3 Cohens/WDR Big Band: Interaction

ANZIC (RELEASED MARCH 14, 2025)

Interaction is an appropriate name for the new recording from the 3 Cohens and the WDR Big Band. There is the intuitive interaction between the three Cohen siblings — Anat on clarinet, Avishai on trumpet and Yuval on soprano sax. There is the international interaction between these three Israeli-born jazz musicians and a big band based in Koln, Germany. Then there is interaction between the soloists and big band as they navigate a set of seven varied charts arranged by pianist Oded Lev-Ari. The interactions begin with Avishai’s “Shufla de Shufla” (Aramaic for best of the best), a hard-swinging showcase for the individual and collective voices of the Cohens. At one point it captures the exuberance of Charles’ Mingus’ “Haitian Fight Song.” Yuval’s “Catch of the Day” is another up-tempo number providing opportunities for Anat, Avishai and Yuval to play with the rhythm section as well as soaring over the cushion provided by the band. Although “Tiger Rag” opens with a bass solo and the band playing a melody reminiscent of “Tradition” (from Fiddler on the Roof), it quickly transforms into pure Dixieland fun with Anat’s buttery tone, Avaishai’s fiery blasts and Yuval’s swirls and sweeps, a classic old school drum solo and a collective improvisation ending. The swinging takes a back seat on Avishai’s “Naked Truth, Part 2,” an introspective and hypnotic piece in the Miles Davis/Gill Evans vein. The Middle Eastern prayer mood of Lev Ari’s “Trills & Thrills” is overcome when Avishai’s electronic trumpet effects and a heavy beat transform it into something less than prayer-like. Anat’s “Footsteps and Smiles” took me back to the swingin’ big bands of the 1960s. The 3 Cohens truly demonstrate their ability to interact musically on a wonderful trio version of Gerry Mulligan’s “Festive Minor.” Interaction is a showcase for Anat, Avishai and Yuval, but the confusing range of tunes makes it less of a cohesive recording than many of their recent individual efforts or their earlier recordings as a unit.

BOTTOM LINE: Interaction is a fun big band session for the 3 Cohens and the WDR Big Band. You can sense it in the exuberance of the soloists and the wide range of musical territory covered in the seven selections. Sadly, that is all that it is — a fun listening experience.