Avishai Cohen Releases “Two Roses”
Avishai Cohen has expanded his palette for his new album, Two Roses, which features the bassist and composer’s trio alongside the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. The fourteen-song collection features songs near and dear to Cohen; mostly his original compositions with several others that are part of his repertoire.
“I’ve basically devoted myself to the same songs my whole life,” he admits, “which hasn’t prevented me from writing and learning new ones… But these songs are part of my life, I have played them over and over again, in different versions. They are with me all the time. I tweak them a bit, or change their interpretation, but I never get tired of them, simply because I love them.”
Spinning the songs into fully realized orchestral arrangements was a challenge, especially in the recording stage. Cohen performs acoustic and electric bass for the effort as well as vocals and minimoog synthesizer. Finding the balance between his trio and the orchestra took some time.
“An orchestra has its own rhythm,” Cohen states. “Of course, 80 people won’t play a beat like two or three people would. There’s a kind of inertia, which you have to get used to, and you have to understand how they breathe. It’s like a horse, at once beautiful, powerful and delicate. When you listen to this record, it feels like embracing a journey, entering my world, in a deeper and denser way. For me, influences are something natural, they intertwine and become a cultural experience in itself.”
Two Roses is available now on CD, vinyl and as a digital download (iTunes and Amazon MP3).
Two Roses Track List:
- Almah Sleeping
- When I’m Falling
- Song For My Brother
- Two Roses (Shnei Shoshanim)
- Nature Boy
- Emotional Storm
- Puncha Puncha
- Arab Medley
- A Child is Born
- Alon Basela
- Morenika
- Nature Talking
