J. Eric Smith on Adrian Cohen
(J. Eric Smith, host of Time Warner's live music show 'Sounding Board'
interviewed by Cathy Fitzgerald)

Adrian Cohen is one of the most talented, versatile and professional
musicians with whom I've ever had the pleasure to be associated in
nearly 20 years of working in and around the music industry. I first
became aware of Adrian's work through my connections with the Weasels, one of the most intense and musically sophistically bands in the Capital Region . . . if not America. Adrian and his brother Jon have worked with the Weasels live and in the studio on and off since 1993 or so. Head Weasel Ray Graf (who produces Sounding Board, the show that I host) spoke extraordinarily highly of Adrian's work to me from our earliest collaborations together, even before I began to hear Adrian's name regularly around the Albany music community for his work with his jazz combo and on such highly acclaimed performances as Capital Rep's "Always Patsy Cline." I was most intrigued as I began hearing more about a jazz pianist whose audience included many of the city's young music afficianados, many of whom had never been exposed to or interested in
jazz until having their taste recalibrated by Adrian's performances.

Of the nearly 100 Sounding Board shows that we've taped over the past five years, I easily rank the performance of the Adrian Cohen Quartet as one of the best. Adrian's compositions and the performances that his led his band through were truly extraordinary, a definite highlight in the region's music television broadcasts. Adrian exhibits a remarkable ability to capture the spirit and essence of some of the greatest jazz pianists that have lived, without ever becoming derivative, taking his music in challenging new directions that push the envelope of both composition and improvisation, but never veering into the excesses that undo many contemporary jazz performers. He's a brilliant melodist, but one who crafts musical structures with enough air in them to let him, and the performers with whom he works, soar in exhilirating flights of spontaneous creativity.

Adrian is also one of the most important members of the Albany music community for what he gives back to his home city. His work as booking agent at the Larkin and other clubs has introduced hundreds of up-and-coming new artists to listeners, creating such a strong buzz that people go to the club simply to be there, regardless of who's playing there, knowing that if Adrian booked them, then they're going to be worth hearing. His willingness to nurture young artists by providing them a first-class performing space without the seedier hassles that often define club-based music has helped to bring an entire new generation of performers to the point where their music can reach the ears of discerning listeners who value innovation and exploration in their musical endeavors and education.
And that education element is important, too. There are precious few
players in the dog-eat-dog world of regional music who are willing to go out of their way to show young performers how music should be done, not just from a performance standpoint, but from a business and marketing standpoint as well. Adrian is a professional, and he expects those with whom he works to be professionals, but he's willing to take the time to help them become so, rather than playing "sink or swim" games with nascent artists who could be shattered by a single bad concert experience.

He's also a teacher in the more traditional sense, having taught piano basics to (among many others) my wife and sons of two of my close friends. I trust his skills so completely that earlier this year I commissioned him to compose a new school song for the Doane Stuart School in Albany. I expect his work will still be sung by children at the school a century from now, and I am proud to have given the students at the school the opportunity of sharing in his creative vision.

In summary, I hold Adrian Cohen in the highest esteem possible for his creative work, for his work as an advocate for new music in Albany and beyond, for his skill as a teacher, and for setting an example of how musicians should function within their home communities, making a difference in so many ways, some easily quantifiable, some intangible, some that won't be felt for many years to come. Albany's music community, and the broader community around it are better places for Adrian Cohen's contributions.
Copyright 2002: J. Eric Smith.

HOME PRESSKIT