By Frank Alkyer | Published June 2026
Pianist Emmet Cohen has always been the quintessential old soul, dipping back into the history of classic jazz tunes, heaping hero worship on the generations of artists who came before him and cheerleading for the generation coming up behind him. On the hero-worship front, his Master Legacy Series of recordings has featured Jimmy Cobb, Benny Golson and Albert “Tootie” Heath, to name a few. And the guest list on his massively popular video-streaming show, Live From Emmet’s Place, includes Houston Person (who was also part of the Master Legacy Series), Ken Peplowski, Kurt Elling, Sheila Jordan, Anat Cohen, Dick Oatts and Terell Stafford, among others. The list is long and amazing. And what do they play? Standards, of course, in the most organic, original way possible, taking that music to a new generation in ways that reach around the globe. So, it’s no surprise that his latest recording is a celebration of the centennials of two of this music’s greatest artists — Miles and Coltrane — while also giving love to his favorite pianists. His trio with bassist Yasushi Nakamura and drummer Joe Farnsworth is joined by a host of terrific guests. Trumpeter Jeremy Pelt blows clear and clean on an uptempo take of Thelonious Monk’s “Well You Needn’t.” “My Funny Valentine” serves as a reunion for bassist Ron Carter and tenor saxophonist George Coleman, who played the song in Miles’ band some 60 years earlier. Coleman and rising tenor star Tivon Pennicott dig in with the trio on a sweet-grooving spin of Coltrane’s “Blue Trane.” In between, there are nods to Bud Powell with “Budo,” which appeared on The Birth Of The Cool; and Jimmy Heath, another artist celebrating a centennial this year, with “Gingerbread Boy.” But Cohen is also a fine composer who writes with a smile and a sigh. He’s deeply in the present with an affinity for the past. “Universal Truth,” his three-part suite, offers proof of that range, beginning with the bubbling group play of “Eternal Glimpse” into the noir balladry of “Compassion” and wowing with the power and soul of “Universal Truth.” This is a truly fine recording and the reason Mr. Cohen will be on the cover of the July issue of DownBeat. He’s also in the midst of a heavy touring schedule. Catch him live if you can!
