Azerbaijani pianist joins Avishai Cohen's trio

By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijan’s talented jazz pianist Elchin Shirinov has made musical tour with an Israeli jazz double bassist, composer and singer Avishai Cohen.

Elchin Shirinov joined the trio of Avishai Cohen and gave a number of concerts abroad.

So, in honor of the 30th anniversary of the famous Blue Note Tokyo club, Kiwi Hall hosted two concerts of the trio Avishaya Cohen along with 17Strings.

The concert of the popular trio was held in Budapest on August 29 as part of a jazz festival, gathering more than 2,000 guests.

Azerbaijan’s jazz pianist enjoyed the collaboration with the Israeli jazz musician.

“Avishay Cohen is one of the best musicians in the world, so I am very happy that I became a part of his trio. Performing with him during the tour around the world was incredibly cool,” Shirinov told Day.Az.

Elchin Shirinov belongs to the new generation of Azerbaijani jazz musicians, who combine elements of post-bop jazz, blues and funk.

The pianist and composer was tutored by great musical talents such as Vagif Sadikhov, Aaron Goldberg, Kevin Hays, Jean Michel Pilc, and Yakov Okun.

Throughout Shirinov’s mellifluous extemporizations and pianistic pyrotechnics entranced the jazz cognoscenti in the crowd, particularly in his variations around the folksong Gul Achdi.

He went on to give a very individual interpretation of two of the most popular Azerbaijani folksongs Sari Gelin and Durna; and included his reflective self-penned compositions Waiting and Muse in his set, many of which featured the sound of the Melodica, a wind-operated keyboard that makes an accordion-like sound, which he balanced on top of the grand piano.

Many music enthusiasts from France, Switzerland, Germany, Malaysia and other countries, where he praised the national jazz, already familiar with his unusual talent.

The 3 Cohens are that sort of uncommon collective, a trio of siblings from Tel Aviv, Israel – tenor saxophonist/clarinetist Anat Cohen, trumpeter Avishai Cohen and soprano saxophonist Yuval Cohen.

Avishai Cohen is called by critics as a rising star of the American jazz scene. Experts note his individual sound and constant creative search. He brilliantly combines various styles of performance. Cohen has stated that he was very heavily influenced by Miles Davis. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music.

Israeli jazz trumpet has become one of the most discussed artists on modern scene.