Lyle Rebbeck's Jazz Picks

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Ryan Cohan; One Sky Friday, November 9th, 2007

Motema Music MTM 00012
Good news for Ryan Cohan fans. The long anticipated CD is out, and believe me, it was worth the wait. This is contemporary music at its best. Cohan works within the jazz genre, but his writing encompasses a broad spectrum of styles that crosses classical and jazz and in the end, are purely and completely Cohan. Half of this CD is a suite entitled One Sky; Tone Poems for Humanity, some of which we heard at JazzFest 2006 when Cohan last visited Medicine Hat. The suite includes, Into Being Part 1 and 2, Wonder and Response, Awe, and Hope. Cohan in the liner notes says, “We are a world society under one sky.” He goes on to describe the way he approached each movement. Rather than pick a particular style for each title, he tried to let the sentiment of the movement lead and guide the music. The result, like being led on a journey or watching a movie, is filled with twists and turns, sections that morph into
other sections, changes in time and harmonies, and a constant, almost seamless movement back and forth between improvised and arranged sections. This is classic Cohan, but is a step beyond his terrific debut CD, Here and Now. Cohan’s writing is blossoming into something quite profound and spell binding. The opening track, Double Agent, begins in a lilting 6/8 waltz with flute lead and before the tune is over, has worked its way through a salsa and back to the 6/8.
Track two, Easy for you to Say, may have been what the band said when they looked at this chart for the first time. This is a technically challenging piece, as all Cohan compositions tend to be. Cohan opens solo piano and flies through many styles including some Bud Powell sounding sections. The tune eventually settles into a blues and Ryan really cooks. Another new feature is evident on this album, and that is the sound of Cohan humming along in the background to his own playing. Something else very evident on this recording is Cohan’s formidable piano playing. While he is never just showy, Cohan throws off arpeggios and scale passages at blistering speeds with absolute precision and flawless rhythm. This is no more evident than on what for me, is the highlight track of the CD, a solo piano version of Lush Life. This is classic! Cohan spins the tune through a plethora of styles from a free-floating opening through stride and huge rhapsodic sections. This cut really shows Cohan’s playing as we haven’t heard it before.

Joining Cohan are some familiar names from his quartet, Geof Bradfield, Lorin Cohen and Kobie Watkins. Rounding out the sextet for this session are Bob Sheppard on sax and flute, Tito Carrillo on trumpet and James Cammack on bass. Special mention goes to Kobie Watkins and Lorin Cohen for their always tight, driving and interactive rhythm
playing.

Despite this being an incredibly intricate and sophisticated CD, it is also very assessable. Cohan has kept his foot firmly in the jazz tradition, and, as well as any composer today, has found a way to integrate the old with the new without throwing either away. The writer of this column and the Medicine Hat Jazz Society are given a nod in the liner notes, which is a nice compliment. The CD is available through several on-line outlets with preview tracks on Cohan’s My Space page.

I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to Medicine Hat News associate editor Leah Prestayko for the incredible job she has done over these past years of supporting and covering the arts in our city. We will miss you Leah and wish you well in your career move.

Lyle Rebbeck's Jazz Picks 12/19/2007 09:49 PM
http://www.mhc.ab.ca/faculty/lrebbeck/jazzpicks/picks.php?pick=200