- JIMMY KATZ
- Anat Cohen
Over the last decade reedist Anat Cohen has been the face of the bustling community of Israeli jazz musicians working in New York. (For those curious about this inspired scene, the third annual Israeli Jazz & World Music Festival has just been announced—it happens during May 14-22, and features several great bands led by bassist Omer Avital and Cohen’s trumpet-playing brother Avishai.) She’s demonstrated a voracious curiosity, juggling a strong feel for hard-swinging post-bop and a serious affinity for Brazilian choro, an instrumental cousin of samba that feels a lot like jazz in its spirited improvisational ethos. In the past Cohen has largely kept these interests separate, but on her lovely new album Luminosa (Anzic) she finally brings them together—although her interest in Brazilian music extends beyond choro in this instance.
Today’s playlist:
