Anat Cohen: The Clarinet Virtuoso of Global Jazz
Anat Cohen is an Israeli-born clarinetist and saxophonist celebrated for her mastery of jazz and world music. Hailing from Tel Aviv, she has achieved significant critical acclaim, with multiple albums topping the Billboard and JazzWeek charts.
Early career
Born in 1975, Anat Cohen grew up in a musical family in Tel Aviv. She studied at the prestigious Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts before serving in the Israeli Air Force band, which provided early professional performance experience.
Her formal jazz education continued at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Cohen's first notable group was the all-female big band Diva Jazz Orchestra, and she co-founded the acclaimed Brazilian jazz ensemble Choro Ensemble in 1997.
Breakthrough
Anat Cohen's solo career breakthrough arrived in the mid-2000s with her signing to the respected Anzic Records label. Her 2007 album Poetica, a clarinet-focused project, and 2008's Notes from the Village established her as a formidable bandleader and a fresh voice in modern jazz.
These releases earned her consecutive awards for Clarinetist of the Year from the Jazz Journalists Association, a streak that continued for over a decade, solidifying her reputation.
Key tracks
La Vie en Rose — This track from her 2008 album showcases her lyrical clarinet style and ability to reinvent classic melodies with a personal touch.
J Blues — An original composition highlighting her robust tenor saxophone work and deep swing feel, a staple of her live performances.
Anat's Doina — A piece that beautifully merges klezmer music traditions with jazz improvisation, reflecting her cultural roots.
Bebê — This Hermeto Pascoal cover demonstrates her deep affinity for Brazilian choro music and its complex rhythms.
Putty Boy Strut — From the 2012 album Claroscuro, this Flying Lotus cover illustrates her contemporary taste and genre-blurring approach.
Cohen has since released a prolific series of albums on Anzic, including the Grammy-nominated Happy Song in 2017 with her Tentet. She frequently collaborates with her brothers, trumpeter Avishai Cohen and saxophonist Yuval Cohen, and has worked with artists like Wynton Marsalis and the New York-based group Third World Love.
Her project Triple Helix with the Fred Hersch Trio further explores the clarinet-piano trio format. Anat Cohen's work consistently appears on year-end best-of lists in major jazz publications.
Listeners who enjoy Anat Cohen's blend of jazz may also appreciate Avishai Cohen, her brother who is a renowned trumpeter and composer. The global jazz explorations of Yusef Lateef share a similar spirit of cross-cultural musical conversation. For mastery of the clarinet in jazz settings, explore the work of Eddie Daniels. The choro and Brazilian influences in her music connect to the legacy of Pixinguinha.
RADIO ROTATION
The vibrant and accessible jazz of Anat Cohen earns regular airplay on a variety of stations, from dedicated modern jazz FM channels to eclectic online radio streams that feature world-influenced instrumental music. Her albums are staples on independent music radio stations that champion contemporary acoustic artistry.
You can hear the dynamic music of Anat Cohen on radio stations featured across our network. Discover her extensive catalog of global jazz by tuning into the stations available on onairium.com.
