Gently Disturbed

ピアノにシャイ・マエストロ、ドラムにマーク・ジュリアナを迎えたニュー・トリオ!!
チック・コリアのグループに加入することによって、その才能を開花させたアヴィシャイ・コーエンが、本作ではマーク・ジュリアナ、シャイ・マエストロをメンバーに加えて、自身の表現を追究するとともに、後進の存在を世の中に知らしめた。ピアノ・トリオ編成の名盤としても輝く作品!!
LP のA4 はCD未収録曲。

Avishai Cohen has established himself over the past decade as one of the more versatile and curious bassists around. For Gently Disturbed he hooks up with the young pianist Shai Maestro, a fellow Israeli, and drummer Mark Guiliana, on a set that is never less than exciting, always seductive, and often quite challenging. The gently playful opener, "Seattle," is a teaser: a waltz-inspired rhythm percolates underneath, but its simple foundation is often obscured by the trio's complex interplay. As early as track two, the driving "Chutzpan," any notion that this might be a more traditional piano trio recording is quickly dismissed as each of the three musicians engages in virtuosic soloing and lockstep harmonics that find them playing tricks with time and space in a wholly intuitive manner. Cohen's bass work throughout is consistently inventive; he thoroughly enjoys toying with dense, interlocking rhythmic surprises, but he never showboats. In fact, he's a rather generous leader, and had this band been called the Shai Maestro Trio instead, no one would be the wiser because Cohen gives his pianist wide berth to create the directions in which the music flows. Much of the first half of "The Ever Evolving Etude" is taken up with Maestro's unaccompanied solo, and on songs such as the traditional "Puncha Puncha" and the evocative title track, Cohen and Guiliana step back just far enough to allow Maestro to dictate the main melody. Of course, Cohen makes sure to step into the spotlight often enough to reassure that he is in fact the leader here, and on tracks such as Cohen's own neo-classical "Variations in G Minor" and the traditional Israeli song "Lo Baiom Velo Balyla," Cohen's intricate maneuvering reveals once again the ceaseless creativity of his musicianship. ~ Jeff Tamarkin

気鋭のベーシストであり、優れたコンポーザーでもあるアヴィシャイ・コーエンをリーダーとするトリオの初作。豪快さと柔軟さを兼ね備えたベースに、シャープなビートを繰り出すドラムも良いが、イスラエルの新星、シャイ・マエストロのピアノ・プレイが特に秀逸!　情感たっぷりでありながらも甘さに流されないメロディアスなフレージングと鮮やかなタッチで、哀愁味を帯びた楽曲をドラマティックに盛り上げている。 　
bounce (C)吉村 健