Avishai Cohen's musical roots are deeply rooted in the tradition of Miles Davis. Like Davis, he uses the trumpet to express profound human emotions.
With his soulful playing on Mark Turner's album "Lathe of Heaven" (2014), the Tel Aviv trumpeter won over many admirers. His ECM debut as a bandleader now presents expansive, impressionistic compositions for a jazz quartet (trumpet, piano, bass, drums), augmented on some tracks by tenor saxophone. Dedicated to his late father, David, the album "Into The Silence" reflects his father's final days with elegance and restraint. Avishai sets the emotional tone right from the start with his sensitive, muted trumpet, while his talented ensemble explores the musical possibilities. The Israeli pianist Yonathan Avishai, a longtime collaborator of Cohen's, improvises inventively within the haunting compositions, sometimes incorporating bluesy elements. The sensitive interplay between Cohen and drummer Nasheet Waits is reminiscent at times of the golden age of Miles Davis with Tony Williams or Don Cherry with Billy Higgins. Despite these sources of inspiration, the music remains firmly rooted in the present. Eric Revis, bassist of the Branford Marsalis Quartet for twenty years, provides consistently elegant support. Saxophonist Bill McHenry, a subtle modernist with experience playing alongside Paul Motian and Andrew Cyrille, complements Cohen's lines with emotional depth. "Into The Silence" was recorded in July 2015 at La Buissonne Studios in southern France and produced by Manfred Eicher.