Anat Cohen: Bloom

ANZIC (RECORDED APRIL 2024)

Much like the Modern Jazz Quartet, Anat Cohen’s Quartetinho (Portuguese for “little quartet’) walks a fine line between jazz and classical. At other times, they seamlessly blend Latin American rhythms with jazz much like Laurindo Almeida and Bud Shank did with the L.A. Four. No matter what style of music they play, they do it with ease, charm and beauty on their seconr recording — Bloom. The four musicians — Cohen on clarinet, Vitor Goncalves on piano and accordion, Tal Mashiach on bass and guitar and James Shipp on marimba, vibraphone and percussion — achieve a delicate balance on a variety of tunes that demonstrate their individual virtuosity while exploring the various textures they can create as an ensemble. The classical influence is most noticeable on the opening of “La Catedral III,” as Cohen and Mashiach (on guitar) interpret a work by Paraguayan virtuoso classical guitarist and composer Augustin Barrios Mangore. Goncalves’ “Tango Para Guillermo” opens with Cohen and Goncalves (on piano) ruminating on the melody before the rest of the group joins in on this slow and sensual tango that also features Goncalves on accordion and Shipp on vibraphone. Other Latin American inspired tunes include the flowing “Paco,” written by Mashiach and the Brazilian groove of “Coco Rococo” written by Cohen and Goncalves. Shipp’s compositional and arranging skills are highlighted on his waltz “Superheroes in the Gig Economy” and the pastoral sounding “Friends in Every Manner of Conveyance.” Cohen’s “The Bright Owl” adds a playful jazz feel to the session as the band shifts from intricate intervening lines to blues to up-tempo swing. For pure jazz, check out the band’s take on Monk’s “Trinkle Tinkle,” with Cohen swooping up to the melody and then soaring through the challenging harmonies and rhythms of this Monk classic. Some may call this release chamber music. Other may call it world music. Simply stated, Bloom is pure music — pure in sound, pure in inspiration and pure in listening pleasure.

BOTTOM LINE: With the release of Bloom, Anat Cohen once again demonstrates the versatility and beauty of the clarinet. Whether she is playing tangos, waltzes, ballads or a
Thelonius Monk tune, Cohen and her group, Quartetinho, demonstrate their individual virtuosity on a variety of instruments while achieving a pleasing and always interesting ensemble texture.