Emmet Cohen

Jazz is always busy writing its own history, sharing stories that lead to other stories. Take the documentary Keep on Keepin’ On, in which trumpeter Clark Terry—facing health challenges in his old age, yet unbowed in spirit—inspires young pianist Justin Kauflin. As their story deepens and unfolds, Kauflin is invited to enter the 2011 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. He does not win despite Terry’s advice and lucky socks, but there’s a brief scene when we meet the three finalists—Kris Bowers, Josh White, and Emmet Cohen—and with that, the realization dawns that the true message of the film is as much about celebrating an undying continuum as it is about two individuals.

I mention this cinematic moment because Emmet Cohen is one pianist who is acutely conscious of this lesson, and whose jovial spirit—the guy’s blessed with a perennial smile—is fueled by that self-awareness. Get him started and he speaks proudly of being part of a “particular generation in my scene—in my larger circle of pianists and musicians with the common thread between us that we’re all interested in studying the deep history of the music.”

The Monk competition was but one of many Cohen triumphs—most recently, he was awarded the American Pianists Association’s Cole Porter Fellowship. His trio performances and his self-released recordings, including collaborations with jazz legends such ads Albert “Tootie” Heath, Jimmy Cobb, and Ron Carter (he calls them the “Masters Legacy Series”), reflect his dedication to not only the musical tradition but the musicians as well. He’s prolific too; 2019 saw the release of his sixth album, the live with his trio (full disclosure: this writer was asked to pen the liner essay, and did). By the time of this