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An adept, multi-faceted pianist,
Emmet Cohen is known for his deep grasp of jazz traditions, from stride and bop to Latin and modal styles. A gifted improviser since his teens,
Cohen first garnered attention playing around New York in the 2010s and has worked with a bevy of luminaries including
Christian McBride,
Herlin Riley,
Ali Jackson, and
Brian Lynch. Following his own Masters Legacy Series of recordings in which he played alongside veteran artists like
Ron Carter and
Jimmy Cobb,
Cohen made his Mack Avenue debut with 2021's
Future Stride.
Born in 1990,
Cohen spent his early years in Florida where he started playing piano at age three in a Suzuki program. Around age 11, he moved with his family to Montclair, New Jersey, where he continued to develop his skills, taking private lessons and participating in the local Jazz Connections kids workshops (later known as Jazz House Kids). It was through his involvement in Jazz Connections that he received early guidance and experience working with artists like
Radam Schwartz,
Dave Stryker, and
Michelle Rosewoman. While in high school, he was tutored in classical piano at the Manhattan School of Music's Pre-College Division and participated in Jazz at Lincoln Center's Young Arts Foundation. He also began gigging at various clubs and was mentored by esteemed drummers
Cecil Brooks III and
Billy Hart. After high school, he earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Miami's Frost School of Music, where he studied with noted pianist and educator
Shelly Berg. He also finished his master's degree at the Manhattan School of Music. Along the way he picked up accolades, including placing first in both the 2011 Phillips Piano Competition at the University of West Florida and the 2014 American Jazz Pianists competition. He was also a finalist in the American Pianists Association's
Cole Porter Fellowship in 2011 and 2014 and a finalist in the 2011
Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition.
Along with leading his own groups,
Cohen has worked with numerous veteran and contemporary performers, including
Kurt Elling and
Jimmy Heath, and as the musical director for both
Lea DeLaria and Veronica Swift. He is a member of bassist
Christian McBride's Tip City Trio and has played regularly with the
Herlin Riley Quartet and the
Ali Jackson Trio. He has also held the chair as Hammond B-3 organist in residence at Harlem's SMOKE jazz club. In 2011, he released his debut independent album,
In the Element, with bassist
Joe Sanders and drummer
Rodney Green. He also collaborated with trumpeter
Brian Lynch on their 2014 album Questioned Answer. In 2016, he launched his Master Legacy Series of sessions, recording with such legendary jazz artists as
Jimmy Cobb,
Ron Carter,
Albert "Tootie" Heath,
George Coleman, and
Houston Person. In 2021, he released his debut album for the Mack Avenue label,
Future Stride. It featured his trio with bassist Russell Hall and drummer
Kyle Poole, and guest appearances by trumpeter
Marquis Hill and saxophonist
Melissa Aldana. ~ Matt Collar