Notes from the Village

In 2007, Anat Cohen displayed her range with a pair of striking albums. *Noir* found Cohen fronting a big band, while on *Poetica*, the Israeli-born woodwinds virtuoso played only clarinet as she was backed by a quartet (and at times, a string quartet). On 2008’s excellent *Notes from the Village*, she plays a variety of horns in a set that includes covers of Ernesto Lecuona, John Coltrane, Sam Cooke, and “Fats” Waller, along with four originals. The quartet from *Poetica* — keyboardist Jason Lindner, bassist Omer Avital, and drummer Daniel Friedman — joins her here. (Guitarist Gilad Hekselman also appears on three cuts.) On the opener, “Washington Square Park,” Cohen’s plays soprano as the band turns out an updated brand of funky fusion decked out with Prophet 8 keyboard runs. She displays her command of bass clarinet on Coltrane’s “After the Rain,” while “Lullaby for the Naïve Ones” features her powerful work on tenor sax. Cohen’s clarinet is wonderful on a version of the Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona’s classic “Siboney,” which has a nice arrangement by Lindner.

Rising jazz star Anat Cohen leads her New York all-star quartet through fresh originals, tunes by Fats Waller, John Coltrane, Sam Cooke and Ernesto Lecuona. This captivating, soulful album builds on Cohen’s acclaimed 2007 releases Noir and Poetica capturing the thrilling energy of her live shows, and proving her to be an artistically adventurous writer and performer.