Avishai Cohen Trio – Shifting Sands

Shifting Sands - his brand new album - proves that he is not resting on his laurels, but don't take our word for it. Listen to "Intertwined" - the tension-filled opening track and cornerstone of the album - and you'll immediately feel that he's raised the bar again. The message is loud and clear: it's a new adventure on the DNA you were already familiar with. Since the beginning of the century, Avishai Cohen has traveled a varied path. He has performed with orchestras, led smaller ensembles and even duos. But it is the trio format to which he returns again and again.

A trio always works because all the elements are there. The piano is like an orchestra in itself. Add a beat and the low register of the bass, and you have everything. Yes, there have been different lineups over the years. In 2008, he made Gently Disturbed, a breakthrough album that is now considered a classic, and some people even wondered if Avishai Cohen would ever be able to top it. Today we know that he did. "The time with Shai and Mark was very special. But I honestly believe that now I have a trio where that kind of magic is happening again. First of all, Elchin Shirinov from Azerbaijan is a great pianist himself. He's very focused and confident, and I'm sure that comes across. Then I found the drummer Roni Kaspi. She's only 21 years old, but an extraordinary talent and a new spirit who brings her own strong personality.

The compositions came to life when the trio played a handful of concerts in Europe in the summer of 2021 before traveling to Sweden to record them.

The result is a magnificent, uplifting recording that ranks among his very best.