Born in the Kabri kibbutz in Israel on April 20, 1970, Avishai Cohen grew up near Jerusalem and learned to play the piano before switching to the electric bass at age 14, and then to the jazz double bass under the tutelage of Michael Klinghoffer. A student at the Jerusalem Academy of Music, he then moved to New York to study and met pianist Danilo Pérez, who invited him to join his trio. In 1997, Avishai Cohen was invited to join pianist Chick Corea’s two new groups: Chick Corea’s New Trio and the Origin ensemble, with which the double bassist collaborated for six years. He also participated in the recording of two classical works, *Spain: Concerto for Sextet & Orchestra and Piano Concerto No. 1 (1999). In addition to recording sessions with Nnenna Freelon, Orrin Evans, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and Seamus Blake, Avishai Cohen released his first albums under his own name, Adama (1998), Devotion (1999), and Colors (2000), as well as two others with The International Vamp Band, for the Stretch Records label. His compositions sometimes take on Eastern or Latin influences across his subsequent albums for Sunnyside: Lyla (2003), Continuo (2006), and At Home (2005), credited to the Avishai Cohen Trio & Ensemble. The trio he formed with Shai Maestro and Mark Guiliana on Gently Disturbed and Night of Magic (2008) continued with Nitai Hershkovits and Daniel Dor on From Darkness (2015). Having since signed with Blue Note Records, he released the albums Aurora (2009), Seven Seas (2010), and Duende (2012) in a duo with Nitai Hershkovits, then embarked on various projects with new musicians: Almah (2013) was recorded with an Eastern string ensemble. In 2017, Avishai Cohen ventured into film music with Le Sens de la Fête, the comedy by Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache starring Jean-Pierre Bacri. That same year, he released 1970 (2017), a pop-rock-dominated album, followed in 2019 by *Arvole*. In 2021, he recorded Two Roses with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Alexander Hanson. The following year, he released Shifting Sands (2022), a trio album with Elchin Shirinov (piano) and Roni Kaspi (drums). Shirinov then collaborated with Guy Moskovich on Brightlight (2024), which followed Avishai Cohen’s collaboration with percussionist Abraham Rodriguez, Jr. on the Afro-Cuban album Iroko (2023). In 2026, the double bassist teamed up with pianist Itai Simhovich and drummer Eviatar Slivnik for Eternal Child, which also featured drummer Jeff Ballard.
