“Philly’s got its own way of swing — it’s a deep-rooted, down-home feeling”

Drummer Tom Cohen must have had flames coming off his sticks when he finished recording his latest record. Short but mighty, My Take features five burning tracks with Philadelphia greats like Hammond B3 organist Dave Posmontier and guitarist Steve Warfield, tenor saxophonists Tim Warfield and Ralph Bowen, and Joey DeFrancesco, also on the Hammond B3 of course. Musicians rotate through Tom’s interpretations of five classic jazz tunes.

Tom Cohen reminisces about his early days on the Philly jazz scene, hanging out at Gert’s Lounge with jazz organ masters like Herbie Nicks and Shirley Scott.  Though there was barely enough room between the stage and the bar to squeeze in two people, the music was so toe-tapping that people couldn’t help but get up and dance. Philadelphia has rightly earned its reputation as a B3 town, especially considering the players that have come out of that city: the aforementioned Herbie Nicks and Shirley Scott, Don Patterson, Trudy Pitts, and Joey DeFrancesco.

Listen to the full Bite-Size Jazz interview to learn more about Tom Cohen’s love for the Philly jazz scene, his experience as a versatile studio musician, and his collaboration with Joey DeFrancesco for his latest album My Take.

Resources

Learn more about Tom Cohen on his website. You can find My Take anywhere you stream music. It’s also available for purchase on Amazon Music.

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