Avishai Cohen Trio - Eternal Child Avishai Cohen Trio

"For once," Avishai confides, "the album title is not from my own pen." The title "Eternal Child" comes from the legend Chick Corea - a person who was one of the most formative and life-changing encounters in Avishai's career. For him, the name has a deep, soulful meaning.
"Remaining an eternal child is the fate of many artists," he says. "Those are the lucky ones." The decision was made when he saw a photo of himself at the age of four or five - the same picture that now adorns the album cover. The look is unmistakable; fifty years later, that spark still burns bright. "What strikes me in this photo is the wonder in my eyes. I was a daydreamer. I loved nature. Today I am still fascinated by it, by music and by everything magical. And in those children's eyes I can already see the joy of life, the joy of playing and the insatiable curiosity."
At the center of this album is a young trio: pianist Itay Simhovich (22) and drummer Eviatar Slivnik (30). What immediately stands out is Avishai Cohen's unmistakable return to jazz - a move he fully supports and is committed to. "It's the jazziest album I've made so far. It wasn't planned, but it has a lot to do with the personalities of the musicians." Although Itay Simhovich and Eviatar Slivnik belong to a new generation, their musical DNA is deeply rooted in the tradition of Miles Davis, the Jazz Messengers and the trios of Bill Evans or Ahmad Jamal. Within these classic timbres, however, the continuity of Avishai's own musical universe remains seamless and astonishingly modern.
The icing on the cake is the addition of a second drummer, Jeff Ballard. "I wanted to leave the choice between Jeff and Eviatar open. It came about during the studio recordings. Jeff joined us on the third day." On "Sliv El", the trio started with Eviatar and ended up as a duo - Jeff on drums and me on piano. I had envisioned bringing the two drummers together at least once, just to break up our habits. It was also a way to remember the beginning of my history with Jeff; after I introduced him to Chick, we rehearsed as a duo in his Brooklyn apartment. He had a Fender Rhodes there, and that's how I first played my compositions for him.
The ten tracks on the album have one thing in common: each track is dedicated to a person from Avishai's environment or a personal story. "Simchover" is of course dedicated to Itay Simhovich. The same applies to "Sliv El" and "Eviatar Slivnik". The ballad "El Bazita" is a pet name for Avishai's partner, derived from her surname. "My Brues" has nothing to do with daughters-in-law, but is a play on words with the pronunciation of "blues" by his beloved Japanese audience and is dedicated to him alone. In "Tonight" he conjures up the world of Wayne Shorter and Lee Morgan within the Jazz Messengers. "Mr. Good Sir" is dedicated to his manager, who has been with Avishai for almost 25 years. "Humbly Yours" is a tribute to all those who project their own thoughts into the silence of a composition. "Lookie" is a play on words with "cookie", chosen simply because of the sound. "It's one of the last compositions I wrote for this recording." It's an infectious, groovy song that perfectly reflects the joy of making music together as a trio." "Eternal Child" was composed by Chick Corea and is heavily influenced by classical music, with echoes of Bach's fugues; it is the only cover piece on the album. The album closes with "Closure", an open ending that feels like both a triumphant finale and a departure to new horizons. The ten variations are bathed in sun-drenched jazz and revolve around Avishai Cohen's two irrefutable cornerstones: Groove and melody.
"When Chick decided to record my band and my first album, he formed his own band 'Origin' with a line-up consisting almost exclusively of members of my band. That was a great compliment for me. Since then I've recorded over 20 albums and never stopped. 'Eternal Child' reflects all my musical aspirations and brings me into the present. I hope you like it." Avishai.