Jazz Archives

Composer John Zorn is a man of many projects, genres and styles. When once asked about styles, in Option, he replied "I'm not afraid of styles; I like them all." He also has a short attention span and because of that his music is a unique aural crosscut of styles—be it avant jazz, classical, cartoon cutups, free improv, computer music—continuously plunging himself into less expected musical territories. Being an intrepid explorer and musical sponge, his wide-ranging interests are so vast and ever-changing that is futile to place him in anything but in a category for himself. It seems that exploration is the motivation and main engine that leads Zorn along his journey to the extreme limits of constant and rigorous research. But not only are his musical interests so wide; his literary and film interests and influences are equally maddeningly broad and diverse, too.

All those references to literary and film interests can mainly be found in the titles of records and compositions. Zorn has found equal inspiration in various literary sources, from crime novels and Japanese manga comic books to occult subjects such as the books of Aleister Crowley, various seekers of the truth and mystics such as G. I. Gurdjieff, the Kabbalah mysticism, and demonology or Gnosticism; in other words, the alternative branch of Christianity. Literary and mystical sources aside, Gnostic Preludes is a fine example of Zorn's unique and fascinating fusion of classical music with western improvisation.

It could have easily been part of his Filmworks series because of its meditative nature. The melody of opening track, "The Middle Pillars" (referencing one of the recommended practices for Sophian initiates) closely resembles the main theme of Filmworks XIII: Invitation to a Suicide (Tzadik, 2002).

Zorn uses the talents of this unusual combination of instruments—harp, vibraphone, bells and guitar—to maximum effect and, as always, he fully engages the performers to be not just dutiful interpreters, but creatively invested collaborators. The sense of beauty lies in the way these instruments are melded in a multi-textured tapestry of sound. Guitarist Bill Frisellis particularly inspired, as his playing shows him being more engaged and focused than he has ever been. Rather than hiding behind his immediately recognizable slow and weaving guitar tones and melodicity, he is more playful and virtuosic. The interplay between vibraphonist Kenny Wollesen, Frisell and harpist Carol Emanuell on "Book of Pleasure" is beautiful, with characteristically minimalistic repetitive motifs on vibes and Frisell providing Dave Gilmour-esque edgy guitar works. It is a gorgeously slow tune with lyrical imagery for the mind and the soul.

"Prelude of Light" continues down this strange yet inviting path. It alters between beautiful backwash of harp and vibes melodies and drones, with Sephardic melodies provided by the intricate guitar. The shimmering nature of the sounds produced on "Diatesseron," "Sounds of the Spheres" and "Circumbulation" creates delicate filigrees that pulsate with absorbing detail. The layered production gives these compositions a hypnotically captivating quality that induces a dreamlike state; the effect is really intoxicating. "Sign and Signal" is another delightful track, featuring beautiful and intricate interplay between Emmanuel and Wollesen's vibes and bells. 

It shimmers with Steve Reich -like pulsating repetitive motifs taken further with Frisell's overtly blissful Sephardic guitar lines. 

It is an infinitely fascinating track that begs to be revisited over and over.

Gnostic Preludes is an intriguing and seductive recording, with a gentle and contemplative feeling that resonates with emotive power. 

It combines the feel of ambiance music with lyrical and melodic prowess seldom seen in Zorn's work. As such, it is a moving work well worth surrendering to.

:::Review by Nenad Georgievski:::

John Zorn - The Gnostic Preludes (2012)

1. Prelude 1: The Middle Pillar 6:39

2. Prelude 2: The Book Of Pleasure 6:06

3. Prelude 3: Prelude Of Light 5:56

4. Prelude 4: Diatesseron 4:35

5. Prelude 5: Music Of The Spheres 8:14

6. Prelude 6: Circumambulation 6:34

7. Prelude 7: Sign And Signal 6:22

8. Prelude 8: The Invisibles 3:35

Credits

Composed By, Arranged By – John Zorn

Guitar – Bill Frisell

Harp – Carol Emanuel

Vibraphone, Bells – Kenny Wollesen

The "version" of Painkiller John Zorn assembled for this performance in his month-long 50th birthday celebration at Tonic included Bill Laswell from the original incarnation and drummer Hamid Drake as well as vocalist Mike Patton. While Patton is no Yamantaka Eye, Drake is far more compelling as a drummer than Mick Harris. The insert on the set correctly claims that this unit is something completely different. Not only does this band play a less free version of jazz, punk, and rock, it also plays free of many of the dub trappings it had engaged in an earlier incarnation. This is a deeply groove-oriented set of vanguard funk, jazz, and rock. There are three tracks here, and all of them are driven by the bedrock of Laswell's dirty funk playing and Drake's propulsive kit work. Zorn is out front playing snake-wise, melding everything from hard bop, free jazz, soul-oriented groove lines, and his own unclassifiable sonic palette. Patton's vocals are heavily treated yowls and screams combined with rhythmic breath work and moans. Tape delays are employed here as well, making the entire set a compelling, singular workout that is exciting, harsh, intense, and compelling.

:::Review by Thom Jurek:::

Painkiller - 50th Birthday Celebration Vol.12 (2005)

1. Your Inviolable Freedoms (20:29)
2. DPM (16:24)
3. Prophethood Of Chaos (6:24)

Credits
- Bill Laswell / bass
- John Zorn / saxophone
- Hamid Drake / drums

Special Guest

- Mike Patton / voice

This, second album from John Zorn's Electric Masada project, was recorded during two concerts in Ljubljana and Moscow somewhere in the end of their European tour. All musicians are the same as on project's debut, and all they are great musicians!
Double set is quite long release, but you wouldn't be bored. Zorn's use there his best techniques - combines all possible and impossible music components in hot eclectic mix. What means if you don't like spacey electronic loops of Ikue Mori on the front of the sound, in very few moments they will be changed by hardcore Marc Ribot electric rocking guitars, and you will forget about them.
All concert long this scheme is used, and it works perfectly. Unpredictable changes of sound, genres and rhythms will keep your attention till the very end.
In all, this music is quite characteristic for Zorn mix of punk-jazz hardcore, klezmer world fusion, electronic avant and very melodic and easy accessible avant-pop, strongly flavoured by free jazz techniques.
Many times listened to Zorn's Masada series albums, I was attracted, but missed some electric sound and energy in acoustic hot klezmer/free jazz mix. And I got it there, in Electric Masada, where classic Masada's music is strongly mixed with Naked City's hard core energy and electric guitar sound, excellent electric keyboards passages, electronic noise of Hemophiliac and plenty of jazzy sounds from Bar Kokhba. And all the mix is prepared in very inspired, energetic live version, with enough space for long improvs.
As old fan of Zorn's music, I am often asked by newbies, how to find the right key to Zorn's music. The answer isn't easy, but possibly really good answer is - start from this album! Not because this work is Zorn's best ( I think it possibly isn't), but because there Zorn demonstrates in the best possible form almost everything he played for few decades. OK, there are not presented some his interesting series (as movies/soundtracks music, or neo-classical music), but you will find there his hardcore, free jazz, klezmer and free-jazz moments in their best.
If you are new to Zorn, and you want to have his only album, possibly this one is the best choice!

:::Review by snobb:::

Electric Masada - At The Mountains of Madness (2005)

CD 1

1. Lilin (16:14)
2. Metal Tov (5:35)
3. Karaim (16:15)
4. Hath-Arob (5:17)
5. Abidan (8:09)
6. Idalah-Abal (6:33)
7. Kedem (15:41)
8. Yatzar (6:05)

CD 2 

1. Tekufah (17:59)
2. Hath-Arob (6:55)
3. Abidan (9:59)
4. Metal Tov (5:52)
5. Karaim (15:15)
6. Idalah-Abal (6:08)
7. Kedem (14:47)

Credits
- Marc Ribot / guitars
- Joey Baron / drums
- Cyro Baptista / percussion
- Trevor Dunn / bass
- Ikue Mori / electronics
- Kenny Wollesen / drums
- Jamie Saft / keyboards
- John Zorn / alto saxophone

Named after an extinct Hawaiian bird, O'o is the charming follow up to the self-titled debut of composer John Zorn's most accessible project, The Dreamers. Culled from Zorn's inner circle of longstanding collaborators, this all-star sextet of Downtown veterans explores his most tuneful compositions, threading aspects of easy listening, exotica, film soundtracks, surf, and world music into an evocative panorama.
Zorn's recent forays into conventional song forms and traditional structures reveal a softening approach to composition. Though no stranger to melody or harmony, Zorn's musical statements have become more cohesive and predictable over the past few years—the polar opposite of his seminal game pieces, like Cobra, and his most revered band, Naked City. Although the mercurial improvisations of his early game pieces still drive the furious Electric Masada, and Moonchild continues on its nineties-inspired path of metallic destruction, his neo-classical chamber music writing, acoustic Masada projects and ensembles like the recent piano trio featured on Alhambra Love Songs (Tzadik, 2009) offer a more introspective view. Since the dissolution of Naked City in the early nineties, each of Zorn's various ensembles has adopted a distinct identity; Masada has become the standard bearer, while The Dreamers are the yin to Moonchild's yang.
With a mix of wistful nostalgia and cinematic ambience, The Dreamers brings Zorn's fondness for Post-War exotica to life, invoking the buoyant surf of The Astronauts ("Laughing Owl"), the celluloid drama of Ennio Morricone ("Archaeopteryx") and Nino Rota ("Miller's Crake"), and the enchanted island sounds of Martin Denny ("Po'o'uli") and Les Baxter ("Solitaire"). Marc Ribot's singular guitar dominates, particularly on the scorching "Little Bittern," while Kenny Wollesen's effervescent vibes and Jamie Saft's percolating keyboard filigrees provide an array of kaleidoscopic euphony. Trevor Dunn's robust bass lines, Joey Baron's infectious drumming and Cyro Baptista's ingenious percussion accents provide the group with a solid rhythmic foundation that never wavers, lending the quicksilver tunes that dominate the album's final third a vivacious air.
Exploring a range of moods, the sextet invests these colorful miniatures with vibrant lyricism, elevating them beyond mere incidental music, making O'o a delightful, if unsurprising listen.

:::Review by Troy Collins:::

John Zorn - O'o (2009)

1. Miller's Crake (4:18)
2. Akialoa (4:47)
3. Po'o'uli (5:41)
4. Little Bittern (6:30)
5. Mysterious Starling (4:32)
6. Laughing Owl (4:45)
7. Archaeopteryx (5:06)
8. Solitaire (2:11)
9. Piopio (5:11)
10. Zapata Rail (2:53)
11. Kakawahie (4:14)
12. Magdalena (5:07)

Credits
- Cyro Baptista / percussion
- Joey Baron / drums
- Trevor Dunn / bass
- Marc Ribot / guitar
- Jamie Saft / piano, organ
- Kenny Wollesen / vibraphone

I waited for this album from its very first days of release, and now I am listening to it. Yes, it is what I expected: electric band of Zorn's most regular collaborator's play Masada variations, mixing them with some 60-s movies soundtrack melodies.
Most of all this album attracts me by rare possibility to hear Masada -based real electric guitar based fusion. Guitarist Marc Ribot is this album's hero for sure. Just imagine airy, vintage sound recordings full of electric guitar soloing, old keyboards, vibraphone - and all these machinery are used to play Middle East and Eastern European (or klezmer, what is possibly more correct) tunes based melancholic, even nostalgic music.
A bit minimalistic, this music will catch you not by its technique, but by unbelievable atmosphere you didn't ear by years.
In whole - Zorn's best team is playing simple and genial music, possibly their best work for years. It's only a bit pity - Zorn's trumpet could add that small ingredient this music needs to be named masterpiece.

:::Review by snobb:::

Masada - Ipos Book of Angels, Vol. 14 (The Dreamers) (2010)

1. Tirtael
2. Hashul
3. Galizur
4. Oriel
5. Zavebe
6. Qalbam
7. Hagai
8. Zortek
9. Ezriel
10. Kutiel

Credits
Cyro Baptista: Percussion
Joey Baron: Drums
Trevor Dunn: Bass
Marc Ribot: Guitar
Jamie Saft: Keyboards
Kenny Wollesen: Vibraphone

John's first real solo album of year 2010 (first 2010 release of Zorn's associated projects was Masada's "Mycale"). This work is real answer for those missing jazz in Zorn's works of some last years. This album is jazz.
Nothing from avant-garde. Nothing from klezmer, hard-core or electronics experiments. Nothing at all! This album is very tasteful, melodic, melancholic contemporary jazz music for piano and vibraphone, supported by rhythm section ( acoustic, electric bass and drums). Music is mid tempo, very elegant, pleasant to listen ( with very light post-bop influence). Each composition itself is almost masterpiece (even if not very complex technically). Main problem for me was the album as whole product: in fact John just used small perfect idea, and developed it till full album.
If separately each composition is almost excellent, there is very difficult to find a difference between compositions. In fact all album sounds a bit as one long song ( or album of remixes of same composition with very small difference between versions). At that point ( and remembering that Zorn declared he will release 12 albums in 2010) I for a first time feel some danger he will use just very small even genial idea for each this year's album just to fulfil his program. Still hope I am wrong in this...
Very pleasant and tasteful contemporary jazz album, just don't expect nothing experimental or unusual. Music (jazz) to enjoy.

:::Review by snobb:::

John Zorn - In Search Of The Miraculous (2010)

1. Prelude: From A Great Temple
2. Sacred Dance (Invocation)
3. The Book of Shadows
4. Affirmation
5. The Magus
6. Hymn for a New Millennium
7. Journey of the Magicians
8. Mythic Etude
9. Postlude: Prayers and Enchantment

Credits
Rob Burger: Piano, Organ
Greg Cohen: Acoustic Bass
Ben Perowsky: Drums
Kenny Wollesen: Vibraphone
Shanir Blumenkranz: Electric Bass

For whatever reason, what Miles Davis accomplished with Bitches Brew - arguably the album that put fusion on the map - has never been matched and has rarely been emulated. Fusion and various forms of jazz-rock abound thanks to Miles and other pioneering artists, but the sounds and textures of Bitches Brew remain nearly unique - fusion artists took different directions and, for whatever reason, ended up sounding more directly derived from groups like Mahavishnu Orchestra than the free-form, spacious Bitches Brew-era Miles.
John Zorn's Electric Masada, here recorded at a gig in New York, is one of the few fusion groups that actually sounds a lot like Miles circa Bitches Brew. The group takes seven Masada compositions and turns them into raging, energetic beasts. "Idalah-abal", from Alef, here becomes a ferocious number with Marc Ribot's guitar jamming on an anchoring riff while Zorn flails away at his saxophone. "Hadasha" is the most Bitches Brew-like number, what with Ribot's wah-wah guitar, Zorn's more controlled blowing, and an open, spacious texture. The performances are inspired and inspiring; fitting for the occasion, part of Zorn's massive 50th birthday bash in New York.
Throughout it all, the percussion holds the group together and provides a consistently interesting and controlled backdrop to the sometimes chaotic improvisation (particularly by Zorn and electronics whiz Ikue Mori). With two drummers and a percussionist, the rhythms here are fascinating yet always groovy; for instance lending the last track, "Kisofim", a Latin shuffle kind of feel. With such a reliably interesting rhythm section, Zorn and his cohorts are free to jam into outer space. And jam they do.
If you enjoy fusion a la Bitches Brew - wide-open improvs anchored by a great groove and the occasionally rocking riff (and spiced up, once in a while, by an intensity that compares best to Naked City) - Electric Masada is one of the best things that's come along in the past decade. No exaggeration.

:::Review by Brandon Wu:::

Electric Masada - 50th Birthday Celebration Volume 4 (2004)

1. Tekufah (14:33)
2. Idalah-Abal (6:18)
3. Hadasha (13:48)
4. Hath-Arob (4:07)
5. Yatzar (9:20)
6. Lilin (15:41)
7. Kisofim (8:41)

Credits
- Cyro Baptista / percussion
- Joey Baron / drums
- Trevor Dunn / bass
- Ikue Mori / laptop electronics
- Marc Ribot / guitar
- Jamie Saft / keyboards
- Kenny Wollesen / drums
- John Zorn / alto saxophone

Guitarist and composer Yoshie Fruchter is another of John Zorn's recent musical discoveries who works in the increasingly audible and visible world of Radical Jewish Culture. Like Koby Isrealite, Shanir Blumenkranz, Jamie Saft, Jon Madof & Rashanim, Eyal Maoz, and several others on the Tzadik roster, Fruchter's dynamic, highly original music is more aptly described as a sort of avant-garde instrumental rock that draws its inspiration from Jewish traditional themes and forms. Though artists such as Sonic Youth, Masada, Bill Laswell, and Frank Zappa are name-checked in Pitom's press packet, the actual result also bears some resemblance to the great mid-1970s Fripp / Bruford / David Cross / John Wetton incarnation of King Crimson that produced over-the-top prog classics such as Lark's Tongues In Aspic,  Red, USA, and Starless and Bible Black. Though the similarity is partly due to both groups having the same instrumental lineup, the overall sound concept of the two bands is also similar. Both Fruchter and bassist Shanir Blumenkranz like to play fast and loud, and both use a lot of fuzzy distortion. Violinist / violist Jeremy Brown like David Cross - prefers a very natural, effects-free tone. Unlike Cross, Brown plays his instruments like a mad Gypsy with his pants on fire. Kevin Zubek's flowing, jazzy, polyrhythmic drumming provides a palpable link to the world of modern jazz, much like Bill Bruford did for King Crimson. Finally, like mid-70s Crimson, Pitom's music is concise, hard-edged, tuneful, dynamic, and surprisingly free of the excesses often associated with experimental rock.
The CD kicks off in a lighthearted manner with the Judaeo-surf rocker Skin and Bones. On paper this looks improbable, but it works. 'Go Go Golem' is, as its name suggests, an ultra-heavy Crimsoid anthem replete with distorted guitars, pounding drums, and fuzz-bass. Blumenkranz gets a gloriously noisy solo in before Fruchter and Brown take the tune completely out into heavy-metal heaven. Like the other heavy-rockin' tracks - 'Minim' (Parts 1 & 2), and 'Robe of Priestly Proportions (Part 1)' 'Go Go Golem' is blessed with a strong melody, and an interesting non-linear structure. The fact that these guys are superb improvisers only adds to the excitement. Not content to be pigeonholed, Fruchter and his band delve into all sorts of other sounds and rhythms on itom.'Robe of Priestly Proportions (Part 2)' alternates lyrical Klezmer-like passages with holwling slabs of fuzzed sludge, and Zubek gets to flash his formidable jazz chops on 'Davita', a swift, jazzy, Masada-like tune with a bounding 6/8 meter. On the other end of the spectrum, both 'The Binding of Burning Books' and 'Shikora' have a super-chilled late-night vibe that wouldn't be out of place on one of Tom Verlaine's instrumental CDs. 'Minim (Parts 1 & 2)' explores a variety of rhythms and time signatures at breakneck skate-punk tempos the duet between Brown's violin and Fruchter's violently shredding guitar is refreshingly visceral. The CD's lone ballad, the bittersweet 'Sadie's Splinter' closes "Pitom" on a gentle, thoughtful note.
Pitom is a first-rate debut CD by an incredibly creative, remarkably capable, and gutsy band that takes musical risk-taking in stride. This CD is a must-have for Tzadik fans and fans of instrumental progressive rock, as well as for those who simply enjoy intense music in general.

1. Skin And Bones 4:31

2. Go Go Golem 5:22

3. The Robe Of Priestly Proportions : Part I 5:10

4. The Robe Of Priestly Proportions : Part II 3:43

5. Freigel Rock 4:45

6. Lungs And Spleen 4:41

7. Shikora 5:05

8. Minim : Part I 1:02

9. Minim : Part II 2:47

10. The Dregs 4:51

11. The Binding Of The Burning Books 5:05

12. Davita 5:33

13. Sadie's Splinter 5:17

Arranged By - Pitom , Yoshie Fruchter

Bass - Shanir Blumenkranz

Drums - Kevin Zubek

Executive Producer - John Zorn

Guitar, Composed By, Producer - Yoshie Fruchter

Violin, Viola - Jeremy Brown

Claudia Heuermann's "A Bookshelf on Top of the Sky: Twelve Stories About John Zorn" is not quite what it seems. Expectations ran high, a documentary about John Zorn, the man who rarely grants interviews and when he does, seems to say everything and not say anything at all, whose music jumps genre to genre in a matter of seconds, captivates some, horrifies others, and has a strange sway over its fan.
What Heuermann did though was quite a bit different-- she told the story about her trying to make the movie, about her relationship with Zorn, from the moment she first discovered him (a friend playing her Naked City's "Torture Garden") to her meeting him for the first time, travelling to New York and deciding to make a movie about Zorn. It's really a piece about self-discovery, about learning to be one's "own parent".
Along the way, we get snippets of interviews with Zorn, brilliant statements, footage of rehearsals, recording sessions, remastering of "The Big Gundown" and live performances from Naked City, Painkiller, Masada, Bar Kokhba, Emergency, and "Rituals". We also get a brief explanation of game pieces and a picture of a frustrated artist who can't stop looking, who views music as problem solving, and who does it not for listeners, but for himself and the musicians.
This is the second time I've watched this-- the first time was when it first came out, and I was still in the process of discovering Zorn's work through a chance encounter at an independent movie theater (Naked City was the house music before the show, and somehow I knew who it was). Three months and a dozen or so Zorn CDs later and this came out to guide my way, to help put the pieces together.
A year after that and my Zorn collection is bordering on obscene and the piece still holds weight. It still is entertaining, and yeah, its not a lot of revelatory stuff, but it's a worthwhile viewing. Truth to be told, in many ways, the piece gave validity to my own view on my choice of career and my great passions. And I keep thinking that maybe when my coworkers ask why I'm making the four hour trip to New York City yet again to see some obscure musician who they've never heard of (and who if they did hear, they'd probably dislike), maybe in those situations I should let them borrow this and certainly Heuermann's experience isn't really that much different from mine. Isn't that powerful enough to merit a recommendation to someone else?
If you're just learning about Zorn, get this, it's critical. If you're already initiated, you probably already have it. It's got its flaw, but invariably, it's a deeply personal expression, how could it not? Either way, it's a fun film to watch. Recommended.

:::Review from amazon.com:::

John Zorn - A Bookshelf on Top of the Sky: 12 Stories about John Zorn, DVD (2004)

Credits
- Cyro Baptista
- Joey Baron
- Stefan Blum
- Anna Carewe
- Jennifer Choi
- Greg Cohen
- Anthony Coleman
- Ariadne Daskalakis
- Uwe Dierksen
- Dave Douglas
- Mark Dresser
- Yamataka Eye
- Mark Feldman
- Erik Friedlander
- Bill Frisell
- Fred Frith
- Mihoko Fujimura
- Joyce Hammann
- Wayne Horvitz
- Susie Ibarra
- Matthias Kaul
- Otis Klöber
- Briggan Krauss
- Bill Laswell
- Hartmut Leistritz
- Dave Lombardo
- John Medeski
- Ikue Mori
- Nele B. Nelle
- Mike Patton
- Jim Pugliese
- Marc Ribot
- Roberto Rodriguez
- Josh Roseman
- Jamie Saft
- Astrid Schmeling
- Michael Schröder
- Stefan Schäfer
- David Shea
- Chris Speed
- Jim Staley
- Mason Wendell
- William Winant
- Kenny Wollesen
- John Zorn

Releases information
DVD Tzadik (TZ 3001), Mar 2004

:::Ebba Jahn - Rising Tones Cross (1985):::
Time: 112 mins
DVD label: FilmPals DVD 01 and the film's,
www.EbbaJahn.com 
through which the DVD can be purchased or the film rented for screenings.

Eye of Sound: It may sound difficult to believe it, but most of the artists listed above were once striving for recognition in the jazz scene and fighting for sheer survival. Ebba Jahn's Rising Tone Cross captures a moment when these artists were just starting to create a "scene", when their sparkling creativity was not yet comforted by certainty and success. More interestingly, perhaps, the film deals with issues of class and race and with the differences between the social contexts of improvised music in Europe and America, challenging many assumptions about musicianship, career building, and the possibilities for an artistic livelihood. What really distinguishes this from other "jazz films", however, is the visual and narrative focus on New York as the metaphorical force behind the musician's creative burst, portraying it as a dirty, poor, rough and lively city not yet tamed by shinny images of  success and bourgeois comfort.

  

This film is a documentary composition of new jazz, New York as the city that generates it, and the musicians playing it. The thoughts of the saxophonist Charles Gayle, the bass player William Parker, and Peter Kowald from Germany accompany the film. Shot on 16 mm in the mid 80s this film remains one of a kind until today.

"Rising Tones Cross is a nostalgia piece for some, a valuable historical document for others...Many of the musicians are still active players, and unsurprisingly the film captures many who have departed firmly in their element: Charles Tyler, Don Cherry, Frank Wright, Denis Charles, Jeanne Lee, Wilber Morris, Peter Kowald...
The film is romantic. There is a certain appeal and charm to images of a dirtier and grittier New York...and the music is wonderful, compelling stuff even for people jaded about improvised music. Rising Tones Cross provides some continuity, showing how jazz survived..." Andrey Henkin

 

BOY! ARE WE HAPPY TO SEE THE RELEASE OF THIS FIRST ITEM IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
Ebba Jahn's documentary of the 1984 was shot partly at the New York Vision Jazz Festival curated by William Parker and Peter Kowald. Groups and musicians on film include Don Cherry & The Sound Unity Festival Orchestra; Jemeel Moondoc Sextet; Peter Brotzmann Ensemble; Peter Kowald Quartet; Billy Bang's Forbidden Planet; Charles Tyler Quintet; Peter Kowald Trio; William Parker & Patricia Nicholson Dance; Burton; Roy Campbell Jr.; Ruediger Carl; Daniel Carter; Dennis Charles; Ellen Christi; Curtis Clark; Marilyn Crispell; Charles Gayle; Wayne Horvitz; Masahiko Kono; Jeanne Lee; Wilber Morris; Bobby Previte; Irene Schweizer; David S. Ware; Frank Wright; John ZornThe early 1980s were a period of transition for the avant-garde fringe in New York. The loft scene -the days in which Ornette Coleman's home on Prince Street and Sam River's Studio Rivbea provided workshops for experimenters to develop their art - was drawing to a close, and the arrival of the Knitting Factory and its explosive impact on the Downtown scene was still a few years away. It fell to the artists themselves to create new opportunities.
As chronicled in Ebba Jahn's 1984 documentary, Rising Tones Cross, two such motivated visionaries were bassist William Parker and dancer Patricia Nicholson. The film centers around the Sound Unity Festival, a precursor to the couples' current Lower East Side bash, the Vision Festival.
It was the German bassist Peter Kowald, on an extended sojourn in New York that included a hefty formative role in Sound Unity, who convinced Jahn to make a film about the upstart festival. "It was clear to me that I wanted to have a German protagonist and an American protagonist," Jahn says. Her friend Kowald was the German choice, naturally, but America's representative had yet to be confirmed. "Originally, I had thought of Ornette Coleman. But on the day I arrived, first thing in the morning I met Charles Gayle, the most un-famous saxophonist at that time in New York City." That meeting, combined with a chance encounter with a cameraman who was working on Shirley Clarke's Coleman documentary, Made in America, led Jahn to shift her focus "from the most famous avant-garde saxophonist to the most un-famous."
"Instead of simply a compilation of festival footage - though performances by musicians like Jemeel Moondoc, Don Cherry, and Peter Broetzmann abound in the film - Rising Tones Cross was intended to be a "tool for music education. "For many people who saw the film in Germany, it was the first time they ever heard this type of music," she says. To help facilitate this reaction, Jahn put the most difficult music at the end of the film, easing the audience into it gradually. She also included a number of scenes intended to dispel common myths about free jazz. For example when Broetzmann's strapping 11-piece ensemble - boasting a tenor phalanx comprised of the leader, Gayle, David S. Ware, and Frank Wright - seems to be blowing chaotically onstage, Jahn's camera pans across Broetzmann's diagrammatic score to reveal an extraordinary amount of careful detail, planning, and scripting - the architecture girding the maelstrom. And having overcome an initial distrust and some reluctance to take part in the film, the enigmatic Gayle is revealed to be affable, erudite, and quite well-versed in jazz-history, a far cry from his dark public persona and stage presence. "He was perceived as a philosopher in Germany," says Jahn.
" In 1984, before Tonic or CB's Lounge or even the Knitting Factory and Rudy Giuliani, New York City was a rough-and-tumble place filled with a wonderful array of musicians in a state of hyper-creativity. Some of them had come out of the loft scene of the '70s or even earlier and were reconciling all the shades of the avant garde while others were creating entirely new vocabularies still being solidified today.
German filmmaker Ebba Jahn made 'A Jazz Film' that year with interviews, musical performances and fascinating visuals of the city before it became sterilized. For the film's 20th anniversary last year, Jahn put the film onto DVD format, a nostalgia piece for some, a valuable historical document for others. Many of the musicians featured are still active players: Charles Gayle, William Parker, John Zorn, Jemeel Moondoc, Irene Schweizer, Peter Brotzmann.
And unsurprisingly, the film captures many who have departed firmly in their element: Charles Tyler, Don Cherry, Denis Charles, Peter Kowald.
The two main voices of the film are Gayle and Kowald, an American and a German playing improvised music in basements and lofts and in the Sound Unity Festival, the precursor to today's Vision Festival. The film is romantic. There is a certain appeal and charm to the images of a dirtier, grittier New York.
The scene, always the scene, seemed to be more vibrant and the musicians less weighed down. And the music is wonderful, compelling stuff even for people jaded about improvised music. Rising Tones Cross provides some continuity, showing how jazz survived when pop and rap and heavy metal began to fully take over the public consciousness." (Steve Smith, Andrey Henkin, DMG)

Credits

PETER KOWALD QUINTET
Melting - Lines - Cycle

Charles Gayle
Peter Kowald
Marilyn Crispell
Rashied Ali

PETER KOWALD TRIO
Harvest Green

Charles Gayle
Peter Kowald
John Betsch

JOHN ZORN DUO
Sunday Afternoon at Life Café

John Zorn
Wayne Horvitz

BILLY BANG`S FORBIDDEN PLANET
Music For The Love Of It

Wayne Horvitz
Billy Bang
Oscar Sanders
Kim Clarke
Bobby Previte

WILLIAM PARKER & PATRICIA NICHOLSON ENSEMBLE
A Thousand Cranes Opera

Wayne Horvitz
Ricardo Strobert
Masahiko Kono
William Parker
Denis Charles
Lisa Sokolov
Jeanne Lee
Ellen Christi
Patricia Nicholson-Parker
Maria Mitchell
Carol Penn Muhammed
Frank Boyer
Keith Dames
A.R. Penck piano

CHARLES TYLER QUINTET
Life Can Be Whatsoever

Curtis Clark
Charles Tyler
Roy Campbell jr.
Wilber Morris
John Betsch


DON CHERRY & THE SOUND UNITY FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA
Kangaroo Hoopie

Don Cherry
Peter Brötzmann
Rüdiger Carl
Daniel Carter
Ellen Christi
Felice Rosser
Peter Kowald
Wilber Morris
Denis Charles
Maria Mitchell

JEMEEL MOONDOC SEXTET
In Walked Monk

Jemeel Moondoc
Roy Campbell jr.
Rahn Burton
Ellen Christi
William Parker
Rashied Ali

IRENE SCHWEIZER DUO
For Julian Beck

Irene Schweizer
Rüdiger Carl

PETER BRÖTZMANN ENSEMBLE
Alarm

Peter Brötzmann
David S. Ware
Frank Wright
Charles Gayle
Jemeel Moondoc
Roy Campbell jr.
Masahiko Kono
Irene Schweizer
Peter Kowald
William Parker
Rashied Ali

After almost decade of John Zorn's free-jazz and klezmer musical exploration in a form of Masada band, this great musician decided to try mixing lyrical qualities of the Masada songbook with raw power of Naked City and the improvisational madness of Cobra. A true downtown supergroup, this is Zorn at his very best. The group includes , beside Zorn himself, Baron from original Masada line up (on drums), Ribot and Wollesen from Bar Kokhba, Cyro Baptista from Bar Kokhba Sextet, and few regular Zorn?s collaborators: Trevor Dunn (bass), Jamie Saft (keyb.) and Ikue Mori (laptop/electronics).
Drawing on Zorn's wide ranging stylistic influences, the band takes the Masada songbook into a whole new direction, reminiscent of jazz fusion and noise rock. Zorn uses hand signals to conduct the band, allowing for him to make up different arrangements on the spot. During Zorn's 50th Birthday Celebration at Tonic in September 2003, Electric Masada was recorded live. Released in May 2004, 50th Birthday Celebration Volume 4 became the group's first official recording. This was followed by At the Mountains of Madness recorded in 2004 in Moscow and Ljubljana.

Here's a video capture for French Jazz & Classical television channel Mezzo of Electric Masada at Nancy Jazz Pulsation in 2003... Make sure not to miss this excellent concert!

:::Review by Slava (Snobb):::

John Zorn’s Electric Masada In Nancy Jazz Pulsation (October, 14 2003)
TV Broadcast

1. Intro
2. Hath-Arob
3. Karaim
4. Idalah-Abal
5. Kochot
6. Yatzar
7. Tekufah

Credits
John Zorn (alto sax)
Marc Ribot (electric guitar)
Jamie Saft (keyboards)
Trevor Dunn (electric bass)
Kenny Wollesen (drums)
Cyro Baptista (percussion)

The unique and fresh voice of John Zorn's Masada reigns triumphant once again on this third installment, Gimel. Zorn has challenged and reinvented the face of modern jazz with this quartet. Expanding on traditional Jewish music of various types and adapting it to a jazz environment seems a daunting task, but one that Zorn and company (Joey Baron, Greg Cohen and Dave Douglas) have done well. Zorn's choice of personnel is impeccable, and this is evidenced by the intricate yet powerful sound. The album spans the barrage of songs like "Ziphim," "Katzatz" and "Hekhal" to the sweet moments of "Abidan" and "Sheloshim." At times sounding like an Eastern Ornette Coleman, and sometimes playing with the rampant fury that is characteristic solely of Zorn himself, the band has incorporated and evolved the form of jazz. This album is certainly a highlight of the Masada collection as a whole, and provides a great introduction to the band. Some of the songs can be found reworked on Bar Kokhba as well. There is little more to be said of this album, as the music speaks for itself.

:::Review by Marc Gilman:::

Masada - Vol. 3 Gimel (1995)

1. Ziphim 9:17
2. Abidan 6:48
3. Katzatz 2:24
4. Hazor 6:04
5. Netivot 3:38
6. Karaim 5:58
7. Hekhal 3:02
8. Sheloshim 8:15
9. Lebaoth 5:12
10. Tannaim 8:54

Credits
Bass - Greg Cohen
Drums - Joey Baron
Saxophone [Alto] - John Zorn
Trumpet - Dave Douglas

Although officially released in 1990 as a John Zorn solo album, “Naked City” was in fact the debut of a whole new band of the same name. Although it turned out to be a short-lived formation (it lasted only a couple of years), it existed long enough to obtain a legendary status among avant-garde fanatics. With his Naked City project - which also featured Wayne Horvitz, Bill Frisell, Fred Frith, Joey Baron, and occasionally Yamatsuka Eye - John Zorn produced a challenging mix of jazz and hardcore/metal. Zorn had already experimented with this combination on the cover album “Spy Vs. Spy” - on which Ornette Coleman tunes in the melody section were set against hardcore ‘grooves’ in the rhythm section - but with Naked City he ventured even further into rock territory. Add to this Zorn’s love for film and cartoon music, superb musicianship, and a good dose of humour, and you’ll get an idea of what “Naked City” sounds like.

The album contains both original compositions and cover songs (seven in total). The latter, however, are arranged in such a way that they fit into the style of the album perfectly and they don’t disturb the flow. The most notable covers are “The James Bond Theme” and “Lonely Woman” - a famous film tune and an early free jazz classic (Ornette Coleman). One of the best originals on the album is the unpredictable “You Will Be Shot”, but even more unpredictable - and also the most impressive - are the eight tracks that make up the center of the album. These agressive bursts of energy, all of which clock in at less than fourty-four seconds, pretty much summarize the musical language of the band. Moreover, the fragmentary character of these pieces is distinctive for John Zorn’s musical vision at the time. (According to the American musicologist Richard Taruskin, Zorn once wrote that “‘I’ve got an incredibly short attention span’, and that his music is meant for listeners who, like him, grew up with television.” *)
In my opinion, “Naked City” is a postmodern masterpiece and an artistic statement in the line of such landmark works as Ornette Coleman’s “The Shape Of Jazz To Come”, Frank Zappa’s “Freak Out!” and Captain Beefheart’s “Trout Mask Replica”. Apart from that it could be a nice introduction into Zorn’s gigantic discography. People who like wild, experimental music will certainly enjoy it, and especially fans of Mr. Bungle or Fantômas will be delighted.

* Richard Taruskin, The Oxford History Of Western Music, Volume 5: The Late Twentieth Century (Oxford University Press, 2005), p. 504

:::Review by Joren:::

John Zorn - Naked City (1990)

1. Batman (2:04)
2. The Sicilian Clan (Ennio Morricone) (3:33)
3. You Will Be Shot (1:31)
4. Latin Quarter (4:12)
5. A Shot In The Dark (Henry Mancini) (3:13)
6. Reanimator (1:43)
7. Snagglepuss (2:20)
8. I Want To Live (Johnny Mandel) (2:12)
9. Lonely Woman (Ornette Coleman) (2:45)
10. Igneous Ejaculation (0:24)
11. Blood Duster (0:17)
12. Hammerhead (0:11)
13. Demon Sanctuary (0:42)
14. Obeah Man (0:20)
15. Ujaku (0:31)
16. Fuck The Facts (0:14)
17. Speedball (0:44)
18. Chinatown (Jerry Goldsmith) (4:28)
19. Punk China Doll (3:06)
20. N.Y. Flat Top Box (0:46)
21. Saigon Pickup (4:50)
22. The James Bond Theme (John Barry) (3:06)
23. Den Of Sins (1:14)
24. Contempt (Georges Delerue) (2:54)
25. Graveyard Shift (3:32)
26. Inside Straight (4:17)

Musicians
- John Zorn / alto sax
- Bill Frisell / guitar
- Wayne Horvitz / keyboards
- Fred Frith / bass
- Joey Baron / drums
special guest:
- Yamatsuka Eye / vocals

A trio consisting of alto saxophonist John Zorn, bassist Bill Laswell,and drummer Mick Harris, Painkiller was a novel blend of free improv, jazz, dub, and death metal. Although the lineup occasionally expanded to include the uniquely gifted Japanese vocalist Yamantaka Eye and other guests, Execution Ground is an investigation of the power and range of the core trio. The first disc of this inventive and unsettling two-disc set features three long improvisations that show off the band's dub influence. The second disc, subtitled "Ambient Dub," is a rethinking/remix of the third and first improvs on the first disc. Overall less thrashy than some Painkiller excursions, the improvisations here are striking for their greater sonic space without sacrificing any of the heaviness. At times, the band rests, making way for ominous breathing and distant sustained screams, which recur throughout. The transitions from silence to groove to noise and back are relentless and dramatic. Harris proves to be an astonishingly inventive drummer, consistently varying the foundation in surprising ways. Laswell's tone varies from the brightness of flanged round-wound strings scraping the frets to a clean, menacing low-frequency pulse, and sticks mostly to elemental, non-flashy lines that keep the mood deep and dark. Zorn's playing is excellent here, varying between extremely overblown piercing tones (perhaps the best way of being heard over such a rhythm section) and nearly conventional jazzy lines that confidently ride atop the din. An occasional microtonal chorus effect warps his playing, and the effect is so disturbing that it's surprising he soon abandoned this technique.

:::Review by Maurice Rickard:::

Painkiller - Execution Ground (1994)

Execution Ground
1-01. Parish Of Tama (Ossuary Dub) (16:05)
1-02. Morning Of Balachaturdasi (14:45)
1-03. Pashupatinath (13:47)
Ambient
2-01. Pashupatinath Ambient (20:00)
2-02. Parish Of Tama Ambient (19:19)

Credits
Artwork By [Layout, Design] - Studio T.
Bass, Samples - Bill Laswell
Drums, Samples, Vocals - Mick Harris
Engineer - Oz Fritz (tracks: 1-01 to 1-03) , Robert Musso (tracks: 2-01, 2-02)
Saxophone, Vocals - John Zorn

John Zorn's absorption of klezmer motifs into avant-garde jazz is remarkable in itself, but even more extraordinary is Masada's utter command of the two genres' fiercely visceral energies. Fueled by Joey Baron's ferocious drumming and Zorn's savage, apocalyptic squeal, Beit is an archetype of focused intensity. (Anyone dying for truth in jazz needs only to hear "Peliyot" to be instantly transfixed and astounded.) Baron and Greg Cohen are among the most powerful and perceptive rhythm sections in any genre, and Dave Douglas, one of the most brilliant trumpeters of his generation, continues to lend immaculate support. Simply stated, this is one of jazz's greatest groups.

:::Review by Jim Smith:::

Masada- Vol. 2: Beit (1995)

1. Piram (7:08)
2. Hadasha (10:05)
3. Lachish (2:25)
4. Rachab (4:47)
5. Peliyot (4:32)
6. Achshaph (2:44)
7. Sansanah (7:09)
8. Ravayah (3:19)
9. Sahar (6:12)
10. Tirzah (8:47)
11. Shilhim (2:18)

Credits
Bass - Greg Cohen
Drums - Joey Baron
Mastered By - Allan Tucker
Producer - John Zorn , Kazunori Sugiyama
Recorded By, Mixed By - Jim Anderson
Saxophone [Alto], Composed By - John Zorn
Trumpet - Dave Douglas