Oct 28, 2025 10:47 AM
In Memoriam: Jack DeJohnette, 1942–2025
Jack DeJohnette, a bold and resourceful drummer and NEA Jazz Master who forged a unique vocabulary on the kit over his…
Avishai Cohen, right, with writer Ashley Kahn at the North Sea Jazz Fest.
(Photo: Hans Tak)Trumpeter Avishai Cohen’s first Blindfold Test took place in the midst of his summer European tour, on the “Central Park” talk stage at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, Netherlands. He later performed nearby on the festival’s Hudson stage with pianist Yonathan Avishai, bassist Barak Mori and drummer Ziv Ravitz.
The Jazztet
“I Remember Clifford” (Meet The Jazztet, Argo, 1960) Art Farmer, trumpet; Benny Golson, tenor saxophone; Curtis Fuller, trombone; McCoy Tyner, piano; Addison Farmer, bass; Lex Humphries, drums.
“I Remember Clifford.” Lee Morgan plays this tune, but this is from the Jazztet — Benny Golson with Curtis Fuller and Art Farmer. Art Farmer, he’s one of the most important trumpet players for me. I don’t necessarily know his whole repertoire, but when he’s on, he’s the most lyrical, the most surprising. There’s a specific album of Art Farmer with the Gerry Mulligan Quartet called News From Blueport [also known as What Is There To Say?]. I listened maybe a thousand times to it when I was a kid. He’s so clever and his lines are so slick.
Artemis
“Sights Unseen” (Arboresque, Blue Note, 2024) Ingrid Jensen, trumpet; Nicole Glover, tenor saxophone; Renee Rosnes, piano; Noriko Ueda, bass; Allison Miller, drums.
I do not know this, but it’s a modern piece from the last few years, for sure. I like the composition a lot and the ensemble sound. Something about the trumpet has a little bit of Miles in it, a little bit of Wynton … Ingrid Jensen, that’s my hunch. She’s so lyrical and special and also funky. She has this edge to her.
Joe Henderson
“UMMG” (Lush Life: The Music Of Billy Strayhorn, Verve, 1991) Henderson, tenor saxophone; Wynton Marsalis, trumpet; Stephen Scott, piano; Christian McBride, bass; Greg Hutchinson, drums.
I know this recording, and I love Wynton. This is a great album, Lush Life by Joe Henderson with a young Gregory Hutchinson on drums. I used to listen to this album a lot, and Wynton is a rare bird. He’s an amazing inspiration as a trumpet player. Beside his technical ability, there’s his spirit and dedication to the music.
Don Cherry
“Degi-Degi” (Brown Rice, Horizon, 1975) Cherry, trumpet, voice; Ricky Cherry, electric piano; Charlie Haden, bass; Billy Higgins, drums.
[immediately] Brown Rice. With Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins. I listened to this this morning when I woke up, and here it is again. Thank you for choosing this. There’s only a few players that play with this kind of freedom: You’ve got Ornette and Wayne Shorter and you’ve got Don. It’s a freedom of thought, to live without fear and to question reality and to play your absolute truth.
Ibrahim Maalouf
”Movement I” (Khathoum (Alf Leila Wa Leila), Mi’ster Productions, 2015) Maalouf, trumpet; Frank Woeste, piano; Larry Grenadier, bass; Clarence Penn, drums.
It sounds to me like Ibrahim Maalouf — it’s hard to mistake his tone. Also the Middle Eastern flavor of this song and the quarter-tone sounds. He’s got such a beautiful tone on the trumpet. He’s my friend, and I love him very much. When I hear him I always think what music can do, and how music can be a bridge. It’s a symbol of how fucked up the reality that we live in is right now. Where his family comes from, right across the border from where I live [Lebanon/Israel], it’s so close and yet so far. Instead of us focusing on art and music and life, we have the war, death all around the region. I’m wishing for us in Israel, for the people in Gaza, in Lebanon, in Syria, to have leaders that can lead us into peace to bring an end to this bloodshed and destruction. What Ibrahim is doing through his music is what I’m trying to do, what Don Cherry was doing — to bring out a certain truth and to try to heal.
Kenny Dorham Quintet
“Ol’ Man River” (Jerome Kern Showboat, Time Records, 1961) Dorham, trumpet; Jimmy Heath, tenor saxophone; Kenny Drew, piano; Jimmy Garrison, bass; Arthur Taylor, drums.
This is the great Kenny Dorham playing “Ol’ Man River,” from the album Showboat with Jimmy Heath on tenor. KD’s one of my main influences. His swing feel, his articulation, his crazy melodic sense, we didn’t even get to the solo but his harmonic turnarounds and his triplets! I loved reading stories about how Miles and KD had some rivalry going. I don’t know if it’s only in my mind, but I remember reading a quote by Miles where he said beware of people who could play triplets. I always think he was referring to KD.
Brandon Woody
“Wisdom: Terrace On St. Paul St.” (For The Love Of It All, Blue Note, 2025) Woody, trumpet; Tony Long, piano, organ; Michael Saunders, bass; Quincy Phillips, drums.
When it started, I thought Ambrose [Akinmusire], but I don’t think it’s him. It’s someone probably younger. But I like it. I had to wait until the solo to hear the swing feel and the articulation. That’s what can give away a trumpet player: sound articulation, movement, swing. It’s a great player. I like the patience in the melody, the long notes.
Tom Harrell
“Tom’s Soul” (The Cube, Abeat Records, 1995) Harrell, flugelhorn; Dado Maroni, piano; Andrea Dulbecco, vibraphone; Riccardo Fioravanti, bass; Stefano Bagnoli, drums.
First of all, it is someone between the old masters and today’s generation, and there’s not many people that can play like that. Also, the sound of the bass, it’s not a recording from the ’60s, but between ’90 and 2000. It must be somewhere around there. We had Roy [Hargrove], but this is not Roy. The only other option — it must be Tom Harrell. He is a genius and has the ability to play the simplest stuff with no fear and have it sound like the most perfect melody, as if he knows exactly what notes must be played and what notes should not be played. The few times I got to stand next to him or go to the Vanguard and hear him, he just picks up the trumpet and it sounds like, “Wow, it’s so easy to do. Why am I working so hard when I can just play beautiful lines like he does?” When I grow up I want to sound like Tom Harrell. DB
The “Blindfold Test” is a listening test that challenges the featured artist to discuss and identify the music and musicians who performed on selected recordings. The artist is then asked to rate each tune using a 5-star system. No information is given to the artist prior to the test.
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