Track List:
1 Ascension 5:23
2 Lyla 4:58
3 How Long 4:34
4 The Watcher 3:22
5 The Evolving Etude 3:49
6 Structure in Emotion 4:19
7 Handsonit 6:40
8 Come Together 4:02
9 How Long (Reflected) 3:26
10 Eternal Child 4:16
11 Simple Melody 3:12

QUOTE :

After recording four critically acclaimed albums for Stretch/Concord Records, jazz bassist/pianist/composer/arranger Avishai Cohen has embarked on two new endeavors: forming his own label, Razdaz Recordz, and marking its debut with his newest disc, Lyla, an extraordinary 11-song collection that encompasses a range of styles and showcases Cohen’s multifaceted musical prowess. The CD features Cohen’s International Vamp Band on straightahead and rhythmically charged tracks, drummer and electronics specialist Mark Guiliana on more pop/rock-oriented numbers, vocalists Lola and Jeff Taylor on a couple of tunes, and jazz great Chick Corea in a stirring piano-bass duet of his lyrical gem, "Eternal Child." On Lyla, Cohen cultivates imaginative compositions and arrangements, creates distinctive sonic textures and colors, delivers alluring melodies as well as clipping dance grooves and adventurously covers pop tunes such as Dr. Dre’s "The Watcher" and the Beatles’ "Come Together." Cohen plays acoustic and electric basses, piano, Wurlitzer, Fender Rhodes and even sings the end song, the lullaby-like "Simple Melody." "I’ve always been interested in several genres of music, including jazz, rock, pop, Latin and funk," says Cohen. "And I’m always packed with ideas. I decided to start my own label because I’m involved in so many different projects." (Razdaz will be distributed by Rykodisc throughout the US.) Dr. Dre’s "The Watcher" is given an electronica-textured, slow atmospheric treatment by Cohen on the warm-sounding Wurlitzer and drummer Guiliana, who suggested the pair record it after they were messing with the tune during a Gadu sound check. "The Evolving Etude" is a new rendition of the Vamp Band’s crowd-pleasing number "Etude" that is spun into a faster tempo and is a showcase of Cohen’s electric bass brilliance. And Cohen delivers a beautiful melody, "Structure in Emotion," on solo piano. "I’m really proud of this," he says. "This is my first longer piece for piano and I like how it is harmonically full. The way the tune is structured elicits a swell of emotion." The drum ‘n’ bass-grooved "Handsonit" is a "melting pot of many sounds" says Cohen, who employs the Vamp Band, trumpeter Alex Norris and Guiliana to give the tune a fun dance-club vibe infused with electronica samples, while Cohen and Guiliana go it alone on their distinctive interpretation of the Lennon-McCartney number "Come Together." Cohen say he shies away from doing covers, but he couldn’t resist recording this gritty, bowed-bass treatment of the Beatles song. "I’m afraid of destroying good songs by covering them," he says. "I have so much respect for artists. But I had to do this. I played it with open E and gave it a heavier and slower feel that was more like a Led Zeppelin vibe." As for Corea’s "Eternal Child," Cohen says it’s one of his favorite songs. "It’s from Chick’s Elektric Band album Light Years," he explains. "I used to listen to it when I was a teenager. He told me he dreamed the whole first part of the song. I thought the tune would go well with the atmosphere I set up for this album." The CD finale, "Simple Melody," features Cohen playing electric bass guitar harmonics (with a nod to Jaco Pastorius) and singing. "The song started with a bass line, but then I came up with a counter melody that needed words. I had the hook, but needed help from Lola. It comes off sounding like a children’s song. And I like how it works to end the album on an open, positive note." As for why Cohen titled the CD after the composition "Lyla," he says, "I’m honoring it. I love the song. I wrote it five years ago during the night and it came to me as a gift. Lyla means ‘night’ in Hebrew and it’s also a beautiful Arabic name for a woman. The name has a nice ring to it. And it fits the album as a whole, especially with the more intimate tunes that reveal more of the softer, feminine side of who I am as an artist." Produced by Cohen and co-produced by Guiliana, Lyla finds Avishai taking another giant step forward in his musical maturation.