Emmet Cohen’s latest release is a tour-de-force and tribute album, rolled into one!
Emmet Cohen – Vibe Provider – Mack Avenue Music Group MAC1211LP limited edition stereo black ice colored vinyl, 43:00 *****:
(Emmet Cohen – piano; Phillip Norris – bass; Kyle Pool – drums; Joe Farnsworth – drums; Tivon Pennicott – tenor saxophone; Bruce Harris – trumpet; Frank Lacy – trombone; Cecily Petrarca – koshkah)
Despite being thirty-four, jazz pianist Emmet Cohen has made a significant contribution to the music scene. The online program, Live From Emmet’s Place boasts 36 million viewers. His brilliant technique and appreciation of past jazz legends has resulted in some excellent albums. The fourth Mack Avenue Music Group release, Vibe Provider (pressed on eye-popping limited edition black ice colored vinyl) is another touchstone in his career. The album is dedicated to the influential, beloved jazz luminary Michael Funmi Ononaiye. With a trio and larger ensemble, Cohen rips through an assortment of jazz originals and standards.
The album kicks off with an original composition, “Lion Song”. This is a quintessential Cohen performance, backed up by bassist Phillip Norris (who alternates on bowed) and drummer Kyle Pool. Starting with a dancing lilt, Cohen’s breezy articulation relies on a variety of jazz styles including ragtime. His dazzling technique and phrasing shifts tempo and is very festive with a rousing finish. Taking on Rodgers and Hammerstein’s, “Surrey With A Fringe On Top”, the trio’s restrained, finger-snapping cool vibe permeates the arrangement. Cohen injects soulful runs with joyful exuberance. As the track unfolds, the playing intensifies to a hard bop modulated crescendo including some nimble drum fills. In a muscular expanded jam, the title track exhibits a punctuated resonance. The addition of trumpet (Bruce Harris), trombone (Frank Lacy) and tenor saxophone (Tivon Pennicott) creates a layered sound that weaves through straight-ahead idiomatic expression with ethereal interludes. Cohen interacts with the entire combo in precision. In a change of pace, “Unblock The Love” has a lyrical flow with a harmonic saxophone/trumpet complement. Cohen’s flowing piano anchors the jam and is an excellent counterpoint to the brass. The blend is hypnotic.
Cohen’s embrace of different motifs and skillful dexterity is at the core of his vision. “Henei Ma Tov” (a traditional Hebrew song) is rendered (in trio format) with inventiveness. Cohen begins plucking the piano strings before the trio morphs to a prominent buoyant jazz celebration. A standard in the jazz and pop world since 1946, “If This Isn’t Love” swings with forceful solos and Pool gets to shine. “Everlasting” (an original ballad) is elegiac and sinewy in Cohen’s distinctive interpretation, with a subtle touch of bluesy imagery. Reaching back into the classic American pop songbook, “Time On My Hands” is delivered with syncopation and joyful flourishes (with gritty left hand notation) The finale (“Emmet’s Blues”) is a fulsome bop track with relentless articulation. Both Lacy and Harris contribute spirited solos and Cohen’s play is sparkling.
Vibe Provider is another peak in the career of Emmet Cohen. His ability to connect to classic jazz modes and make them sound contemporary and fresh is impressive.
Highest recommendation!
—Robbie Gerson
Emmet Cohen – Vibe Provider
TrackList:
Side A: Lion Song; Surrey With The Fringe On Top; Vibe Provider; Unblock The Love
Side B: Henei Ma Tov; If This Isn’t Love; Everlasting; Time On My Hands; Emmett’s Blues
