Search - Anat Cohen & the Anzic Orchestra :: Noir

RISING MULTI-REED STAR ANAT COHEN & HER JAZZ ORCHESTRAL FIRE

RBSProds | Deep in the heart of Texas | 07/19/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Four and a half ASCENDANT Stars!! Anat Cohen has literally burst onto the tough New York jazz scene, for some of us, and this great recording is a reflection of who she is (a wonderful young multi-instrumental jazz player), what she can do (she won the Rising Star award for clarinet and placed highly on the rising star polls for tenor sax and soprano sax in the DownBeat Critics Poll for 2007), and where she is (her orchestra and quartet played the famous NYC Village Vanguard for 5 days and dazzled this always discriminating jazz crowd.) In truth, it took the Berklee alum 9 years of paying dues and immersing herself in the NY scene of world music, traditional jazz, bebop, and beyond, to reach this point. This excellent recording of her orchestra, her horns, and her music is the first of two CDs she is producing and releasing in 2007 on her own Anzic label, a feat in itself. "Noir" captures Anat's clarinet, alto, tenor and soprano saxes as well as her Anzic Orchestra, which is brass and reed heavy with a rhythm section that substitutes guitar for piano, and has an integrated cello section: all creating a band of size and power with some unusual and tasty sonic colorations. The eclectic selections go from Julie London and Johnny Rae to Sun Ra and Johnny Griffin, with some Bonfa to reinforce her keen interest in Brazilian music (she's also a member of a brazilian 'choro' group: that's a long way from her native Tel Aviv roots). These orchestral performances with soloists show that these representatives of the young jazz generation have not only absorbed the big band influences of such masters as Ellington and Kenton, but also the calm waters of the 'third stream' influences of "the French Horn Player" (Gunther Schuller) and the Mingus-ian avant-garde school of orchestral fireworks. Much of that thanks goes to arranger Oded Lev-Ari's brilliant, adventurous charts and a hot band that includes Anat's two brothers on sax and trumpet.



The "Pieces De Resistance", the best of the best, begin with the catchy "Bebé" written by the world's greatest multi-instrumentalist, Hermeto Pascoal, with Anat on a very nice extended tenor sax romp and Lev-Ari's great feat of arranging of both' the calm and the storm'. "Do It" (Anat on tenor sax) is the speed burner of the set and some great solos are laid down. Her love of the latin beat is demonstrated in three songs: "La Comparsa" (clarinet), "Carnaval de Sao Vicente" (clarinet), and Bonfa's "Samba de Orfeu" (soprano sax) which amazingly but dangerously morphs into Lil Armstrong's 'cake-walking' "Struttin With Some Barbeque" but it totally works. Brazilian legend Pixinguinha's soaring "Ingênuo" is a nice transition song with some very elegant clarinet. And perhaps, best of all, the very direct and amazingly beautiful rendering of the Sun Ra/Hobart Dotson ballad "You Never Told Me That You Care": her best outing on tenor sax on this date, with the orchestra shining and the guitar 'comping' nicely. (And it went straight to my iPod.) That Anat has plenty of room to mature is assured because who knows where her distant limits are, but she's in a place where we can all be amazed RIGHT NOW. In the end, I think she may have to choose one main instrument to meld with her musical personality, and bring the other reeds along for the ride. Or not! Right now that appears to be her amazing clarinet work which could elevate that instrument in the eyes of younger fans who are sax crazy, but there is the matter of "You Never Told Me That You Care" which strongly argues the case for her tenor sax as her lead "axe". A great dilemma. In the end, Anat Cohen's CD "Noir" is not so 'dark' after all, but shiny and hopeful and Highly Recommended! Four and a half WONDERFUL Stars!!



(Notes:

*This review is based on an iTunes digital download.

*This CD is being simultaneously released with an Anat Cohen quartet CD called "Poetica" which is clarinet all the way.)"

Awesome!

Ryan Wepler | Waltham, MA | 09/09/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I encountered this CD while looking through a list of saxophonist Ted Nash's recordings. I didn't find a lot of Nash's playing here, but I like what I found just as well. Cohen's jazz orchestra combines elements of Ellington, Maria Schneider, and klezmer to create a fully unique sound. The music should appeal both to fans of traditional big band as well as those interested in more cutting edge jazz. The play of the orchestra as a group is mixed well with lots of solos. Cohen, herself, takes a lot of playing space and her playing is superb. It is pretty rare for clarinet to be front and center in a big band album (Don Byron's "Bug Music"--also an amazing album--is the only other example I can think of) and Cohen pulls it off with both grace and virtuosity. The sound quality of this recording is excellent; you can really hear all of the individual instruments. Cohen's compositions are truly one of a kind and the spirited playing of this orchestra make this album a must have for any fan of large ensemble jazz."