Anat Cohen Celebrating In Berlin
“Anat’s Dance”, the first song clarinetist Anat Cohen played at her show at Berlin’s A-Trane last night, probably is the best introduction to her versatility: she extends so much joy from stage to audience it is really infectious. That particular song was written by pianist and keyboarder Jason Lindner who has learned with Barry Harris and who also was a member of Meshell Ndegeocello‘s band and that of Claudia Acuna. I can only higly recommend his own albums like “Now vs. Now”.
Several of the songs she played were from her 2012 album “Claroscuro” but she also added several newer pieces, like “In The Spirit Of Baden”, dedicated to and inspired by guitarist Baden Powell. A lot of her music is of Brazilian origin. The center of her highly entertaining set was the Milton Nascimento tune “Tudo Que Voce Podia Ser” which not only highlighted her brilliant playing, but also that of her bandmates Linda Oh on bass and Daniel Freedman on drums. It was a tour de force and a great reminder of how fantastic Nascimento’s songs are.
Even classic pieces like “La Vie En Rose” are fun to listen to in Anat’s world. She indicates the melody and plays behind the beat, almost on the edge of making fun of this ditty and includes a delicate and arpeggiated solo later in the song.
With “Um x Zero”, another Brazilian piece, she finished her excellent set and gave us the perfect party end to our special anniversary 25 years after the wall came down.
