Emmet Cohen - Masters Legacy Series Volume One: Jimmy Cobb (2016/2020) [Hi-Res]

Young pianist Emmet Cohen has a reverence for the history of jazz and a deep abiding yearning to preserve the music of the masters and to this end, Cohen developed the concept of a Masters Legacy Series intended to be a collection of recordings and interviews with various living jazz icons who began their careers fifty or sixty-years-ago. Volume one celebrates and documents the music of Jimmy Cobb, arguably one of the finest drum masters of our time, and is the center piece in the inaugural installment of the project.

Recorded live at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music in New York City, the standard piano trio features bassist Yasushi Nakamura and guest appearance from alto saxophonist Godwin Louis on two tracks. The pianist draws out Cobb convincing him to touch on his past works with Miles Davis with whom he began playing back in 1957 and "When I fall In Love" was one of those beautiful standards reprised here. Also, re-imagined in this live set are "If This Isn't Love," previously performed with Cannonball Adderley, and "On the Trail" and "Hard Times" where he backed up the great Joe Henderson and David "Fathead" Newman respectively.

Not only does this first-in-the series recording, bring out the finesse play of an established legend, it illuminates the compositional talents and gifted play of a master-in-the-making as evidenced in the performance and dynamic music of such originals like "Folk Song," "Mr. Robinson," and "Concerto for Cobb."

An excellent musical portrait of a living legend, Masters Legacy Series, Volume 1 is a thoroughly enchanting musical statement from pianist Emmet Cohen, Jimmy Cobb and the rest of the crew leaving one with much anticipation and expectation for Volume 2, well done! By EDWARD BLANCO

Emmet Cohen: piano
immy Cobb: drums
Yasushi Nakamura: bass
Godwin Louis: alto saxophone (5, 10)