Anat Cohen

Originally published in Earshot Jazz October 2012

Israeli clarinetist and saxophonist Anat Cohen released a new recording Claroscuro on September 25, just one month before her performance at this year’s festival. The release celebration took place during her weeklong engagement at the oldest jazz club in the world, New York’s Village Vanguard. Before that she was touring Brazil with guitarist Romero Lubambo. Cohen gets around.

And she gets around on her instruments quite nicely, thank you. Her facility is on pristine display on Claroscuro. She enjoys the wide range available on clarinet and tenor saxophone, but feels limited by the range of the soprano saxophone. She plans to work on the altissimo notes above the normal pitches on the small saxophone.

Joined by pianist Jason Lindner, bassist Joe Martin and drummer Daniel Freedman, Cohen supplemented her working band on Claroscuro by adding trombonist Wycliff Gordon, clarinetist Paquito D’Rivera and percussionist Gilmar Gomez.

This is her sixth release on Anzic Records. “Everyone is buying, buying, buying,” Cohen says with a charming irony. Really? “No,” she confesses. “But business is an inseparable part of being a performer. We want to put out good music to attract an audience. We want to work with people.”
Cohen is familiar with the Northwest from her performances at the Django Festivals on Whidbey Island, Earshot Festivals in Seattle and her friendship with Seattle pianist Dawn Clement.

Joining Cohen are British bassist Orlando le Fleming and Texas drummer Rudy Royston. “Come and groove with us,” says the bubbly Cohen. “It’s going to be fun.”