their homes, sharing their hit songs intimately with their fans, from one living room to another. Performing in this new format further strengthened the already deep impact these melodies and lyrics had on Brazilian culture.

Among those fans were Anat Cohen and Marcello Gonçalves, quarantined in Rio. As Marcello puts it: “I've been dreaming of Anat singing those words through her clarinet, imagining how her unique way of interpreting melodies would powerfully convey the message of the lyrics to anyone familiar with them, even when played instrumentally.” When listening to these quarantine-time performances “each one of these concerts reminded me of songs that I could play with Anat, so this project made even more sense to be done at this moment.”

And against the backdrop of a country and a world turning inward, distilling the importance of music in the lives of so many, the duo set out to record an album inspired by the beauty of Brazil, and the spirit of its people. The result is at once intimate and virtuosic, mournful and hopeful, soaked with the feeling expressed uniquely in the Portuguese language as saudade – bittersweet, at once deeply happy and sad, and full of emotion. 

1. Reconvexo

2. Ânima

3. O que é que a baiana tem?

4. Andar com Fé

5. Maria Maria

6. Correnteza

7. Paula e Bebeto

8. El Diablo Suelto video

9. Never Dreamed You’d Leave in Summer

Mixed by Brian Montgomery, New York, May 2021

Mastered by Mark Wilder, Battery Studios, New York, June 2021

Artworks by Ernesto Neto (Cover: Horizonte de eventos, 2001 / Inside: Acontece no horizonte de eventos. O jardim, 2001)

Design by Liliane Kemper

Cover photo by Mark Ritchie (Archivo fotográfico CGAC, Santiago de Compostela) / Inside photo by Vicente de Mello

Produced by Anat Cohen, Marcello Gonçalves & Oded Lev-Ari

PREORDER

Daniel Garcia Trio - Vía de la Plata (ACT Music)

Madrid-based pianist Daniel Garcia carries within him a deep sense of the history that has made him. This is not least because he was born and grew up in Salamanca, a city steeped in history, with several important archaeological sites. In the centuries ever since the middle ages, student priests have walked in their flowing robes along the Calle Compañia, a street in the centre of the city shadowed by tall baroque buildings. The city was also one of the main stopovers on the Vía de la Plata (‘the silver way’), a Roman route from North to South of the Iberian peninsula.

Clear, thoughtful and self-aware when he speaks, Garcia has both an understanding and a passion for what that ancient silver thread through his country means: the Vía de la Plata gave the peninsula its main artery. It also allowed Spain to come together for the first time, to define itself. Spain exists as a melting pot of different cultures, with influences Celtic and Nordic, from the Eastern Mediterranean and Africa, and from the Americas too. Vía de la Plata is a living symbol of how “all of this melts together in Spain,” as Garcia explains. And that – musically – is what he has achieved here.

The pianist’s awareness of these different cultures which have formed Spain is everywhere in this album: the guest artists on the album represent musical heritages from different points of the compass.

Trumpet star Ibrahim Maalouf, born in Beirut, performs on two tracks, the reflective opener, Manuel de Falla’s “Canción del fuego fatuo” (song of the will-o'-the-wisp), and on “Silk Road”, a tantalising glimpse further East. Charismatic clarinettist Anat Cohen, raised in Israel, now based in the Americas, makes her debut on ACT with this album. She produces wonderful emotion and a flickeringly delicate final cadenza on “Pai Lan”, a tune dedicated to Garcia’s wife, the title of the tune being the name by which she (Belén) was known as when she lived in China.

Daniel Garcia © Diego Garcia

Another guest on the album is fellow Spaniard, guitarist Gerardo Núñez. He and Garcia are equally fascinated by the links between Flamenco and jazz. In this, their first co-operation here they show a natural empathy, notably in “Calima” named after the wind that carries sandstorms from the Sahara. Garcia’s fellow trio members – Reinier Elizarde (bass), Michael Olivera (drums) – are from Cuba. Garcia met them on the scene in Madrid. All three are in their mid-thirties, and are close friends both on and off stage.

Garcia is a passionate advocate for Salamanca's musical heritage. The title track “ Vía de la Plata”, with its intoxicating echoes of both Ravel and the Cameroonian coupé-décalé has Garcia and Anat Cohen trading fragments of melodies from the charrada, a centuries-old Salamancan peasant dance, with everything fitting together miraculously and seamlessly.

It is now a decade since Daniel Garcia won prizes as a student at Berklee College of Music in Boston, and received teaching and mentoring from Danilo Pérez. Garcia remembers the great Panamanian pianist encouraging him to go deeper into the music of his home country: “You should do the music you feel inside. This is not just what you do, this is YOU!” It is as if that advice has never gone away...

In “Vía de la Plata”, Daniel Garcia has not just dug deep into his heritage as man and musician, and understood truths about it. He has also found ways to express these through the emotions: deeply, convincingly and fully in this very fine album.

1 Canción del fuego fatuo ( Manuel de Falla) 03:15

2 Calle Compañía ( Daniel García Diego) 05:01

3 La leyenda del tiempo ( Federico García Lorca / Ricardo Pachón Capitán) 05:22

4 Spring of Life ( Daniel García Diego) 03:37

5 The Silk Road ( Daniel García Diego) 07:19

6 Pai Lan ( Daniel García Diego) 05:35

7 Volar ( Paco de Lucía) 04:06

8 Vía de la Plata ( Daniel García Diego) 04:58

9 Mar de la tranquilidad ( Daniel García Diego) 04:51

10 Calima ( Gerardo Núñez) 04:53

Daniel García / piano, Fender Rhodes & synths

Reinier Elizarde “El Negrón” / acoustic bass

Michael Olivera / drums

Guests:

Ibrahim Maalouf / trumpet

Gerardo Núñez / guitar

Anat Cohen / clarinet

Produced by the artist

Executive Producer: Siggi Loch

All arrangements by Daniel García except Calima, by Gerardo Núñez

Recorded by Shayan Fathi at Camaleón Music Studio, Madrid, Spain. Ibrahim Maalouf recorded by Oscar Ferran at Studio Diasporas, Ivry-Sur-Seine, France. Anat Cohen recorded at Paraiso Recording Studio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Mixed and mastered by Shayan Fathi. Piano technician: David Izquierdo

Cover art by Tal R: Fugl, 1995, by courtesy of Contemporary Fine Arts, Berlin

PREORDER

FRED HERSCH DUOS: OCTOBER 16TH - OCTOBER 18TH - OCTOBER 19TH & OCTOBER 21ST @ The Village Vanguard

FRED HERSCH DUOS

OCTOBER 16TH - OCTOBER 18TH

Fred Hersch (piano)

Anat Cohen (clarinet)

OCTOBER 19TH - OCTOBER 21ST

Fred Hersch (piano)

Esperanza Spalding (vocals)

Fabiano Chagas - Tributum (2018)

Fabiano Chagas is considered one of the most versatile guitar players of the new generation. His influences go from Brazilian Popular Music to Jazz, passing through Classical and Regional Folk Music.

Fabiano has been receiving compliments wherever he goes. His expression, musicality and virtuosity get mix with the maturity of his performances.

Since 2008, this musician has taken part in several shows, concerts and tours around the world, playing at important festivals and specialized Jazz venues. Among the performances, the highlights were : Goyaz Festival - Brasil (2008), The days of Jazz Music – Ucrânia (2011), Odessa Jazz Fest – Ukraine (2011), Basel Jazz Festival – Bird Eyes - Switzerland (2012), Brazilian Festival – EUA (2013) FIGO - Brasil (2014) and Latin American Festival – Utah – EUA (2015). Ukraine, Austria, Germany, England, Switzerland and the United States are among the countries Fabiano has played in.

As an educator, he has given workshops about improvisation, acoustic (nylon) and electric guitar at many Brazilian and foreign universities. Viena Conservatory, University North Texas, Utah State University, Unirio, UFPB, UFRN, UFG are among the institutions Fabiano has visited and given classes.

In 2011, Fabiano established a partnership with the Austrian violinist Rudi Berger, considered one of the top Jazz violin players in Europe. With Rudi, Fabiano went on his first tour of Europe, visiting several countries.

A Master of Music since 2009, Fabiano Chagas is an adjunct professor of acoustic popular guitar, electric guitar and improvisation at the School of Music and Performing Arts of the Federal University of Goias (EMAC - UFG).

For ten years, Fabiano was invited to play in the university band by conductor Jarbas Cavendish. Fabiano was the guitar player for the Brazilian Music Orchestra named Pequi Band. With the Orchestra, he recorded one CD and two DVDs. Many artists with national and international recognition have performed with the orchestra, like João Bosco, Leila Pinheiro, Mônica Salmaso, Arismar do Espírito Santo, Carlos Malta, Nelson Faria etc.

In 2012, Fabiano Chagas started to record his first solo album, entitled “Universo Híbrido” (Hybrid Universe), which was released in 2013.

The album features Toninho Horta, Rogério Caetano and Rudi Berger. Besides his own compositions, Fabiano also interprets classics of Brazilian instrumental music. Below is a review of Fabiano Chagas' recent work by the great musician Hermeto Pascoal:

Great acoustic guitar, Outstanding electric guitar!!! Wonderful! Congratulations Fabiano Chagas  Hermeto Pascoal

In May of 2014 he started to record his second album in New York City. The new project had a special guest, Anat Cohen, who is considered one of the best jazz clarinetists in the world. Since then, some musicians have taken part in the recording, among them are Duduka da Fonseca, Bororó, Eduardo Belo, Hélio Alves, Ricardo de Pina and Chico Chagas. In the same year a music project by Fabiano Chagas, Diones Correntino and Jonhson Machado from Federal University of Goias – Assum Trio received an award from the Government.

In October of 2015 Fabiano Chagas represented Brazil in the International Festival of Latin Music at Utah University - EUA. There he played with the USU Symphonic Orchestra, gave classes and played with the guitarist Corey Christiansen and his trio.

Fabiano, you're an excellent guitarist! You always show harmonic integrity and execute very inspired improvisations Jerry Coker

1. Momentum (feat. Duduka da Fonseca, Hélio Alves & Eduardo Belo) 5:34

2. Tributum (feat. Bororó) 3:58

3. Pro Hamilton (feat. Sandro Haick) 3:43

4. Pro Edu (feat. Bororó & Ricardo de Pina) 4:11

5. Limerce (feat. Duduka da Fonseca) 5:03

6. Frevus (feat. Guilherme Santana & Bruno Rejan) 5:15

7. Ballad for Frisell (feat. Bororó, Chico Chagas & Ricardo de Pina) 6:13

8. Baitrane (feat. Mark Turner) 6:28

9. Choranat (feat. Anat Cohen) 2:47

10. Samuel No Choro 1:54

Anat Cohen / Fred Hersch : Live In Healdsburg (ANZIC RECORDS 2018)

1. A Lark Fred Hersch (8:23)

2. Child's Song Fred Hersch (7:21)

3. The Purple Piece Anat Cohen (8:27)

4. Isfahan Billy Strayhorn (8:05)

5. Lee's Dream Fred Hersch (5:19)

6. The Peacocks Jimmy Rowles (10:25)

7. Jitterbug Waltz Fats Waller (8:19)

8. Mood Indigo (Encore) Duke Ellington (5:13)

Anat Cohen clarinet

Fred Hersch piano

This song will be on the forthcoming duo record from Fred & Anat Cohen, “Live In Healdsburg”, which comes out soon on Anzic Records. Stay tuned for more info!

Anat Cohen Tentet - Happy Song (ANZIC RECORDS 2017)

The excellent new album by the Anat Cohen Tentet is the result of a diverse, remarkably talented cast of players, composers and arrangers. Cohen—winner of the Clarinet category in the 2017 DownBeat Critics Poll—wrote or co-wrote three of the tracks here, and the musical director for the project was Oded Lev-Ari, who arranged much of the program, including a tear-jerking rendition of Gordon Jenkins’ “Goodbye.” The centerpiece of the album is “Anat’s Doina,” a three-movement piece in which two of Cohen’s compositions bookend Lev-Ari’s arrangement of the traditional klezmer tune “Der Gasn Nigun.” Elsewhere, Cohen explores Brazilian rhythms (one of her areas of expertise) with a lively reading of Egberto Gismonti’s “Loro,” arranged for the tentet by Lev-Ari. Cohen’s clarinet work is consistently compelling throughout the program, whether she’s exploring fusion on a version of Lev-Ari’s “Trills And Thrills” (featuring a fierce electric guitar solo by Sheryl Bailey) or unleashing the toe-tapper “Oh Baby” (a swing tune that Benny Goodman recorded for Columbia in 1946). On Cohen’s arrangement of Neba Solo’s “Kenedougou Foly,” the clarinetist and her horn players engage in a wondrous dialogue, with the accompanists delivering a consistent, killer riff, and the leader responding with potent commentary. The lineup for the album includes Bailey (guitar), Rubin Kodheli (cello), Nadje Noordhuis (trumpet, flugelhorn), Nick Finzer (trombone), Owen Broder (baritone saxophone, bass clarinet), James Shipp (vibraphone, percussion), Vitor Gonçalves (piano, accordion), Tal Mashiach (bass) and Anthony Pinciotti (drums). Cohen’s Happy Song, her most ambitious album yet, gloriously accomplishes her goal of uniting people through music. She’ll take the tentet on the road for concerts in Chicago (Oct. 7), Decorah, Iowa (Nov. 4), Northridge, California (Nov. 30), San Francisco (Dec. 3) and Olympia, Washington (Dec. 4).

1. Happy Song 03:57

2. Valsa Para Alice 04:42

3. Oh Baby 08:36

4. Anat's Doina 12:16

5. Loro 06:51

6. Trills And Thrills 06:52

7. Goodbye 04:30

8. Kenedougou Foly 05:40

Anat Cohen - Clarinet

Oded Lev-Ari - Musical Director

Rubin Kodheli - Cello

Nadje Noordhuis - Trumpet & Flügelhorn

Nick Finzer - Trombone

Owen Broder - Baritone Sax & Bass Clarinet

James Shipp - Vibraphone & Percussion

Vitor Gonçalves - Piano & Accordion

Sheryl Bailey - Guitar

Tal Mashiach - Bass

Anthony Pinciotti - Drums

Recorded by Brian Montgomery at Avatar Studios, NYC, August 2016

Mixed by Brian Montgomery, NYC, January 2017

Mastered by Mark Wilder January 2017

Cover Artwork by Milton Glaser

Additional Design by Steve Skladany

Band Photo by Aline Muller

Anat Cohen & Trio Brasileiro - Alegria Da Casa (2016)

Source & Label:

One of the most difficult things to achieve in the art of musical performance is simplicity. The balance between technical skills and the spirit of the music is an elusive goal. I am very pleased to hear that Anat Cohen, Dudu Maia, Douglas Lora and Alexandre Lora have brilliantly achieved that goal in Alegria da Casa, the recording that I am listening to right now.
The music of Brazil is rich, varied and draws its inspirations from many different sources. Mastering its many idioms is a daunting task, even for Brazilians. However, when I hear the joy and bounciness of these tracks, I feel transported not to a serious concert hall, but to a happy gathering of friends in a botequim, or corner bar in a small Brazilian town, where the music flows spontaneously and everyone takes part in the roda, or circle of musicians. This is the soul that permeates this record, and that is why it is so enjoyable for me, a Brazilian musician in Seattle, to put it on, close my eyes and join the party. You can picture the smiles on the players’ faces as they captured these sounds. This music can be enjoyed by anyone, anywhere.
The Selection of great choro classics (Santa Morena, Murmurando) and original compositions is finely balanced We hear what we would expect, but then we are surprised by new pieces that coexist nicely in the recording as a whole.
I hope that everyone that hears it enjoys it as much as I do.
Jovino Santos Neto
Seattle, October 2014

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