Avishai Cohen – Big Vicious

After trumpeter Avishai Cohen moved back from New York to his hometown of Tel Aviv in Israel, he assembled a group of musician friends for his new electric band—people he had not only known for a long time but had also played with as a teenager. By that time, he had long since made a name for himself internationally as a charismatic trumpeter, as a bandleader with a passion for collaborative ensembles, and as a composer who knew how to sensitively navigate between the traditions of improvised music from the U.S. and Europe. He named his 2020 album “Big Vicious,” just like the band with which he recorded it. The music is hybrid; it often has a rock sound and, in its electronic-digital moments, also evokes elements of trip-hop and ambient. It is never loud or boisterous. Rather, Cohen emphasizes a nuanced sonic architecture, eloquent phrasing, and a quiet melodic style, while the two drummers create a dynamic rhythmic foundation.