Jazz Pianist Emmet Cohen: Back in Montclair in August

Jazz aficionados, take note: Emmet Cohen is back in town.

Cohen is well-known to Montclair residents as a former piano prodigy who performed in the NY/NJ metro area as a teenager. Now 21 years old, Cohen is returning to New Jersey for some summer gigs:  Shanghai Jazz Aug, 6 in Madison, NJ; Cecil's Jazz Club in West Orange Aug. 13, and LightSoundSpace Aug. 14 in Rahway. (see info below)

In addition, Cohen has recorded a CD debut album, “In the Element” featuring Joe Sanders and Rodney Green, which is available at:  www.cdbaby.com

This will be good news for his loyal hometown fans, many of who have followed his progress since childhood. Playing piano since age 3, Emmet, was accepted into the Manhattan School of Music Precollege Division at age 11, where he majored for seven years in classical piano.  While at MSM, he was exposed to, and mentored by, some of the great jazz musicians: Bruce Williams, Cecil Brooks III, Dave Stryker, Billy Hart, and Jeremy Manasia.

Since then Cohen has played and performed at some of the top jazz clubs, festivals and music venues around the world, including the Monterey Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival (Holland), Bern (Switzerland) Jazz Festival, and River-to-River Festival (NYC), the Kennedy Center and the “Monk at 92″ Piano Summit at the World Financial Center.

In 2008 Cohen won a Downbeat Award as an Outstanding Jazz Soloist and played in the 2008 Gibson/Baldwin GRAMMY Jazz Combo, the 2008 Jazz Band of America and the Monterey Jazz Festival’s 2008 Next Generation Jazz Orchestra.  He was also a recipient of the 2009 NFAA Clifford Brown/Stan Getz Fellowship.

Cohen has shared the bandstand with such Jazz luminaries as Christian McBride, Joshua Redman, Patti Austin, Maceo Parker, Carmen Bradford and Billy Hart.  Cohen is currently pursuing a music degree at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music.

Upcoming Performances:

Sat. August 6th - Emmet Cohen Trio at Shanghai Jazz in Madison, NJ (call for reservations 973 822 2899)

Sat. August 13th Cecil's in West Orange  (973 736 4800) 

Sun. August 14th, 6pm at LightSoundSpace 1591 Irving St., Rahway Arts District, NJ - this is a solo piano performance, a really nice event.info- 732 499 8226

www.emmetcohen.com