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Emmet Cohen

Multifaceted American jazz pianist and composer Emmet Cohen is in the vanguard of his generation's advancement of music and the related arts. A recognized prodigy, Cohen began Suzuki method piano instruction at age three, and his playing quickly became a mature melding of musicality, technique, and concept. Downbeat observed that his "nimble touch, measured stride and warm harmonic vocabulary indicate he's above any convoluted technical showmanship." Cohen notes that performing jazz is "about communicating the deepest levels of humanity and individuality; it's essentially about connections," both among musicians and with audiences. He leads his namesake ensemble, the "Emmet Cohen Trio," is a vibrant solo performer, and is in constant demand as a sideman. Possessing a fluid technique, an innovative tonal palette, and an extensive repertoire, Cohen plays with the command and passion of an artist fully devoted to his medium.

Emmet Cohen is committed to the intergenerational transfer of the knowledge, history, and traditions of jazz. His signature professional undertaking is the "Masters Legacy Series," a celebratory set of recordings and interviews honoring legendary jazz musicians. He serves as both producer and pianist for each album in the series. This landmark, ongoing project provides musicians of multiple generations the means to share the unwritten folklore that is America's unique artistic idiom. Cohen has observed that jazz "is enriched immeasurably by connecting and studying with jazz masters, forging backward to the very creation of the art form." Four volumes of the "Masters Legacy Series" have been released, spotlighting Cohen's collaborations with Jimmy Cobb, Ron Carter, Benny Golson, Tootie Heath, and George Coleman.

Emmet Cohen is the winner of the 2019 American Pianists Awards and the Cole Porter Fellow of the American Pianists Association, and Artist-in-Residence at the University of Indianapolis.

He placed first in both the 2014 American Jazz Pianists Competition and the 2011 Phillips Piano Competition at the University of West Florida and, as a finalist in the 2011 Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition, he was received in the Oval Office by President Obama.

Cohen has appeared in varied international jazz events, including the Newport, Monterey, Detroit, North Sea, Bern, Edinburgh, and Jerusalem jazz festivals, as well as the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in Russia. He has also performed at the Village Vanguard, the Blue Note, Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, Birdland, Jazz Standard, London's Ronnie Scott's, Jazzhaus Montmartre in Copenhagen, Lincoln Center's Rose Hall, the Cotton Club in Tokyo, and Washington's Kennedy Center. For many years he was Hammond B-3 organist-in-residence at Harlem's SMOKE jazz club.

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Radio & Podcasts

Emmet Cohen, Warren Wolf, Miguel Zenon, And More

Read "Emmet Cohen, Warren Wolf, Miguel Zenon, And More" reviewed by Tony Poole


This is the first edition of the new radio-style Jazz First podcast series “They Call It Jazz." This is my first radio work for 16 years, and 30 years since my days at the BBC. I'm a little rough around the edges and a few tweeks are needed, but generally, I am fairly pleased with the overall production. Every week I select ten brand new releases to keep AAJers bang up to date with “what's new." The page features New ...

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Album Review

Emmet Cohen: Vibe Provider

Read "Vibe Provider" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic


All round shaman, musical advocate, and positive vibe provider, Nigerian-born Michael Olufunmilola (Funmi) Ononaiye (1968-2023) was known and beloved by everyone in the artistic and social circles of Manhattan's music scene. He was an A&R rep at Atlantic Records. He was a DJ, percussionist, and chief programmer at Jazz at Lincoln Center. He had a deep effect on everyone. That effect can be viscerally felt on the way-too-good, Vibe Provider. It sails. It sweeps in on a hop ...

5
Live Review

Emmet Cohen Trio At Gates Concert Hall

Read "Emmet Cohen Trio At Gates Concert Hall" reviewed by Steven Roby


Emmet Cohen Trio June Swaner Gates Concert Hall Denver, CO February 3, 2024 Neither snow nor rain nor gloom of night will keep Emmet Cohen fans from coming out to see him and his trio perform in concert. That was the case last Saturday night at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts. Bundled up to brave the impact of a recent snowstorm, concertgoers showed up well before the doors opened. Swaddled ...

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Radio & Podcasts

Emmet Cohen On His Current Tour And Latest Release

Read "Emmet Cohen On His Current Tour And Latest Release" reviewed by Steven Roby


Jazz pianist and composer Emmet Cohen is one of his generation's pivotal figures in music and the related arts. Leader of the Emmet Cohen Trio and creator of the Masters Legacy Series, he's an internationally acclaimed jazz artist, a dedicated educator, and a finalist in the 2011 Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition.On this episode, we featured and discussed the songs “Just The Way You Are." and “Isn't It Romantic" and talked about his current tour.Thanks for ...

1
Radio & Podcasts

Wendell Harrison, Kris Berg, Houston Person & Emmet Cohen

Read "Wendell Harrison, Kris Berg, Houston Person & Emmet Cohen" reviewed by Joe Dimino


The 833rd Episode of Neon Jazz is a year end showcase featuring some wonderful modern jazz released in 2023. We begin with pianist Emmet Cohen who came to greater prominence during the pandemic where he also collaborated with Houston Person. From there, we hear from Dan Balmer, Wendell Harrison, Joshua Redman and Kris Berg. In between, we get some tasty tracks from Jennifer Wharton, Herb Silverstein and Paris Red. We close out the hour with The Flying Horse Big Band. ...

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Album Review

Emmet Cohen: Master Legacy Series Volume 5 Featuring Houston Person

Read "Master Legacy Series Volume 5 Featuring Houston Person" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic


From its languid beginning, saxophonist Houston Person's own warmly engaging “Why Not?," to its closing, Etta James' slinky seduction “Sunday Kind of Love," Emmet Cohen's Master Legacy Series Vol. 5 Featuring Houston Person is a decidedly laid-back affair, unlike much of its predecessors which featured Jimmy Cobb, Ron Carter, George Coleman, Benny Golson and Albert “Tootie" Heath. Maybe that is just the eighty-eight year old Person's influence. His big tone and big presence fill the studio with a ...

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Album Review

Benny Benack III: Third Time's The Charm

Read "Third Time's The Charm" reviewed by Jack Bowers


While it remains to be seen whether rising star Benny Benack III's third album as leader is a charm (that is up to the listener), it is definitely a charmer, with delightful turns by trumpeter (and vocalist) Benack and pianist Emmet Cohen complementing stellar performances by a number of well-known and talented guest artists. This is basically a quintet date (Benack, Cohen, tenor saxophonist Ruben Fox, bassist Russell Hall, drummer Kyle Poole) enriched by star turns along ...

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Performance / Tour

World-Renowned Smoke Jazz Club Announces August Line-Up Including Johnathan Blake’s Latest Blue Note Album, Performances By Special Guests Brad Mehldau, Lenny White, Emmet Cohen, And More

World-Renowned Smoke Jazz Club Announces August Line-Up Including Johnathan Blake’s Latest Blue Note Album, Performances By Special Guests Brad Mehldau, Lenny White, Emmet Cohen, And More

Source: AMT Public Relations

Rated the #1 Jazz Club in New York City (Secret NYC), Smoke Jazz Club welcomes some of today’s leading artists to the stage during the month of August. SMOKE is thrilled to welcome back its former Hammond B-3 organist-in-residence Emmet Cohen this time welcoming beloved saxophonist Houston Person for one-night only Aug 23. Johnathan Blake, one of the most accomplished drummers of his generation, celebrates his sophomore Blue Note album in a four-night run Aug 24-27. For the most updated ...

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Video / DVD

Emmet Cohen Trio: Webcast Sessions

Emmet Cohen Trio: Webcast Sessions

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

YouTube algorithms are scary. Based on what you've watched before, these formulas automatically figure out what you should watch next. If you're a frequent YouTube user, you know what I'm talking about—those video clips perched on the right-hand side like a line of cats waiting for their heads to be stroked. A week or two ago, these algorithms lined up videos by Emmet Cohen from his ongoing webcast series called Live From Emmet's Place. As Emmet told me in a ...

Performance / Tour

Jazz this week: Emmet Cohen, Madeleine Peyroux, Victor Wooten, and more

Jazz this week: Emmet Cohen, Madeleine Peyroux, Victor Wooten, and more

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

This week's calendar of jazz and creative music in St. Louis includes the local debut of a promising young pianist, a festival of student big bands, return appearances from a jazz-influenced singer and a virtuoso electric bassist, and more. Let's go to the highlights... Wednesday, March 22 The NYC-based pianist Emmet Cohen will perform at the Curtain Call Lounge with his trio, which customarily features bassist Russell Hall, of the house band on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and ...

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Festival

River to River Festival 2009: Junior Mance, King Britt, Chuck Brown, Emmet Cohen, and Flix Lajk

River to River Festival 2009: Junior Mance, King Britt, Chuck Brown, Emmet Cohen, and Flix Lajk

Source: PKPR

June 01, 2009 7:30pm Summer Stars: Flix Lajk with Antal Brasny 3 Spruce Street Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts Pace University Hungarian violinist Flix Lajk fuses folk, jazz, Gypsy, and Jewish klezmer music to create a unique and energetic musical style. Known for his charismatic performances, Lajk has collaborated with everyone from Japanese Butoh dancer Min Tanaka to the French rock band Noir Dsir. Here he will perform with violist Antal ...

Johnny Tunnard
keyboards
Egor Tokarev
saxophone, tenor

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Concerts

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Vibe Provider

Mack Avenue Records
2024

buy

Rule of Thirds

Outside in Music
2023

buy

Third Time's The Charm

La Reserve/Bandstand Presents
2023

buy

Master Legacy Series...

Bandstand Records
2023

buy

Uptown In Orbit

Mack Avenue Records
2022

buy

Future Stride

Mack Avenue Records
2021

buy

Videos

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