Late last February, trumpet player Avishai Cohen released his then latest album, Naked Truth through ECM Records. The nine-song instrumental record is an interesting presentation from Cohen, due in part to its musical arrangements. They will be discussed shortly. While the musical content featured in the record is of note, the lack of any background on the songs in the record’s companion booklet detracts from the overall engagement and entertainment. This will be discussed a little later. The general production that went into the album’s presentation works with the record’s musical content to make for at least a little bit more reason for audiences to hear this record. Each item noted here is important in its own way to the whole of the album’s presentation. All things considered they make the album worth hearing at least once.
Naked Truth, Avishai Cohen’s latest studio recording, is an interesting new offering from the trumpet player. That is due in large part to its featured musical arrangements. The arrangements take audiences in a variety of directions from one to the next, their transitions solid throughout, making the whole feel like one continuous opus. The whole thing opens in such a subdued fashion in ‘pt. I,’ with Cohen leading the way on trumpet. The warmth of the notes and the control that Cohen displays in this song conjures thoughts of works on famed trumpet player Miles Davis’ timeless classic album, Kind of Blue. That controlled tone continues in the record’s second movement and adds in a touch of bluesy vibe as the second movement progresses. The addition of the steady, repetitive piano line here makes for even more interest as the album grows and progresses.
Speaking of the piano line, pianist Yonathan Avishai gets plenty of opportunity to put his talent on display, too as the album progresses, the crescendos and decrescendos so rich and full of warmth and emotion. Even Ziv Ravitz gets some time in the limelight at points throughout, adding even more subtle touches to the compositions. From song to song the compositions’ moods change ever so subtly, even as subdued as each opus proves to be. The end result is an overall work that will keep listeners engaged and entertained throughout.
While the overall musical content featured in this record makes for its own share of engagement and entertainment, the lack of any background on the album’s creation in the record’s companion booklet detracts from that engagement and entertainment to a point. Most of the content featured in the record’s booklet is pictures of Cohen and company at work in the studio. The booklet also features the lyrics to the album’s closing spoken word track, ‘Departure,’ which apparently focuses on the topic of accepting our mortality. It’s kind of morose, simply put. Considering how enjoyable the rest of the album’s content is, having that background would have made for even more engagement and entertainment. So not having said content definitely hurts the record’s overall presentation.
The lack of that background is not enough to doom the album’s presentation. To that end there is one more positive to note here. It comes in the form of the record’s production. Considering the subtle approach that the trio took to each song’s composition and performance, clearly all of the attention in the world had to be applied to each song. That is so that no one part overpowered the other but rather complimented the other lines. The painstaking work that went into ensuring all three performances were balanced paid off. That is because each work exhibits so much depth and warmth in its subtlety. Keeping that in mind, the general effect of the production and the songs together make the album overall a relatively positive presentation worth hearing at least once.
Naked Truth, the new album from Avishai Choen, is an interesting presentation that is worth hearing at least once. That is due in part to its featured musical arrangements. The arrangements are subtle works that collectively make up one whole opus that while subdued is still engaging because of that approach and sound. The production of the songs is to thank for the impact of the arrangements. The lack of any background on how the album was created detracts from the record’s presentation to a point. That is because that lack of information makes for engagement and entertainment primarily on a surface level. It is not enough to doom the record, though. To that end, the songs and their production make the album worth hearing at least once.
Naked Truth is available now through ECM Records. More information on this and other titles from ECM Records is available at:
Website: https://ecmrecords.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ecmrecords
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