Search - John Zorn, Elliott Sharp, Bobby Previte :: Downtown Lullaby

Loose and entertaining.

Michael Stack | North Chelmsford, MA USA | 08/05/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It seems that every so often, there comes along a record thats en vogue to bash-- "Downtown Lullaby" is one of them. Improvised wholly in the studio by four of the most well known musicians on the downtown New York scene, the record has a quality often not found in the majority of the work of these four-- it's loose.



Each song is named after the address of a loft space from the '70s (where no doubt these guys first played together, and the pieces are fun and open, infuences and sounds come in and out. One thing that's somewhat unexpected (and I think this may be the reason the record is criticized) is that it has a tendency to fall into structures and order that belies its all improv nature. When you hear the notion of John Zorn improvised in the studio, you think of htat sort of wake the neighbors fierceness that he can be known for, but that's not what this is.



What it is though is still a good record, and it sounds like a lot of fun, with funky beats ("484 Broome"), middle eastern minimalist vibe ("228 West Broadway") and yeah, even an occasional moment where someone (and that someone seems to usually be zorn) comes totally unglued with fantastic results ("500 West 52nd").



It's not a masterpiece, no, and it's not likely to make the top of anyone's rotation, but its a good album. Check it out sometime, you might be surprised."