NEW ROSE

With his new album, Two Roses, Israeli upright bassist Avishai Cohen achieves a career high. We meet the master

- Avishai Cohen

Born in Israel in 1970 and living in St. Louis, Missouri as a teenager, Avishai Cohen was introduced to the world of bass by the music of Jaco Pastorius. After studying at the Music and Arts Academy in Jerusalem, he moved to New York City in 1992, where he continued to study and performed with the Panamanian pianist Danilo Perez. By ’97 he was a member of Chick Corea’s New Trio and a co-founder of Corea’s ensemble, Origin, where he remained for six years.

A series of acclaimed solo albums followed, with this magazine numbering him in a poll of 100 Most Influential Bass Players of the 20th Century, and he has worked in collaboration with over 25 orchestras. In 2020, Cohen planned to play 50 concerts in 50 cities to celebrate his 50th year, although the pandemic put paid to most of those dates. Instead, he recorded new music with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, for an album, Two Roses, out now.

What are you up to, Avishai?

I’m continually writing new music, including scores for several movie and TV projects, while I await the return of some sort of normality in the world.

Tell us about Two Roses.