Steven Wine
This cover image released by Mack Avenue Records shows "Future Stride" by Emmet Cohen. (Mack Avenue Records via AP)
January 26, 2021 - 9:13 AM
Emmet Cohen, "Future Strideâ (Mack Avenue Records)
Stride provides a starting point on jazz pianist Emmet Cohen's new album. The opening cut, âSymphonic Raps,â is a New Orleans ragtime tune recorded by Louis Armstrong nearly a century ago, and Cohen plays it as though his piano is rolling downhill, accelerating until he leaves the rhythm section behind.
That momentum sends Cohen on an exploration of other jazz stylings, with stride as an antecedent and recurring reference point. Common threads on âFuture Strideâ include swinging, often unpredictable rhythms, inventive interplay and wit.