Emmet Cohen

Emmet Harley Cohen (born May 25, 1990) is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader and educator.

Early life and education Emmet Cohen was born in Miami, Florida, United States. He was raised in Montclair, New Jersey, and attended Montclair High School. While in high school, he was a part of The Gibson/Baldwin Grammy Jazz Ensemble, where he met future collaborators Bryan Carter, Benny Benack III, Grace Kelly, and Chad Lefkowitz-Brown. Cohen received a Bachelor of Music from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami in 2012 and a Master of Music from the Manhattan School of Music in 2014.

According to Cohen, listening to and learning from other jazz artists has been a hallmark of his development from a young age. He frequented jazz clubs on his own and with his father, often talking with the artists or sitting in on sessions. Cohen learned to play the Hammond B-3 organ at Cecil's Jazz Club in West Orange, run by Cecil Brooks III, where he regularly played the B-3 during sessions led by saxophonist Bruce Williams. He has performed with Christian McBride, Herlin Riley, Brian Lynch, Ron Carter, Jimmy Cobb, Albert "Tootie" Heath, Joe Lovano, Eddie Henderson, and George Coleman, among others. As a bandleader, Cohen tours with his band, the Emmet Cohen Trio, with various collaborators, including Russell Hall, Kyle Poole, Phillip Norris, and Joe Farnsworth.

In 2010, while a student at the Frost School of Music, Cohen recorded and self-released his debut album, In the Element. In 2011, during his senior year, he won the Kathleen T. and Philip B. Phillips, M.D., Jazz Piano Competition, a nationally recognized jazz performance competition for undergraduate and graduate students at colleges and universities throughout the United States sponsored by the University of West Florida. earning him the Cole Porter Fellowship, which included a $50,000 grant, a recording contract with Mack Avenue Records, and a two-year residency at the University of Indianapolis. One critic wrote, "Cohen consistently has a way of playing old-school music in new inventive ways. He's at the vibrant intersection of the old and new all at once. Unequivocally, his trio is one of the best out there in a crowded field of piano trios. Jones and Bartley fit right in with this energetic group."

In 2024, Mack Avenue released Cohen's third album, Vibe Provider, which is dedicated to his deceased friend Funmi Ononaiye. It features Phillip Norris on bass, either Kyle Poole or Joe Farnsworth on drums, Bruce Harris on trumpet, Tivon Pennicott on tenor saxophone, Frank Lacy on trombone, and Cecily Petrarca on koshkah.

Live from Emmet's Place Live from Emmet's Place was a weekly video-streaming broadcast and concert Cohen produced on which he and his trio performed with various guests in his fifth-floor walk-up apartment in Harlem. Guests on Live From Emmet’s Place represented a multi-generational cross-section of jazz, from masters such as Houston Person, Joe Lovano, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, Eddie Henderson, Steve Davis, Sheila Jordan, and Victor Lewis to newcomers such as tenor saxophonist Nicole Glover and vocalist Samara Joy.

In December 2021, Cohen initiated Emmet’s Place Education, a series of free online master classes with various jazz artists. the album reached No. 1 for four consecutive weeks and fifth overall on the JazzWeek Jazz Charts after its release.

Recognition 2009: Young Arts award (jazz) from the National YoungArts Foundation 2022: DownBeat 87th Annual Readers Poll – #3 Pianist 2023: Honored by the Jazz Journalists Association with two awards: Pianist of the Year and Live-Stream Producer of the Year 2023: DownBeat 88th Annual Readers Poll – #4 Group (Emmet Cohen Trio) and #4 Piano 2024: DownBeat 72nd Annual Critics Poll – #10 Pianist, #3 Rising Star Jazz Artist, #1 Rising Star Jazz Group (Emmet Cohen Trio)

Discography As leader In the Element (self-released, 2011) – with Greg Gisbert, Joe Sanders, and Infinity (Skidoo Records, 2013) – with Giuseppe Venezia and Elio Coppola Questioned Answer (Hollistic MusicWorks, 2014) – with Brian Lynch, Boris Kozlov, and Billy Hart Masters Legacy Series Volume 1: Jimmy Cobb (Cellar Live, 2017) – with Godwin Louis, Yasushi Nakamura, and Jimmy Cobb Masters Legacy Series Volume 2: Ron Carter (Cellar Live, 2018) – with Ron Carter and Evan Sherman Emmet Cohen Trio Dirty in Detroit (self-released, 2018) – with Russell Hall and Kyle Poole Masters Legacy Series Volume 3: Benny Golson & Albert "Tootie" Heath (self-released, 2019) – with Benny Golson, Russell Hall, Corcoran Holt, and Albert "Tootie" Heath Masters Legacy Series Volume 4: George Coleman (self-released, 2019) – with George Coleman, Russell Hall, and Bryan Carter Future Stride (Mack Avenue, 2021) – with Russell Hall and Kyle Poole Uptown in Orbit (Mack Avenue, 2022) – with Patrick Bartley, Sean Jones, Russell Hall, and Kyle Poole Masters Legacy Series Volume 5: Houston Person (Bandstand, 2023) – with Houston Person, Yasushi Nakamura, and Kyle Poole Vibe Provider (Mack Avenue, 2024) – with Tivon Pennicott, Bruce Harris, Frank Lacy, Philip Norris, Kyle Poole, and Joe Farnsworth Universal Truth (Mack Avenue, 2026) – with Jeremy Pelt, George Coleman, Tivon Pennicott, Yasushi Nakamura, Ron Carter, and Joe Farnsworth

As sideman With Herlin Riley New Direction (Mack Avenue, 2016) Perpetual Optimism (Mack Avenue, 2019) With Benny Benack III One of Kind (BB3 productions, 2017) Third Time's The Charm (La Reserve, 2023) With Veronica Swift Confessions (Mack Avenue, 2019) This Bitter Earth (Mack Avenue, 2021) With others Troy Roberts, Days Like These (Toy Robot Music, 2019) Ashley Pezzotti, We've Only Just Begun (self-released, 2019) Jean John, A Love Lane Nocturne (Zan Tetickovic, 2019) Anaïs Reno, Lovesome Thing (Harbinger, 2021) The Four Freshmen, The Four Freshmen: Featuring Emmet Cohen, Russell Hall, And Kyle Poole (CD Baby, 2022) Alex Weitz, Rule of Thirds (Outside in Music, 2023)

Critical reception Cohen's recordings and live performances have received numerous reviews and accolades in the press and on jazz community blogs. Often noted are his innovative interpretations of jazz standards, skill as a composer, energetic style, and precise technical skills. Giovanni Russonello of The New York Times mentioned his "breezy, phlegmatic command at the keyboard, and a deep well of historical jazz references at his fingertips".