In the cover photo, they look cool at some café table. Leader Avishai Cohen even wears a leather jacket and stares casually into the camera. However, the trio has no drinks in front of them. That is understandable, because during a performance in the Netherlands at the end of 2007 bassist and band leader Cohen even forbade the bar to be open during the concert. That would only distract from the
… music. On Gently Disturbed, recorded in Sweden during the same European tour, it is all very serious. And that while the previous CD As Is (Live At The Blue Note) was still full of energy and joy to play. The difference between that live CD and Gently Disturbed lies in, among other things, pianist Shai Maestro replacing Sam Barsh and the lack of guest wind instruments. Unfortunately, because those were precisely the elements that managed to disturb everything in a nice way. What remains is a neat album full of decent piano jazz with many classical influences and irregular time signatures. (HB)more