Charismatic trumpeter Avishai Cohen launched his exuberant, home-grown band, Big Vicious, six years ago, after relocating from the US to his native Israel, rounding up players to shape the music from the ground up, and co-authoring much of its newest material together with them. The group is an association of old friends. ‘We’re all coming from jazz, but some of us left it earlier’, Avishai says, summing up the stylistic reach of his cohorts. ‘Everyone’s bringing in their backgrounds, and that becomes part of the sound of the band.’ Textures from electronica, ambient music and psychedelia are part of the blend, so too grooves and beats from rock, pop, trip-hop and more. A wide-open approach to cover versions ‘” from Massive Attack to Beethoven – is also integral to the Vicious vision. Recorded in Studios La Buissonne in the South of France in August 2019 and produced by Manfred Eicher, Big Vicious’s debut album is issued as the band gears up for extensive international touring.
From NPR
New Mix: More Music For The Here And Now
We seek comfort in the familiar, and I get that. But we all tend to love what we know and not know what we might love. And so on this edition of All Songs Considered, we play a mix of new music mostly from artists you’ve likely never heard....
Check out Honey Fountain, new single by Big Vicious
Now featured on the State of Jazz playlist on Spotify https://t.co/JT8wGfpP8O— avishai cohen (@avishai_cohen) February 10, 2020
From Jazzword
JAZZTOPAD FESTIVAL 2018
By: Ken Waxman
Inclusion is what makes Jazztopad, the annual festival in WrocÅ’aw, Poland, so notable. While visitors see a cross-section of international players on stage at the modernist, glass-clad Witold LutosÅ’awski National Forum of Music (NFM) each night, they’re also welcome at the nightly jam sessions in the funky basement Mleczarnia Club around the...
Posted Dec 11th, 2018
An instrumental master and a composer of vivid originality. The Guardian
An extravagantly skilled trumpeter [. . .] relaxed and soulful [. . .] he deftly combined sensitivity and flair. The New York Times
Arguably the most exciting Israeli jazz musician in the world. The Chicago Reader
Avishai Cohen has rather quietly become one of the most creative trumpet players in jazz. JazzTimes
Cohen is a versatile, modern master. DownBeat
A trumpeter of rare poise and lyricism. The Boston Globe