Avishai Cohen - Continuo - 2006

It's several years on now and I'm still reeling from seeing Avishai Cohen live, not just because he was playing Bridport("where?") but because he was so amazingly good and how could I not have known about him. Matt Hayden [matt@club-underground.com] is to thank for putting such a good show and for continuing to do so at The Beach and Barneycoot, Bridport. If you fancy being squashed amongst a chattering crowd of chain-smoking mingers there can be no better place to watch musicians of world class practice their art - to pure indifference. Please Matt sort out a decent venue, the musicians and we who travel to see them deserve a little respect.
"Whoa bit of a rant there j, we want no more of that or we'll be off to some other blog. Erm! tell us about the album then?"
Well I've only just dld it and I'm listening as I write. 1st track features the Oud ooH! and so does track 2. Now I, and quite a few others, have a bit of a thing for ouds especially when played innaJazzstyle[tm] my favourite (alright he's the only one I know) Oudist is Dhafer Youssef who is also blessed with the most preturnatural voice - more of him (ie upped) later if I get time.
AMG tells us the oud player's Amos Hoffman.
So pls dld for yourself (hint-post a comment) and don't forget Ken Wood's password.
This really is a good rip, it's obviously a good recording, so good in fact that tere's almost no point in buying an original - but you wouldn't do that would you. And it sounds like the same band most noticably fightningly fleet and frighteningly young Mark Guiliana on drums.

Redux - I've played this a couple of times and at full whack it sounds extremely good for a knock off mp3 ie it's a good recording and "should" sound even better via cd. Amos Hoffman's oud features predominantly and makes a piquant foil to Avishai's bass. With a decent sub you really get the impression he's in the room playing bass just for you. His style is very much his own and he varies from hand plucked and bowed stand up, a la Mingus, to fretted and I guess fretless electrics, echos less of his examplar Pastorious and more Clarke especially the way he pops those harmonics.
buy Avishai