Personnel: Avishai Cohen (piano, synthesizer, acoustic & electric basses, percussion); Claudia Acuna, Danny Freedman, Joshua Levy, Eran Tabib, Eli Lishinsky (vocals); Jimmy Greene (soprano & tenor saxophones, flute); Steve Davis (trombone); Ida Levin, Carmit Zori (violin); Robert Rinehart (viola); Fred Sherry (cello); Jason Linder (piano); Amos Hoffman (guitar, oud); Jeff Ballard (drums, percussion).
Recorded at Clinton Recording Studios, New York, New York. Includes liner notes by Horace Silver and Avishai Cohen.
Bassist Avishai Cohen on his own projects mixes together adventurous jazz with influences from world music, original folk melodies, and his own creativity. He composed 12 selections for his second CD, 1999's DEVOTION, including tributes to Horace Silver and Chick Corea (which do not really sound that close to either of those pianist/composer's styles). The music is consistently unpredictable, with Cohen being joined by pianist Jason Lindner, drummer Jeff Ballard, Jimmy Greene on reeds, trombonist Steve Davis, guitarist Amos Hoffman, a string quartet, and up to five singers (who are mostly used in the background). An intriguing set by an up-and-coming composer who is also a very fluent bassist.
CMJ (5/3/99, p.37) - "...continues to explore hard-edged jazz tinged with funk, spirituality and even exotic Middle Eastern flavors..."
JazzTimes (10/99, p.109) - "...delivers strong evidence here of his strengths as a leader, complementing his proven merits as sideman....draping that flexible pulse in long melodic lines whose twists and turns reveal many a harmonic delight..."