Stars succeeds simply because the playing feels good from start to finish—melodic, unforced, and full of small moments that keep revealing themselves as you listen.
Newvelle Records
Martin Wind – bass, composition; Kenny Barron – piano; Anat Cohen – clarinet; Matt Wilson – drums
On Stars, Martin Wind brings together a quartet where the spotlight is constantly in motion. Anat Cohen’s clarinet often carries the melody, but Kenny Barron’s piano acts as a quiet center of gravity, shaping the feel even when he isn’t soloing. The low end doesn’t always stay in the background; lines lift up and start acting like melody, giving the bass its own turn in the spotlight. Matt Wilson works underneath it all, adding color and momentum with small, perfectly judged details rather than big statements.
The music favors medium tempos, clear melodies, and plenty of space, but it never feels cautious. Barron’s playing has that unmistakable blend of harmonic depth and forward motion—lines that sing, then turn a corner when you least expect it. Cohen moves easily between rounded, old-school clarinet warmth and looser phrasing, while Wind’s lines often feel like counter-melodies rather than accompaniment. Wilson avoids the spotlight. His touch shapes everything.
Stars opens Newvelle Records ’Ten Collection, a five-album series celebrating the label’s tenth anniversary. It’s a strong place to start—and a very Newvelle one.
Cohen’s clarinet begins with a simple theme, relaxed, with an easy vibrato, like she’s taking a stroll down Bourbon Street in the French Quarter on “Passing Through.” Before long she steps into freer territory, gently twisting her phrases, while Barron comps behind her and Wilson fills the space with small, precise details. Wind plays with a round attack and long sustain, letting his notes ring just enough to hold the music in place. When Barron solos, he stays laid back and makes it sound easy—his notes hang in the air, bunch together, then push each other forward, like kids on a playground.
Different emotions pass through Stars, but the music keeps finding its way back to a sense of joy. “Life” is a good example. It begins with a gentle piano introduction, and when Cohen’s clarinet enters there’s a touch of melancholy in her tone. Wind’s bass lines sit high in the mix, outlining the harmony and cradling the tune. Underneath it all, a steady stream of snare work and light brush strokes commands attention, subtle and alert, perfectly matched to what’s happening around it.
Alongside Wind’s originals, Stars also leans into jazz standards, including Duke Ellington’s “The Feeling of Jazz.” This one starts from the ground up, with Wind thumping out a low-register line—woody, resonant, and melodic—before sneaking in a few higher notes as the groove takes shape. The shuffling beat settles in with drums and piano, and when Cohen enters she sounds unhurried and cool, her clarinet floating over the rhythm.
Barron’s solo stays relaxed but never idle, built from fluid lines that seem to glide just ahead of the shuffle. As the tune unfolds, Cohen starts to swing harder, slipping easily between an old-school clarinet sound and something more modern. When piano and clarinet fall into a brief duet near the end, it feels less like a feature and more like two players enjoying the same pocket.
They close with “Stars Fell on Alabama,” starting simply, with Barron laying out the theme. Cohen follows with a generous vibrato, leaning into the familiar melody while bass and piano settle underneath. As the tune unfolds, Wind’s bass grows more forceful, the notes thumping as Cohen begins to push and pull at the line—smearing a few notes, laying back on the beat, sounding increasingly emotional. Barron stays close to the melody, playing it mostly straight but nudging certain notes into the foreground, even rushing a phrase or two. By the end, the tune clearly belongs to Cohen, who carries the melody home.
Stars succeeds simply because the playing feels good from start to finish—melodic, unforced, and full of small moments that keep revealing themselves as you listen.
