Search - Avishai Cohen :: Devotion

Devotion, bassist Avishai Cohen's follow-up to 1998's acclaimed Adama, is about as far-flung and exotic-sounding as an album can get while still remaining in the "jazz" bin. The Israeli-born Cohen, who also plays in pianist Chick Corea's band, has a penchant for Middle Eastern- and Sephardic-sounding melodies and textures, which is part of what sets Devotion apart from the crop of more traditional-sounding jazz albums. "The Gift" (dedicated to Corea), for example, starts with a lovely melody based on a traditional Israeli song before lifting off into uncharted territory with Jimmy Greene's soprano saxophone solo, while "Musa" features Amos Hoffman playing the oud and Joshua Levy on nai, an Arabic flute. But Devotion is even more notable for Cohen's restless creativity, which puts him firmly in the tradition of another great jazz bassist: Charles Mingus. His ambitious streak mostly leads him into delightfully unusual instrumental combinations--like on "Linda de Mi Corazon," where Cohen's bowed bass resonates beautifully on a duet with vocalist Claudia Acuna. But Cohen's one misstep is a pointless overdubbed wah-wah bass solo on "Ti-Da-Do-Di-Da," which muddles an otherwise beautiful string quartet piece. That's a minor quibble though, for an album as distinctive and original as this one. --Ezra Gale