Adam Cohen: Greece Was a Magical Place for My Family

“One of the things my father cared deeply about as the years went by was keeping audiences alive to his songs,” Adam Cohen says from his family home on Hydra, the Greek island closely associated with Leonard Cohen.

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One of the things my father cared deeply about as the years went by was keeping audiences alive to his songs.

Leonard Cohen arrived on Hydra in the 1960s as a young writer, working on his early poems and novels before turning to the guitar and songwriting. His insight, sensuality and spirituality shaped songs including “Hallelujah,” “Dance Me to the End of Love,” “Bird on the Wire” and “So Long, Marianne,” which generations of listeners came to love.

When Leonard Cohen died in 2016, people from around the world contacted his son to offer condolences. Adam says he was not prepared for the pain of that period, but found it moving to see how deeply his father’s mind and heart had left their mark. Leonard’s final album, “You Want It Darker,” released days before his death, was also the first on which Adam worked with him as a producer.

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My role is simply to contribute wherever I can.

Adam says little is needed to keep work with such wide appeal in circulation. “My role is simply to contribute wherever I can,” he says. In November, ten years after Leonard’s death, he will begin a world tour spanning Canada and Europe. Before that, he will perform in Athens on September 12 as part of the Stavros Niarchos Park’s Parklife concert series. The free event will feature Greek musicians including Elli Paspala, Dimitra Galani, Konstantinos Vita and Nalyssa Green.

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So there will essentially be three generations of Cohens on stage every night.

The Athens concert will mark the first time Adam performs on stage with his 19-year-old son, Cassius Cohen, who will also join the international tour. “So there will essentially be three generations of Cohens on stage every night,” Adam says. He recalls that Leonard was generous with advice and encouragement, while also urging him to choose a less risky career. “I remember my father being extremely encouraging and generous with his time and advice. But at the same time, he begged me to become prime minister of Canada and abandon music.”

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I remember my father being extremely encouraging and generous with his time and advice. But at the same time, he begged me to become prime minister of Canada and abandon music.