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Gently Disturbed

by

Avishai Cohen

 
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Gently Disturbed

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Avg: 4.5 (108 ratings)

A blend of cross-genre playfulness and rigorous formalism from a bass force of nature

  • We Say...

    Review by Britt Robson

    Cohen's command of this trio from the bass chair is rigorously matter-of-fact, less a star turn than a force of nature, made even more pervasive by his being the sole composer on seven of the eleven tunes and co-writing two others. The songs he writes are similar to the ensemble interplay he fosters — clean but dense, with no muss, but a fair amount of fuss. Some of it comes in dynamic gusts, such as the taut, percussive eruptions (by both bass and drums) on "Chutzpan" and "Eleven Wives." Some of it comes from a plangent yet elusive pulse, as with the not-quite-rondo tail-chasing structure and 9/4 time signature of "Pinzin Kinzin," a toe-tapper that will either dislocate your ankle or put sweat on your brow trying to keep tabs on the groove. The title track opens with a vamp that begins to quote "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" before swerving into faux-spooky territory, like a Tim Burton film. The closer, "Structure In Motion," is as chirpy and serene as a Christmas carol. There's even room for an Israeli folk song ("Lo Baiom Velo Balyla").

    The trio's longtime pianist Sam Barsh has moved on to his own discs, replaced by 21-year-old prodigy Shai Maestro, who plays with a bit less fire and more refinement. But drummer Mark Guiliana kindles fireworks all over the place — he's practically Billy Cobham on "Eleven Wives" — and puts a rockish tinge on the cross-genre playfulness that, mixed with chamber-style formalism, inevitably draws comparison to the Bad Plus and EST. Inevitably, however, the focus returns to Cohen, who continually creates expansive, intellectual music without sacrificing his precise, almost pointillistic, pizzicato style.

  • They Say...

    Review by Jeff Tamarkin, All Music Guide

    Avishai Cohen has established himself over the past decade as one of the more versatile and curious bassists around. For Gently Disturbed he hooks up with the young pianist Shai Maestro, a fellow Israeli, and drummer Mark Guiliana, on a set that is never less than exciting, always seductive, and often quite challenging. The gently playful opener, "Seattle," is a teaser: a waltz-inspired rhythm percolates underneath, but its simple foundation is often obscured by the trio's complex interplay. As early as track two, the driving "Chutzpan," any notion that this might be a more traditional piano trio recording is quickly dismissed as each of the three musicians engages in virtuosic soloing and lockstep harmonics that find them playing tricks with time and space in a wholly intuitive manner. Cohen's bass work throughout is consistently inventive; he thoroughly enjoys toying with dense, interlocking rhythmic surprises, but he never showboats. In fact, he's a rather generous leader, and had this band been called the Shai Maestro Trio instead, no one would be the wiser because Cohen gives his pianist wide berth to create the directions in which the music flows. Much of the first half of "The Ever Evolving Etude" is taken up with Maestro's unaccompanied solo, and on songs such as the traditional "Puncha Puncha" and the evocative title track, Cohen and Guiliana step back just far enough to allow Maestro to dictate the main melody. Of course, Cohen makes sure to step into the spotlight often enough to reassure that he is in fact the leader here, and on tracks such as Cohen's own neo-classical "Variations in G Minor" and the traditional Israeli song "Lo Baiom Velo Balyla," Cohen's intricate maneuvering reveals once again the ceaseless creativity of his musicianship.

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