Multifaceted American jazz pianist and composer Emmet Cohen is in the vanguard of his generation's advancement of music and related arts. A recognized prodigy, Cohen began Suzuki method piano instruction at age 3, and his playing quickly became a mature melding of musicality, technique and concept. All About Jazz observed that "[Cohen is] not just the poster man for contemporary jazz, breathing 2020s finesse onto early 20th century swing. He is a supremely gifted and impassioned artist of the highest order."
Cohen notes that performing jazz is "about communicating the deepest levels of humanity and individuality; it's essentially about connections" among musicians and with audiences. He leads his namesake ensemble, the Emmet Cohen Trio; is a vibrant solo performer; and is in constant demand as a sideman. Possessing a fluid technique, an innovative tonal palette and an extensive repertoire, Cohen fashions musical statements that reveal command, elegance and intensity. As Benny Golson asserted, Cohen "has a lot to say."
During the 2020 lockdown, Cohen developed Live From Emmet's Place, a series of performances by his trio and guest artists live-streamed from his New York apartment that recalled Harlem rent parties of yesteryear. These concerts are noteworthy for employing sophisticated production values that set the standard for live internet jazz performance. Live From Emmet's Place has received tens of millions of views on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, and has become an integral part of Cohen's musical outreach.
Cohen has also established the "Emmet Cohen Exclusive" membership program, which provides subscribers access to previously unseen concert recordings and other creative offerings, including Cohen's personal commentary and observations. In 2021, Cohen initiated Emmet's Place Education, a series of free online master classes curated by Cohen and presented by various jazz artists; the sessions provide an alternative place of gathering, learning and discussion for musicians from around the world.
Cohen is committed to the intergenerational transfer of the knowledge, history and traditions of jazz. His Masters Legacy Series is a celebratory set of recordings, live performances and interviews honoring legendary jazz musicians. Cohen serves as producer and pianist for each album in the series. This ongoing project provides musicians of multiple generations the means to share the unwritten folklore that is America's artistic idiom.
Cohen has determined that jazz "is enriched immeasurably by connecting and studying with jazz masters, forging backward to the very creation of the art form." Five volumes of the Masters Legacy Series have been released, spotlighting Cohen's collaborations with Jimmy Cobb, Ron Carter, Benny Golson, Tootie Heath, George Coleman and Houston Person.
Cohen has achieved a comprehensive position in the world of the creative arts that extends beyond keyboard performance; he is devoted to teaching and presenting new concepts to students. Cohen serves as an international clinician, visiting schools and colleges offering master classes, hosting performances and giving lectures. In years past, Cohen has supported developing artists through his work with Jazz at Lincoln Center and the YoungArts Foundation, of which he is an alumnus. He creates an educational atmosphere that encourages student performers to be responsive to their audiences.
Cohen was the winner of the 2019 American Pianists Awards and the Cole Porter Fellow of the American Pianists Association; as such he served as artist in residence at the University of Indianapolis. In 2023, the Jazz Journalists Association named Cohen Pianist of the Year and Live-stream Producer of the Year for Live From Emmet's Place. He won the 2014 American Jazz Pianists Competition and the 2011 Phillips Piano Competition at the University of West Florida, and, as a finalist in the 2011 Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition, he was received in the Oval Office by President Obama.
Cohen has appeared in varied international jazz events, including the Newport, Monterey, Detroit, North Sea, Bern, Edinburgh and Jerusalem jazz festivals, as well as the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in Russia. He has also performed at the Village Vanguard, the Blue Note, Dizzy's Club, Birdland, Jazz Standard, London's Ronnie Scott's, Jazzhaus Montmartre in Copenhagen, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center's Rose Hall, the Cotton Club in Tokyo and Washington's Kennedy Center. For many years, he was Hammond B-3 organist in residence at Harlem's SMOKE jazz club.
In addition to leading the Emmet Cohen Trio, Cohen has appeared regularly with Ron Carter, Benny Golson, Jimmy Cobb, George Coleman, Jimmy Heath, Tootie Heath, Houston Person, Kurt Elling and Billy Hart, among others, and is a member of Christian McBride's Tip City trio and the Herlin Riley Quintet. He is a Mack Avenue recording artist whose premier releases on that label demonstrate his 21st century recalibration of Harlem's "stride" piano style: Uptown in Orbit (2022) showcases trumpeter Sean Jones and saxophonist Patrick Bartley, and Future Stride (2021) features Marquis Hill and Melissa Aldana. Cohen's other recordings include Vibe Provider (2024), a tribute to Funmi Onanaiye; Masters Legacy Series Volume 5: Houston Person (2023); Masters Legacy Series Volume 4: George Coleman (2019); Masters Legacy Series Volume 3: Benny Golson and Tootie Heath (2019); Dirty in Detroit (2018); Masters Legacy Series Volume 2: Ron Carter (2018), a Downbeat top-rated album; Masters Legacy Series Volume 1: Jimmy Cobb (2017); Questioned Answer (2014), co-produced with Brian Lynch; Infinity (2013), featuring his Italian trio: and his acclaimed debut, In the Element (2011), with bassist Joe Sanders and drummer Rodney Green.
Cohen holds a master's degree from the Manhattan School of Music and a bachelor's degree from the University of Miami's Frost School of Music, where he studied with esteemed pianist and educator Shelly Berg. In his formative years, Cohen was tutored in classical piano at the Manhattan School of Music's Pre-College Division.
A dynamic and charismatic performer, Cohen possesses wide-ranging talents that are invigorating the contemporary arts and are received enthusiastically worldwide.
Emmet Cohen is a YAMAHA artist.
