Critically acclaimed jazz bassist and composer Avishai Cohen is joining forces with New York Latin jazz icon Abraham Rodriguez Jr. for the new project Iroko. The pair’s first single, “The Healer,” is out now on naïve Records.

The project, decades in the making, began to take shape when Cohen first came to New York in the early ’90s and met Rodriguez while playing small clubs throughout the city. Initially conceived as a duo, the pair explore a spectrum of Afro Caribbean styles informed by their respective combined backgrounds in jazz fusion, Afro-Latin jazz, traditional folk music and more.

“Iroko is a long-time dream I have had since knowing and playing with Abraham Rodriguez Jr., a great, unique singer, congero and master of Afro Caribbean music in its full spectrum,” notes Cohen, adding that his longtime dream has been “to do a Latin project with my favorite Latin musicians in New York. It starts with this concept…just me and Abi.”

Rodriguez goes on to explain, “As Mongo Santamaria said, ‘Drum and chant.’ That’s what we have here. It’s universal, and for everyone, young and old. Even those who are bitter, when they hear these songs, will be touched and smile. Those who are angry? We’ll kill them with kindness.”

The pair are set to perform a residency at New York’s storied Blue Note April 25-30 with a full seven-piece Banda Iroko lineup including Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez (drums, percussion), Yosvany Terry (saxophone, chekere), Diego Urcola (trumpet, trombone), Jose Angel (bongos, vocals) and Virginia Alves (vocals). Tickets are available via the Blue Note website.

Photo Courtesy: Javier Limón