Biography
Anat Cohen, an Israeli-born performer on saxophone, clarinet, and flute, stands out among jazz artists for her technical command and stylistic boldness, especially in fusing refined post-bop with Brazilian, Afro-Cuban, and additional worldwide traditions. Emerging in the early 2000s, she drew notice for her wide-ranging approach both through projects with her brothers, trumpeter Avishai Cohen and pianist Yuval Cohen, in 3 Cohens and through work with her Brazilian-rooted Choro Ensemble and as part of the DIVA big band. Greatest recognition has come from her own ensembles, however, on recordings such as 2005’s Place and Time, 2012’s Claroscuro, and the 2017 Grammy-nominated Outra Coisa. A further Grammy nomination arrived for the 2019 tentet release Tripple Helix, after which she introduced her exploratory Quartetinho group on its self-titled 2022 debut and followed with Quartetinho: Bloom in 2024.
Cohen entered the world in Tel Aviv in 1975 and was raised in a musical household that included her brothers, soprano saxophonist Yuval Cohen and trumpeter Avishai Cohen. Clarinet study began in childhood, followed by saxophone during her time at the Jaffa Music Centre. Once her required military duty ended, a period that included playing with the Israeli Air Force Big Band, she entered Boston’s Berklee College of Music and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Music. New York City became her home in the late 1990s, where engagements followed with pianist and composer Pablo Ablanedo (on whose 2001 album From Down There she made her first recorded appearance), bandleader Duduka Da Fonseca, singer and percussionist Cyro Baptista, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, drummer Louis Hayes, guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, pianist Rachel Z, and numerous additional figures.
Her initial leader date, 2005’s Place and Time, showcased pianist Jason Lindner, bassist Ben Street, and drummer Jeff Ballard. Poetica appeared in 2007 and again featured Lindner along with bassist Omer Avital, who contributed several string-quartet arrangements. That same year brought the large-ensemble Noir, recorded with the Anzic Orchestra and Brazilian-tinged charts by Oded Lev-Ari. Notes from the Village followed in 2008, reuniting her with Lindner, Avital, and drummer Daniel Freedman. Parallel activity included membership in the all-female big band DIVA and the Brazilian-jazz Choro Ensemble, plus performances and recordings with her siblings in 3 Cohens, which produced the albums One, Braid, and Family. The concert recording Clarinetwork: Live at the Village Vanguard appeared in 2010.
Claroscuro, released in 2012, marked the start of a deeper engagement with global traditions that encompassed African rhythms, New Orleans Creole forms, Brazilian samba, and further sources. Luminosa continued that direction in 2015, an eclectic set steeped in Brazilian choro. Two Brazilian-tinged collaborative albums arrived in 2017—Outra Coisa, a duo project with guitarist Marcello Gonçalves, and Rosa Dos Ventos with Trio Brasileiro—each receiving a Grammy nomination. Her tentet made its debut that year on Happy Song. The duo concert album Live in Healdsburg, pairing the clarinetist with pianist Fred Hersch, followed in 2018. Tripple Helix, the tentet’s second album, came out in 2019 and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Large Jazz Ensemble.
Quartetinho, issued in 2022, introduced the globally oriented group comprising bassist Tal Mashiach, pianist and accordionist Vitor Gonçalves, and vibraphonist and percussionist James Shipp. Its second album, Quartetinho: Bloom, reached listeners in 2024 and paired Cohen’s originals with pieces by Thelonious Monk and Paraguayan guitarist Agustín Barrios-Mangor.
Cohen entered the world in Tel Aviv in 1975 and was raised in a musical household that included her brothers, soprano saxophonist Yuval Cohen and trumpeter Avishai Cohen. Clarinet study began in childhood, followed by saxophone during her time at the Jaffa Music Centre. Once her required military duty ended, a period that included playing with the Israeli Air Force Big Band, she entered Boston’s Berklee College of Music and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Music. New York City became her home in the late 1990s, where engagements followed with pianist and composer Pablo Ablanedo (on whose 2001 album From Down There she made her first recorded appearance), bandleader Duduka Da Fonseca, singer and percussionist Cyro Baptista, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, drummer Louis Hayes, guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, pianist Rachel Z, and numerous additional figures.
Her initial leader date, 2005’s Place and Time, showcased pianist Jason Lindner, bassist Ben Street, and drummer Jeff Ballard. Poetica appeared in 2007 and again featured Lindner along with bassist Omer Avital, who contributed several string-quartet arrangements. That same year brought the large-ensemble Noir, recorded with the Anzic Orchestra and Brazilian-tinged charts by Oded Lev-Ari. Notes from the Village followed in 2008, reuniting her with Lindner, Avital, and drummer Daniel Freedman. Parallel activity included membership in the all-female big band DIVA and the Brazilian-jazz Choro Ensemble, plus performances and recordings with her siblings in 3 Cohens, which produced the albums One, Braid, and Family. The concert recording Clarinetwork: Live at the Village Vanguard appeared in 2010.
Claroscuro, released in 2012, marked the start of a deeper engagement with global traditions that encompassed African rhythms, New Orleans Creole forms, Brazilian samba, and further sources. Luminosa continued that direction in 2015, an eclectic set steeped in Brazilian choro. Two Brazilian-tinged collaborative albums arrived in 2017—Outra Coisa, a duo project with guitarist Marcello Gonçalves, and Rosa Dos Ventos with Trio Brasileiro—each receiving a Grammy nomination. Her tentet made its debut that year on Happy Song. The duo concert album Live in Healdsburg, pairing the clarinetist with pianist Fred Hersch, followed in 2018. Tripple Helix, the tentet’s second album, came out in 2019 and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Large Jazz Ensemble.
Quartetinho, issued in 2022, introduced the globally oriented group comprising bassist Tal Mashiach, pianist and accordionist Vitor Gonçalves, and vibraphonist and percussionist James Shipp. Its second album, Quartetinho: Bloom, reached listeners in 2024 and paired Cohen’s originals with pieces by Thelonious Monk and Paraguayan guitarist Agustín Barrios-Mangor.
Albums
Singles
