Emmet Cohen Trio at Wigmore Hall

Last Updated on November 17, 2025

Complex musical talents shine in London pit stop

4.5 out of 5.0 stars

A month before his one-off Wigmore Hall appearance, Emmet Cohen reached a career bookend. The eminent jazz pianist retired his acclaimed YouTube series, Live From Emmet’s Place, after five years of broadcasting. Now, Cohen tours with two of the series’ finest players – veteran drummer Joe Farnsworth and bass prodigy Joey Ranieri – bringing modern jazz sounds to global audiences.

It was one of those rare pearls, pressed in the dark clam of the pandemic – free jam sessions live-streamed from Cohen’s Harlem apartment. Every week, the Trio’s joyful tones (with then-bassist Russel Hall and drummer Kyle Poole) buzzed from devices around the world. Emmet Cohen’s front room became a hotbed of generously performed jazz standards and new compositions.

As lockdown eased, the Emmet’s Place performers diversified and its visual slickness, set design and musicians’ haircuts improved. Online views and critical acclaim surged. In recent years, Emmet’s Place has been a melting pot of new talent (Grammy-winning vocalist Samara Joy, for example) and seasoned professionals (like Houston Person and Joe Lovano). Cohen is all smiles in these videos – maestro of the music itself, but also of creating the kind of space musicians need to loosen up, play freely, forget the (virtual) audience.

Emmet Cohen’s online platform has a genuine stake in the so-called jazz revival. Today, jazz is streamed, shared and fronted by young artists with new things to say. I sat down in Wigmore Hall with the Trio’s trend-setting significance in mind.

Joey Ranieri (bass) and Joe Farnsworth (percussion) joined Cohen on stage for a set that defied neat labels. Moving from recognisable ballads (‘If You Could See Me Now’) to Cuban dance numbers (‘La Comparsa’) to stripped-back stride piano, the band travelled through styles and genres with grace. Cohen’s classical training inflected recognisable tunes with the grandeur of European romanticism. The Wigmore Hall – iconic chamber music venue – swelled with these nods to classical tradition: the band read the room.

There was a high-powered version of The Trolley Song, made famous by Judy Garland in the film Meet Me In St. Louis, in which drummer Farnsworth captured the audience with one of the most creative drum solos I’ve experienced. Switching between brushes and sticks, he used everything from the drum mounts to his voice to transform the kit into a moving streetcar (as per the movie). It was a transportive solo of freewheeling – yet extremely sharp – experimentation.

The all-round musicianship was something to behold. Farnsworth is patently a master (he’s worked with McCoy Tyner, Benny Golson and Pharaoh Saunders, among other greats). His polished suit – a mainstay of internet live-streams while others parade in their socks – epitomised his class. The young bassist Ranieri was equally impressive. An understated presence on stage – heard but lesser seen, to invert the idiom – he was the dexterous backbone of the set. Beady-eyed and perfectly timed, his playing was busy and precise, in conversation with other musicians even as he stared out over audience heads, deep in concentration.

Over ninety minutes, the pace of Cohen’s playing barely flickered. Flawless runs across the keys nestled with musical quotes from other genres (memorably, a flash of Steely Dan during the encore). It was a physical performance of dramatic cliffhangers (Cohen and Farnsworth were restless on their stools). Sudden stop-times and musical blackouts anticipated tight bursts of unison. There was audience laughter in these peaks and troughs; it was a game of cat-and-mouse participation.

Fun swelled around the music. Tunes were dotted with smirks between Cohen and Farnsworth, and the older players beamed at Ranieri as he commanded a version of ‘Lined With A Groove’. “Let the crazy come out from under his suit”, quipped Cohen before this number. True, the acoustics of the hall sometimes hampered the band’s dense voicings (Ronnie Scott’s might’ve worked better). And Cohen’s three-part composition didn’t quite measure up to the rest of the steaming set. But these were minor details in a night of spirited playing and obvious joy.

The Emmet Cohen Trio concludes its European tour in Cologne, Germany on November 22nd.

Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Street
London
W1U 2BP

Looking for something different? Check our Christmas Theatre previews