Born on April 20: Avishai Cohen, the jazz double bassist with Middle Eastern roots

Not to be confused with his namesake trumpeter, he was born in 1970 and grew up in a small town near Jerusalem in Israel.

In a family that lives for and through music, from childhood, he devoted himself to learning first the piano and then the bass. Quite naturally…

Like many artists drawn to jazz before him, he emigrated to New York, the city that gave birth to the legendary label Blue Note. There's no shortage of clubs to perfect oneself every evening, and Avishai Cohen never says no to the experiences offered to him. It was one evening that the pianist Chick Corea spotted him and decided to offer him a place in his group Origin and then in his New Trio.

A few years later, when the time finally seemed right to record a first album, Chick Corea once again lent his support by co-producing "Adama". We're in 1998, and the double bassist is now ready to take off on his own.

Often in the form of a trio and initially on his own label Razdaz to create with complete freedom, he shows great eclecticism. He willingly spices his modernised be-bop with often Arabesque Middle Eastern flavours. In 2010, the ultimate accolade, he signed with the mythical Blue Note.

By recording "Song Of Hope", on his album "1970" (2017), Avishai Cohen once again takes a stand for compassion and peace. Without raising his voice but with the strength of conviction.

Some upcoming concerts:

May 14: Tivoli - Utrecht (Netherlands)

May 16: Beaux-Arts - Charleroi (Belgium) with Métropole Orkest

June 26: Théâtre Antique - Vienne (France)

July 11: North Sea Jazz - Rotterdam (Netherlands)

July 18: Théâtre de la Mer - Sète (France)

Photo: Avishai Cohen on the stage of Ancienne Belgique in Brussels (Belgium) on February 4, 2022