Not to be confused with the bassist of the same name, Avishai Cohen the trumpeter has gradually emerged as an assertive band leader (a ‘rising star’ in Downbeat Critics poll two years running) since leaving Israel for New York over a decade ago. This is his seventh album, and the third from his popular Triveni trio line-up featuring fellow Israeli Omer Avital and ex-Jason Moran drummer Nasheet Waits. There is a feel of spontaneity behind the recording session – “no more than two takes per song” according to Cohen – that keeps things fresh and goes back to the beat-jazz generation ‘first thought best thought’ principles in which craft is working on the same level as creative impulse. On his originals and a few imaginative versions of jazz standards, Cohen runs the gamut from an electronically-filtered post-electric Miles to a Dave Douglas-like angular folky-eastern version of post-bop (his sister Anat is on clarinet) through to a more relaxed, Chet Baker-like cool. Cohen is confident and focussed and Triveni is his best vehicle so far for his contemporary modern brand of jazz.