Gently Disturbed (Bonus Track Version)

iTunes Review

A number of Israeli jazz musicians have come into their own in the early 21st century. Bassist Omer Avital, pianist Anat Fort, clarinetist Anat Cohen, and numerous others have made a big splash in New York, Israel, and elsewhere. Anat’s brother, the bassist Avishai Cohen, has played with Danilo Perez, Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, and others, and has released a number of his own albums since the late 1990s. Cohen has a warm tone on his instrument, and can say a lot with a handful of notes. On Gently Disturbed he’s joined by the young Israeli pianist Shai Maestro and his longtime rhythm cohort, the American drummer Mark Guiliana, and the trio’s distinctive approach draws from a number of sources. Two traditionals, “Lo Baiom Velo Balyla” and “Puncha Puncha,” are just a couple of the tracks that display the influence of classical music, while “Eleven Wives” possesses the grandeur of a pop anthem by Radiohead or Coldplay. (It’s easy to imagine Maestro playing keyboards in a rock group.) The off-kilter chug of “Pinzin Kinzin” points to an abstracted but far from bloodless take on funk. The album’s highlight might be the title track, where a mysterious piano melody is intriguingly shadowed by Cohen’s bass.