Master Legacy Series, Volume 2 (Cellar Live)
Emmet Cohen
Released March 8, 2018
DownBeat Four-and-a-Half-Star Review
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lWejp2Aydeyg1lhcuhtNixiNjSaaTRtl8
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/45SDmjxiOQbr0WFhIzdi07?si=Rd1eJf-BRaSRtUEtyyVF7w
About:
Emmet Cohen’s mission is to celebrate the last remaining legendary jazz artists from an era long gone, by documenting, featuring, and preserving their artistry and excellence in the later stages of their careers. As the producer of the Masters Legacy Series, Cohen has released two acclaimed recordings including Volume 1 with Jimmy Cobb and Volume 2 with Ron Carter. Subsequent recordings are scheduled to follow. A live concert features one of these elder jazz statesmen up close and personal playing in the Emmet Cohen Trio. This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience any of these renowned artists in concert.
“Despite being one of the most original, identifiable, and recorded musicians of the 20th century, throughout our live recording, Mr. Carter’s bass lines and musicality continuously surprised and inspired me to reach for new harmonic heights. I felt his dedication to the moment and his stoic presence, yet I also felt him taking daring risks, pushing my capabilities, and driving each tune down an untested path. Even listening back to the album, experiencing Mr. Carter is exhilarating.”
Emmet Cohen
Track Listing:
1. All of You (Cole Porter) 10:14
2. Opus One (Sy Oliver) 08:42
3. Hindsight (Cedar Walton) 04:25
4. Holy Land (Cedar Walton) 07:17
5. Dear Ruth (Cedar Walton) 03:00
6. It’s About Time (Ron Carter) 07:34
7. Any Old Time (Artie Shaw) 07:16
8. Hatzi Kaddish (Intro) (Traditional) 01:08
9. Hatzi Kaddish (Traditional) 07:50
10. Light Blue (Ron Carter) 06:53
11. Ron Carter Speaks (Ron Carter) 04:02
12. Joshua (Victor Feldman) 07:50
Personnel:
Emmet Cohen: piano
Ron Carter: bass
Evan Sherman: drums
Recorded live June 29, 2017, at Pyatt Hall in Vancouver, BC, Canada
Producer: Cory Weeds, Emmet Cohen
Recording, Mixing and Mastering: Tony Chamberlist
Cover Photo: Randy Cole
Graphic Design: Ian Hendrickson-Smith
Review:
Pianist Emmet Cohen’s Master Legacy Series, Volume 1 with Jimmy Cobb was a standout 2017 release. Still in his mid-20s, Cohen is a superb jazz pianist. And recording with the masters only heightens his own work, inspiring the bandleader to surprising solos and beautiful trio playing.
Along with sparkplug drummer Evan Sherman, Cohen and Carter play with equal respect for each other’s skills, the bassist acknowledging Cohen’s piano profundity; Cohen, supported by Carter’s warm accompaniment, flies over the keyboard in two-handed runs, beautiful ballad playing and soulful, articulate swing. “All Of You” opens the set, Cohen’s playing jewel-like and light, Carter playing wide whole notes and Sherman swinging brushes. The musical weight and might heard on a rendition of Cedar Walton’s “Hindsight” recalls the Great Jazz Trio, certainly due to Carter’s presence. But Cohen’s dense piano work is equally impressive. The slow-motion reverie of another Walton wonder, “Dear Ruth,” is a master class in timing, tension and release. And Victor Feldman’s classic “Joshua” closes the proceedings, a grand finish to a resplendent recording.
Ken Micallef (DownBeat)
