Since arriving on the New York City scene in 1999, via Tel Aviv and the Berklee College of Music, Anat Cohen has exhibited qualities in music where one wonders where she is going to be next—musically—and what group of musicians she will be associated with. She plays Brazilian music like she was born there. She swings her ass off with George Wein’s all-star band. If you can’t feel her when she blows some blues, a physical examination may be in order. Cohen’s choices spring from her wide-ranging tastes, her unabashed passion for all kinds of music—and the courage of her convictions to pursue them.
She plays in every genre with unbridled joy. Anyone who has seen this wonderfully talented reed player on stage can’t help but be touched by her elan.