Released: September 9, 2008
UPC: 896434001177

“‘Notes From The Village’ is a resounding confirmation: yes, she is the real deal…” - Nate Chinen, New York Times
“Cohen makes it seem easy, mixing a gift for melody and an improvisational fluidity that has few peers today” - Peter Margasak, DownBeat Magazine
“Anat Cohen is simply sublime. Few jazz artists have moved me in recent years the way Miss Cohen does…Listen to her gorgeous original composition “Lullaby For The Naive Ones.” It’s depth belies her years.” - Sal Nunziato, MediaMatters.org
“The disc announces not only the arrival of Cohen as a major jazz figure but also the return of the clarinet as a crucial jazz instrument.” - Geoffrey Himes, Washington Post

Rising jazz star Anat Cohen leads her New York all-star quartet through fresh originals, tunes by Fats Waller, John Coltrane, Sam Cooke and Ernesto Lecuona. This captivating, soulful album builds on Cohen’s acclaimed 2007 releases Noir and Poetica capturing the thrilling energy of her live shows, and proving her to be an artistically adventurous writer and performer.

Track Listing | Listen To Audio Samples
1. Washington Square Park (Anat Cohen)
2. Until You’re In Love Again (Anat Cohen)
3. Siboney (Ernesto Lecuona, Arr. Lindner)
4. After The Rain (John Coltrane, Arr. Lindner & Cohen)
5. J Blues (Anat Cohen)
6. Lullaby For The Naive Ones (Anat Cohen)
7. A Change Is Gonna Come (Sam Cooke, Arr. Lindner & Cohen)
8. Jitterbug Waltz (Thomas ‘Fats’ Waller, Arr. Cohen)

Anat Cohen: Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone (6), Soprano Saxophone (1), Bass Clarinet (4)
Jason Lindner: Piano, Fender Rhodes (6) Prophet 08 keyboard (1)
Omer Avital: Bass
Daniel Freedman: Drums & Percussion
Gilad Hekselman: Guitars (1,2,6)

Liner Notes

One night in late October 2004 at Jazz At Lincoln Center’s Allen Room I became an instant Anat Cohen fan. The magnet that brought me to the venue was a rare appearance in New York by Hermeto Pascoal. I knew nothing about the opening group, Beat the Donkey led by percussionist Cyro Baptista, except its thought-provoking name. I was not prepared for the antic energy of the ensemble, dancing, singing and swinging. Then in the middle of this joyous maelstrom came forth the liquid sound of a clarinet played with dexterity and authentic feeling by a young, raven-haired woman whose body language conveyed how much she was into the music. When she later picked up a tenor sax and proceeded to lift it with another, equally effective dynamism it was, in effect, a one-two combination punch that knocked me out.

In June ‘05 I was at Zuni, a bar on the westside where Harry Allen and Joe Cohn held forth on Mondays with a quartet and other talented musicians came to jam. On this night Frank Wess walked in to make it two tenors and a young Russian alto Dmitri Baevsky added to the saxophonic mix. Enter Anat, this time toting a soprano on which she chimed into this wailing company without (literally) missing a beat.

These and subsequent listening experiences left me with the impression she was serving notice to the jazz world at large that a very special talent had arrived and was continuing to thrive. With the release of Anat’s two divers CDs, Noir and Poetica, more ears snapped to attention. As a clarinetist, she began to be prominently mentioned in various jazz polls and soon, deservedly, was winning them. She is a remarkable clarinetist but make no mistake, to whatever horn chosen she brings genuine knowledge of different genres, impeccable technique and a passion for playing that is in the sound of her instruments and her very presence.

Notes From The Village is a thoughtful mix of many different moods, sounds and types of material, some written and/or arranged by her: “Washington Square Park” moving from an African ethos to pastoral and back via Anat’s soprano, Gilad Hekselman’s guitar, Jason Lindner’s piano and keyboard and Daniel Freedman’s compelling drums; the mournful “Until You’re in Love Again,” its first phrase echoing Gordon Jenkins’ “Goodbye,” the closing theme for another significant clarinetist, Benny Goodman; Ernesto Lecuona’s iconic “Siboney,” delivered with its inherent beauty and rising fervor; “After the Rain,” arranged by Anat and Lindner, a paean to Coltrane transmitted in the rich voice of the bass clarinet; the infectious rhythm of the basic “J Blues” with effective solos from Lindner’s piano and Omer Avital’s bass flanking Anat’s several blue meditations; “Lullaby For the Naive Ones” where Anat’s solo, building in intensity along with the underpinning, brings to mind Miles on “Solea” in Sketches of Spain; the communion with Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come”; and the rhythmic liberties taken with ‘Fats’ Waller’s “Jitterbug Waltz,” staccato playfulness to bebopping lines (was that a wisp of “Hot House” and a quick quote of “Parker’s Mood” I heard?) with exuberant solos and Freedman’s (in Larry David’s words) “pretty, pretty good” propulsion.

We’re no longer in the golden ’50s when groups stayed and played together. Now the norm is for musicians to work in multiple bands in order to survive. The musicians here play in different groups but most often all or some are part of them. That’s one reason they are such a strong entity in The Village and elsewhere.

I’ve lived through the period when people praised female musicians with “She plays good for a chick.” (I don’t think anyone said this about Mary Lou Williams) and long enough to see a time when gender bias against the distaff side has dropped to where there are many talented women gaining recognition, some even to the point where they are being over-rated because of their gender.

Anat Cohen transcends all of the above. She is formidable. Long may she continue to enrich the music in myriad ways.

Ira Gitler (July 2008)

Produced by Anat Cohen & Jason Lindner
Recorded at Avatar Studios, New York City, May 14-15 by James Farber, Assisted by Brian Montgomery
Mixed at Avatar Studios, New York City, June 23-24 by James Farber, Assisted by Brian Montgomery
Edited by Brain Montgomery
Mastered by Mark Wilder, Sony Music Studios, June 26th 2008
Cover Photo by Todd Chalfant