Gently Disturbed

Avishai Cohen presents Gently Disturbed, the latest album from his own Razdaz Recordz label. With his talented trio that includes Mark Guiliana on drums and Shai Maestro on piano, Cohen's new album has a different take on the standard jazz sound; by mixing the unconventional with the traditional, and adding a hint of Israeli sound, Gently Disturbed is a distinctive album, one that is slightly emotionally disconcerting.

Gently Disturbed contains nine tracks, all either composed by Cohen or by the trio as an ensemble. By alternating simple melodies and solos with a highly complex ensemble sound, particularly in "Chutzpan," Cohen and his Trio provide an almost skewed version of jazz. However, Cohen, Guiliana and Maestro are such skilled musicians that their musicality and technical capabilities give a sense of direction to tracks that could seem blithely aimless.

Each track in Gently Disturbed is highly unique: some explore jazz with a manic frenzy, like "Chutzpan," while others, like "Lo Baiom Velo Balyla" and "Puncha Puncha," tenderly show emotional poignancy.

The title track, "Gently Disturbed," is, in fact, gently disturbing. With an almost dissonant, potentially dodecaphonic sound combined with a drowsy pace, "Gently Disturbed" is an unsettling piece, one that never seems to resolve.

An emotionally fraught album, Gently Disturbed explores a range of emotions and sounds, putting a twist on the typical jazz sound. With any other ensemble, Gently Disturbed might have failed, but with the skill of Cohen and his Trio, Gently Disturbed pioneers a new jazz sound.