Emmet Cohen: Universal Truth
Pianist Emmet Cohen now has now made a number of albums under his own name – this being the fourth for the Mack Avenue label. His rise to eminence has much to do with his highly popular streaming series Live From Emmet’s Place, where he has performed with a number of distinguished guests including Houston Person, Joe Lovano, Christian McBride, Sheila Jordan and Samara Joy, exposing his undoubted talents to a worldwide audience.
For this latest release, he found himself in the company of a flexible personnel, with only himself and drummer Joe Farnsworth on every track. The two veterans Ron Carter and Houston Person, appear on three and two tracks respectively, coming together on My Funny Valentine, where the bass player displays his flexible solidity and the saxophonist delivers a very personal reading, revolving around a number of shortened lines far from his expansive style of yesteryear.
Budo is despatched with reverential confidence by the trio with Nakamura on bass duty, who gives way to Carter for an original treatment of Monk’s Well, You Needn’t, with Jeremy Pelt on trumpet. The spirit of TM is alive and well on this version, the leader not falling foul of cheap imitation.
The familiar strains of Jimmy Heath’s Gingerbread Boy are a welcome inclusion, as are the three Cohen originals number I to III, keeping up the high standards this date offers. Coltrane’s Blue Train (see it here) gets fresh life in this treatment, the returning Coleman sharing the front line with the trumpeter and fellow tenor man Tivon Pennicott.
The leader is a delight in all he does, whether comping or filling behind the soloist, displaying his natural ability to swing whatever the pace and very happy to roll that right hand as a tribute to his keyboard forebears. Yes, he might reveal his inspirations very readily but there is a freshness, not to say joy, about his work that is currently being rewarded.
Discography
Budo; Well, You Needn’t; My Funny Valentine; Gingerbread Boy; I. Eternal Glimpse; II. Compassion; III. Universal Truth; Blue Train (42.11)
Collectively: Jeremy Pelt (t); George Coleman, Tivon Pennicott (ts); Emmet Cohen (p); Yasushi Nakamura, Ron Carter (b); Joe Farnsworth (d). New York, 5 October 2025.
Mack Avenue MAC1242-2
Kronstad 23: Dodehavet
This is the third album from a Norwegian quartet which has been said to purvey “cinematic jazz-rock”. Its members come together only occasionally during the year and allegedly tend to spurn the practice process – an attitude that eliminates staleness but can lead to shoddy performances.
The overall assessment of the group is that of a unit who probably veer towards the rockier side of things, using repetitive themes, often returned to, with a genuine effort to emphasise its commitment to melody without too much extemporisation. On a number of tracks it is guitarist Alexander Tosdal Tveit who takes centre stage, coaxing a pleasant enough sound from his electric instrument and taking a step into Metheny territory on Svalgang, where he is swept along by insistent bass and drums.
The tempos generally fall into the slow to medium area, the basic quartet joined by horns on half the tracks, including tenor and baritone saxophones, who bring the jazzier moments to the repertoire.
Given the aforementioned three-word description of their ethos, it could easily be argued that much of the music could well be employed on the silver screen either under the opening titles or behind the action. This is a disc that will appeal to those who prefer their sounds on the cusp of jazz rather than the le jazz vrai.
Discography
Menigheten; Stratofaeren; Bolverk; Rabalder; Hoytrykk; Myrra; Svartmagi; Svalgang (36.53)
Oyvind Arnodd Vie Berg (kyb); Alexander Tosdal Tveit (g); Eirik Romcke (b); Hans Christian Dalgaard (d, pc) and others.
Batov Records BTR137
Steve Cole: Sleight Of Hand
Saxophonist Steve Cole initially studied classical music before deciding to follow a jazz route. He is firmly installed as a paid up member of the “smooth jazz” fraternity, coming to the attention of a wider audience in 2001 when his version of the Bill Withers’ song Just The Two Of Us gained a high degree of popularity. This latest CD is entrenched in the language of his chosen sub-genre, neither demanding on the listener or stretching the musicians to attain a modicum of true creativity. Most of Cole’s support comes from individuals who have similar pedigree to himself when it comes to performing in this particular field.
Unfortunately, none of the 10 tunes assembled for this session has the qualities of the Withers’ song and generally fall into the bland category. The solos are unmemorable, even the leader who is strong on his theme statements is guilty in this area. This CD is really only for those who need a little background music from time to time.
Discography
Maybe, Maybe Not; Maceology/Feat. Cory Wong; Groove Ballad; Knock Out; UK; Lucky; Sleight Of Hand; Quick Step; Good Times; Sunrise (40.51)
Steve Cole (ts, ss); Mel Brown (b); David Brown (kyb, f, syn bass) and others. 2026.
Mack Avenue ART70912-2