The Detroit Groove Society is excited to bring you what can only be considered a match made in jazz heaven; a sublime pairing of the fabulous clarinetist and saxophonist Anat Cohen and one of the greatest jazz guitarists in the world, Howard Alden. This will be Anat Cohen's second appearance with DGS. If you were fortunate to be here for her quartet concert last year, you know that was one of the most memorable performances we have ever heard here.
Israeli-born and New York-based Anat Cohen is without doubt one of the most exciting and talented clarinetists and saxophonists to arrive on the jazz scene in a generation. A regular headliner all over the world, Anat's July 2007 engagement at the Village Vanguard in New York was a historic one; Anat is the first female reed player, and the first Israeli to headline at the club. She has been a yearly headliner at the Vanguard since that time. Ms. Cohen's accomplishments have been recognized in a flurry of awards and distinctions from critics and fans alike; She topped the Rising Star-Clarinet category in DownBeat Magazine's critics poll in both 2007 and 2008, and placed prominently in a total of four categories including Rising Star Jazz Artist - where she ranked second and was the only female artist to make the list. Anat was also mentioned on DownBeat's readers poll in 2007 and 2008. The Jazz Journalists Association named Anat Cohen Clarinetist of the Year by in 2007, 2008 and 2009 the first time in the history of the awards that an artist has earned top clarinet honors three years running. In June, 2009 she was awarded the ASCAP Jazz Wall of Fame Prize for composition and musicianship.
Owen Cordle in JazzTimes writes of Howard Alden, "He may be the best of his generation . George Kanzler of the Newark Star Ledger proclaims that he is "the most impressive and creative member of a new generation of jazz guitarists." And Chip Deffaa of the New York Post observes that he is "...one of the very finest young guitarists working today . Born in Newport Beach, California, in 1958, Howard began playing at age ten, inspired by recordings of Armstrong, Basie and Goodman, as well as those by guitarists Barney Kessel, Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt and George Van Eps. Soon he was working professionally around Los Angeles playing in groups ranging from traditional to mainstream to modern jazz. Since moving to New York City in 1982, Alden has worked with such artists as Joe Williams, Benny Carter, Flip Phillips, Mel Powell, Bud Freeman, Kenny Davern, Clark Terry, Dizzy Gillespie and George Van Eps, as well as notable contemporaries such as Scott Hamilton and Ken Peplowski. Howard can be heard on the soundtrack to the 1999 Woody Allen movie "Sweet and Lowdown", starring Sean Penn, who was also nominated for an Academy Award for his role as a legendary jazz guitarist in the '30s. Howard not only played all the guitar solos, but also coached Mr. Penn on playing the guitar for his role in the film.
If you wish to attend this concert, please reserve your seat by responding no later than March 12, 2010. Admission is $40 per adult, and $15 for students, and is good for two sets of music. Contact us at: arothman@comcast.net, or Andrew Rothman, 6650 Torybrooke Circle, West Bloomfield, MI 48323, ph. (248) 703-6301. We know you will not want to miss this rare performance by two of the most exciting players in jazz, in an intimate setting!