Avishai Cohen: After the Big Rain

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Sat, Oct 18, 2008 | 8:00PM
Performance Space

"An assertive and accomplished trumpeter...with a taste for groove-inflected modernism."—New York Times

Israeli jazz trumpeter Avishai Cohen, from Tel Aviv (not to be confused with the bassist of the same name), has established himself as a major player on the New York scene with his infectious grooves and "Miles-ahead" vibe. He leads several strong lineups to satisfy his far-ranging musical appetites, but After the Big Rain has captured a strong share of interest for its incorporation of spicy Afro-Caribbean elements into Cohen’s post-bop approach. This quintet regularly features Cohen sidekick Omer Avital on bass and pianist Jason Lindner, who led his own band here last fall.

After the Big Rain—the CD and the band—is the third part of a trilogy Avishai Cohen is exploring on poetic themes relating to the apocalyptic atmosphere of our times. For him, contemporary events like tsunamis and Hurricane Katrina resonant with the biblical Flood, summoning the powerful image of the need for a wake up call for mankind. The alternately meditative and joyous music of After the Big Rain showers you with a sense of rebirth and regeneration that Cohen’s superb ensemble celebrates with a rainbow spectrum of sound.