‘Gravitations’ marks the latest release from bassist and composer Haggai Cohen-Milo whose bold new release finds its home through XJAZZ! Music.
Cited for his efforts as a multi-disciplinary artist, Cohen-Milo has long held the imaginative perspective on his art that affords him the luxury of looking through genres, styles and any perceived musical barriers and restrictions.
Israeli-born and now Berlin-based, Cohen-Milo’s adventures have taken him across the world earning him a litany of awards, achievements and distinctions along the way – a graduate of the New England Conservatory in Boston, Cohen-Milo’s voracious work ethic has seen him awarded the revered German ECHO award, perform in esteemed venues around the world, participate in projects ranging from theatre to dance as well as contribute to an extensive array of musical projects including work alongside Evgeny Lebedev World Trio, Omer Klein Trio, Rotem Sivan Trio and Ximena Sariñana, naming just a few.
An incredibly endearing quote from Cohen-Milo’s website humbly surmises his persistent raison d’être as being found within the joy of simply “playing music with friends”. It must serve as its own form of joyous fix that finds Cohen-Milo continually chasing that heart-warming sensation amidst various collectives and ensembles and subsequently sharing those experiences with appreciative audiences through each performance.
Cohen-Milo’s latest passion project is found through the captivating full-length that is ‘Gravitations’. Music exploring the thin line between jazz and neo-classical compositions has been expertly crafted by artists like Majamisty Trio, Maya Belsitzman & Uriel Herman and Ted Olsen, but Cohen-Milo takes the experiment a step further by using jazz as the basis of reimagining classical pieces. Artists like Claude Debussy, Giuseppe Verdi and Gustav Mahler have their celebrated pieces lovingly recreated in inspiring new ways from Cohen-Milo alongside a selection of world class performers.
Saxophonists Emma Rawicz and Maria Kim Grand join trumpeters Philip Dizack and Justin Stanton, guitarist Tamuz Dekel and multi-instrumentalists James Shipp, Amir Bresler and Ziv Ravitz for a series of live reinterpretations that steer these celebrated classical music compositions into the realms of impassioned free and spiritual jazz.
Rapper Stimulus lends his vocals to ‘Lacrimosa Part Two’, ‘Like We’ and ‘3+3’ further injecting a refreshing slice of hip-hop into the proceedings for even more enthralling results.
Through ‘Gravitations’, we’re treated to an album that doesn’t just reinterpret classical music — it repackages it in a way that invites devoted jazz fans to perhaps appreciate a style of music that they may have often felt too removed from. Cohen-Milo not only bridges musical eras and genres but also reminds us of the universal power of collaboration, curiosity and the unbridled joy of simply “playing music with friends”.
