Trumpeter and bandleader Avishai Cohen connected with me on Zoom recently while walking to his home in Tel Aviv, Israel. The city streets at night, as seen through his smartphone, were radiant.

Cohen is busy preparing for his first tour of the United States in a handful of years, but he was happy to talk about his music, particularly the intensely beautiful new album, “Ashes to Gold,” out on ECM Records.

He’ll bring his quartet to Denver’s Dazzle on March 22.

“It comes from the Japanese art of kintsugi,” Cohen said of the album’s title. “They take something that’s broken and fix or reshape it. I like the idea behind that. We have to look into the future of how we fix what’s broken, not just here in Israel but everywhere. Society is broken, and the gold represents a little bit of optimism.”

The music presented on “Ashes to Gold” is some of the most viscerally emotional work that Cohen has created so far. His trumpet floats and cries as he and his band establish the kind of wordless communication only people who have known each other for decades can create.

“It’s priceless,” Cohen said of touring with the same artists who made the album. “I love this band, and I think we are in a very good state right now. We’re close friends. It’s like a little family. I’ve been playing with (pianist) Jonathan Avishai for 35 years and (bassist) Barak Mori for over 30 years. (Drummer Ziv Ravitz fills out the quartet.)

“Even when I write the music, I imagine them playing it. There are no talks backstage before the set. It’s more like, ‘Let’s do this; let’s just go out and play.’ It’s a safe place to create, and see how we how we take this music further.”

I asked how life in Tel Aviv affects Cohen’s creativity.

“It’s very divided here, very similar to the states,” he says. “It’s much harder to bring people back together than to divide them. Creating fear and hate is much easier than to create a safe place with love and compassion. You see that everywhere.

“It’s a very dangerous place, but sometimes you can find a moment to go into your own world. It’s a few minutes to the beach, so I can go and see the sunset, and that keeps me sane. I have a beautiful wife, and my kids are wonderful. And I’m focusing on music.”

So, does music still have the power to unite us?

“Music heals, and I create music that would speak to the people. I know that everyone who’s coming to our shows can feel that we’re doing all we can to say the truth. We’re coming from the right place and with open hearts and open arms, too. We give this music everything we have, and I think people can feel that.”

Avishai Cohen Quartet will play at 7 and 9:30 p.m. on March 22 at Dazzle, 1080 14th St. Tickets and information are available at dazzledenver.com.

And more jazz in March

Saxophonist Briana Harris’ Quartet appears at Denver’s Nocturne on Saturdays in March. … Lettuce collaborates with the Colorado Symphony at the Mission Ballroom on March 2. … Saxophonist Joshua Redman’s Group featuring Gabrielle Cavassa stops by the Boulder Theater on March 12. … The Denver Jazz Fest happens April 3-6 at numerous venues in Denver and Boulder, featuring performances from Dianne Reeves, Joe Lovano, Bill Frisell and many others. Get details at denverjazz.org. … Finally, I meet so many people from Colorado every year at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tenn., which this year takes place March 27-30. I’m most looking forward to performances from Frisell, Vijay Iyer, the Sun Ra Arkestra, Wadada Leo Smith, Tyshawn Sorey and the excellent improvisational group [Ahmed], whose release “Giant Beauty” was my favorite album of 2024. bigearsfestival.org.