Emmet Cohen’s Jazz Party
By Allen Morrison
The first thing people notice about Emmet Cohen, the thing his legions of fans cite most frequently, is his smile: broad, uninhibited, genuine. He flashes it frequently when he plays.
“There are enough examples of the masters of this art form smiling,” he says, “from Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller to Dizzy Gillespie and ‘Smiling’ Billy Higgins, that anyone who wants to express joy should feel comfortable doing so. Herbie Hancock on stage with a keytar in his hand … there are endless examples.
“It’s about staying true to who you are as a person,” he reflects. “If you find others being upset with something you’re doing, that’s usually a vulnerability in their ability to be comfortable with who they are.”
By Michael Jackson
A month before the June release of Memories Of You, the ninth leader album by Willie Jones, III, and the 34th release on his WJ3 label since 2000, the 58-year-old drummer joined DownBeat for his second Blindfold Test.
