Anat Cohen is arguably the most celebrated clarinetist of the past two decades. Declared Clarinetist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association every year since 2007, she has also been named the top clarinetist in both the readers and critics polls in DownBeat for multiple years running. That’s not to mention years of being named Rising Star in the soprano and tenor saxophone categories in DownBeat, as well as Jazz Artist of the Year. In 2009, ASCAP awarded Anat a Wall of Fame prize for composition and musicianship, among other honors. As The Chicago Tribune has said of her, “The lyric beauty of her tone, easy fluidity of her technique and extroverted manner of her delivery make this music accessible to all.”
Anat’s stellar jazz credentials have also uniquely positioned her to serve as one of choro’s most influential ambassadors beyond Brazil’s borders. Throughout her career, she has championed choro in the most effective of all ways: through her evident love for, and mastery of the genre. Choro is woven so deeply into her repertoire that it’s hard to say where the thread begins and ends. But just to name a few albums clearly devoted to choro and choro-influenced music: Choro Ensemble (2005), Nosso Tempo (2008), Alegria Da Casa, with Trio Brasileiro (2016), Outra Coisa: The Music of Moacir Santos, with Marcello Gonçalves (2017) and Rosa Dos Ventos, with Trio Brasileiro (2017). The last two recordings on that list went on to receive Grammy Award nominations in Best World Music and Best Latin Jazz albums.
Anat has enjoyed longstanding friendships and musical collaborations with several members of our 2023 teaching staff, including Daniela Spielmann and Vitor Gonçalves—with whom she has been playing for decades—as well as Cesar Garabini, who plays with Anat in the quartet, Choro Adventuroso. She has taught jazz and the music of Brazil to students across North America, including residencies at Stanford, Oberlin, Michigan State University, University of California-San Diego, the Centrum Choro Workshop and California Brazil Camp.
About her experiences onstage, in the classroom or just engaging with her listeners, Anat has said: “Any day when I get to share music with people—other musicians, an audience—feels like a celebration to me.”
There’s your invitation, friends. Come celebrate with Anat Cohen at Choro Camp New England.
