Al Cohn

Biography

It begins the training of the music at six years with the piano. At twelve years, he discovers the jazz thanks to the radio and with the disc, particularly the full orchestras swing of Benny Goodman and Count Basie. After the Clarinet, he plays of the tenor in the orchestra of his school. He begins professionally in the middle of the Forties in the orchestras from Joe Marsala, Georgia Auld before joining the orchestra of Woody Hermann in 1947. He thus integrates the famous section of the Four Brothers substitute Herbie Steward. In this orchestra, it is however a little in the shade of the two stars Stan Getz and Zoot Sims. After a passage at Artie Shaw (1949-1950), it becomes in the Fifties a musician Free launches . In 1956, it creates a quintet with Zoot Sims. They occur together in Half Note of New York of 1959 to 1971! It becomes an arranger much in demand by Big Bands (Gerry Mulligan, Quincy Jones), the cinema or television.

Style

Smoothness and intelligence are principal qualities of the Al Cohn play. Strongly influenced by Ballasting Young, it is one of the large musicians of the Cool Jazz. Especially at ease in the ballades and the tempos medium, its play is accompanied by a certain a little cold distance reinforced by a détimbrée and rather smooth sonority. Following the example Stan Getz, its sonority will become, with the passing of years, more stamped and more expressive.

Partial discography

1950 : Progressive The Al Cohn
1954: Broadway (with Hall Stein, sax viola & Red Mitchell, low)
1955: The Brothers! (with Bill Perkins & Richie Kamuca, sax tenor)
1955: The Natural Seven
1956 : Jazz from has to Z (with Zoot Sims, sax tenor)
1957: Al and Zoot (with Zoot Sims, sax tenor)
1973: Drunk Body and, 32 Jazz
1976: America, Xanadu
1981: Feat of ingenuity, Concord Jazz (with Scott Hamilton & Buddy Touches, sax tenor)

Sources

Dictionary of the Jazz, Robert Laffont, 1993
allmusic/Al Cohn discography

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