Anat Cohen

Anat Cohen is an Israeli-born clarinetist and saxophonist known for her work in contemporary jazz, world music, and chamber ensembles. She has performed internationally at venues and festivals such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Montreux Jazz Festival, and has recorded for labels including Anzic Records and Honest Jon's Records. Cohen leads multiple ensembles, collaborates with artists across genres, and has received awards including the DownBeat Critics Poll honors and the NEA Jazz Masters-adjacent recognitions.

Early life and education

Born in Tel Aviv into a musical family with roots in Israel and Eastern Europe, Cohen studied clarinet and saxophone in youth programs associated with institutions in Tel Aviv University music schools and conservatories. She attended advanced studies and masterclasses that involved faculty from Juilliard School and visiting artists from Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory. Early influences included recordings from the Klezmer revival scene and performances linked to venues such as Heichal HaTarbut and festivals like the Red Sea Jazz Festival.

Career

Cohen's professional career began with performances in Israeli clubs and tours to European festivals including North Sea Jazz Festival and Vienna Jazz Festival. After relocating to the United States, she established a presence in jazz circuits centered on New York City and collaborated with musicians associated with labels such as ECM Records, Blue Note Records, and Verve Records. She has led projects that toured the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Brazil, and Argentina, appearing on stages like Royal Albert Hall and festivals like Umbria Jazz Festival. Her discography spans releases that received coverage in publications such as The New York Times, DownBeat, and The Guardian.

Musical style and influences

Cohen's musical style synthesizes elements from Klezmer music, Brazilian music, bossa nova, samba, and modern bebop and post-bop idioms, drawing on repertoire associated with artists like Johnny Hodges, Benny Goodman, and John Coltrane. She cites inspirations from clarinetists and saxophonists of the twentieth century including Sidney Bechet, Artie Shaw, Buddy DeFranco, and Lee Konitz, and from Brazilian composers such as Antonio Carlos Jobim, João Gilberto, and Caetano Veloso. Her ensemble arrangements show connections to chamber jazz projects linked to Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center artists and to cross-cultural collaborations reminiscent of projects by Paul Simon and Sting.

Collaborations and ensembles

Cohen is the leader of the Anat Cohen Tentet and co-leads the trio 3 Cohens with musicians tied to the New York jazz scene; she also leads small groups that include sidemen from ensembles associated with Wynton Marsalis and Herbie Hancock. She has collaborated with performers such as Jason Moran, Randy Weston, Marc Ribot, Avishai Cohen (trumpeter), Avishai Cohen (bassist), Chick Corea-affiliated artists, and vocalists like Luciana Souza and Lizz Wright. Her work has intersected with composers and arrangers from Brazil and Argentina, including projects with members of the Samba and Bossa Nova traditions and partnerships with orchestras such as the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in crossover settings. Cohen has also performed with ensembles linked to Jazz at Lincoln Center and appeared on recordings produced by figures from Nonesuch Records and Impulse! Records.

Awards and recognition

Cohen's honors include multiple placements in the annual DownBeat Critics and Readers Polls and accolades from industry bodies such as the Chamber Music America grants and awards from cultural institutions in Israel and the United States. She has been featured in year-end lists compiled by outlets like NPR, BBC Radio, and Rolling Stone and has received fellowships and commissions from organizations related to jazz and world music programming at venues including Carnegie Hall and festival residencies at Newport Jazz Festival affiliates. Her recordings have been nominated for awards presented by panels associated with Grammy Awards-category juries and covered by critics writing for The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times.

Category:Israeli jazz musicians Category:Women clarinetists