Anat Cohen is one of my absolute favorite clarinet players, as well as being in the top 10 tenors around. Most of her releases are filled with exciting moments of swing with a mixture of rhythms from various parts of the world. All the more reason that I can’t get over how disappointed I am by this latest release. Almost all of the songs have a tired, languid and listless feel to them, like they just ran out of gas. Sometimes, that lack of drive works, as on a dreamy “La Vie En Rose” and Artie Shaw’s “Nightmare.” “Kick Off” and “Um A Zero” has an exotic lilt that is benefited by Paquito D’Rivera’s stick and some percussion by Gilmar Gomes, and D’Rivera brings extra licorice to a few other tunes, but the band just feels like they could use a good night’s sleep or two, or at least a shot of Greek coffee.
Anzic Records