Search - Electric Masada :: 50th Birthday Celebration 4

Finally ... but was it worth the wait?

Troy Collins | Lancaster, PA United States | 05/26/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Potentially THE holy grail for the Downtown fanbase, John Zorn's "Electric Masada" has finally arrived. A live set, recorded during Zorn's 50th birthday celebration at NYC's premier new music venue; Tonic, merits most of the acclaim it will undoubtably get. Although all the tunes presented on "Electric Masada" have been performed by various aggregations over the years - from solo acoustic guitar renditions to full chamber sextet arrangements, they have never been performed as forcefully and sublimely as they are here.Zorn's electric version of his now famous acoustic Masada quartet is sort of an unholy cross between his own infamous post-modern super-group: Naked City and Miles Davis' (...) Brew era band, albeit playing their now well know Yiddish klezmer melodies. Stop-start, change on a dime transitions abound as well as long, drawn out groove sections featuring extended solos. Everything from Naked City inspired heavy metal/free jazz skronk to funky electric fusion on down to mellow, atmospheric exotica find their way into this set. The set list order is generally one of full on rush to slow burn chill out. The edgier tunes appear in the first half of the set, with the last half containing the more mellow and atmospheric pieces. Fans of Zorn's exotica tribute "The Gift", will find much to savor in this albums final moments. Those wishing for a Naked City reunion should pay attention early on, as Zorn's live Cobra-esque direction can be detected in the first half of the set, as well as Marc Ribot's gritty electric guitar work and Zorn's (seemingly) endless squealing alto. Zorn revisits his heavy metal infatuation in some of these pieces, and how much you appreciate this depends on your perspective. For those seeking traditional jazz with an ethnic twist, this will be blasphemy, but for those seeking a visceral one-two sonic punch, this will be Heaven. For those who've followed Zorn's work as long as this reviewer has, it will merely seem old hat, and possibly a tad bit disappointing at that. But this is a small complaint, as all the musicians on this disc are stellar players and hearing them work through these varied tunes is a delight. Ikue Mori finds novel ways to use her sampler here, while Jamie Saft's fusion-y keyboard antics are both retrogressive and futuristic at once. But the lion's share of the solos belong to Ribot and Zorn, who both modify their statements to meet the requirements of the piece in question. From full on wailing to subtle, nuanced excursions, these two sound like they were made for each other.If there is any real complaint to be had, it is in the live recording, or at least the concept of. The sound is fine, it's the presentation that comes into question. This merely sounds like the document of a band in transition, recorded on one good night, not the sort of finely tuned conceptual masterpiece Zorn normally releases with his studio recordings. If the band were to go into the studio to record these pieces and the compositions/arrangements were tightened up a bit and the sound fine tuned (ie., edited, compressed, etc.), they would have the makings of an absolute masterpiece. As it currently stands, this is Zorn's most diverse and exploratory working ensemble. Here's hoping they make it into the studio sometime soon."

Why I love avant-garde jazz

Jan P. Dennis | Monument, CO USA | 07/22/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First of all, where else are you going to find two drummers and a percussionist as part of the band--and not only that, two of the world's greatest drummers (Kenny Wollesen and Joey Baron) and probably the world's greatest living percussionist (Cyro Baptista)? Nowhere, that's where. But they're on board here, laying out some of the smartest, grooviest, heaviest beats around.



Second, where else are you going to find an aesthetic that can effortlessly incorporate white noise, wah-wah guitar, world-beat percussion, soul-jazz keyboards, honkin' sax, laptop electronics, the blooze--and make it all sound perfectly natural? Again, nowhere else.



Third, and this is perhaps most important, where else are you going to find deliciously glorious moments, moments of the starkest beauty, emerging from what almost seems like primal chaos? Again, nowhere else. But it happens here. Regularly.



Fourth, where else are you going to get a group of musicians with such res, such substance, such undeniable accomplishment and idiosyncratic genius to record live with such spectacular results? Again, nowhere else.



Look. I'm known for my over-the-top reviews (although I've received many e-mails thanking me for my forthrightness in praising jazz artists). I freely admit that sometimes I get carried away with a way-happening vibe and lose objectivity. But that's not happening here. See, I'm not a Zorn groupie. I don't automatically sign on to anything he does. He's got to EARN if from me. And he does here.



I daresay that this represents perhaps the finest group of jazz musicians ever assembled. Quite a claim, I know. But it's true. Let's just run down each one: Leader Zorn (composer, alto sax, label owner), a man who has an impeccable downtown pedigree (although not one I'm always on board with); Marc Ribot (guitar), a man who has slowly built a reputation as one who can effectively play in nearly any variety of contexts (everything from solo acoustic to avant-classical to freak-out jazz); Jamie Saft (keyboards), owner of the sickest organ sound around, as well as the hippest; Ikue Mori (laptop electronics), founding member of that too-hip outfit, Mephista; Trevor Dunn (bass), a name not known to me (my bad), who exhibits a spectacular command of his instrument; Joey Baron (drums), a fellow who has played in a staggering variety of contexts including holding down the drum chair in John Abercrombie's latest band; Kenny Wollesen (drums), another simply monster player with impeccable downtown as well as straight ahead credentials, and Cyro Baptista (percussion), leader on one of the greatest world jazz albums ever recorded, Vira Loucos.



Together, these artists conceptualize a soundscape of such outrageous and beautiful proportions that it must be heard to be believed. That they do it live is all the more praiseworthy.



Simply too good to be true. Admittedly, not for the faint of heart, but it strikes me that the adventurous listener could greatly widen his or her listening experience by carefully attending to what's going down here.



Highest recommendation."

Perfection

SPM | Eugene, Oregon | 06/11/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of the best Zorn albums of all time. It's amazing. Electric Masada is a band of eight musicians --- two drummers, a percussion player, electric guitar, keyboards, bass guitar, Ikue Mori playing sound effects, and Zorn on saxophone. On this live set, they play well-known Masada songs, turning up the volume and stretching out the melodies.This CD is full of beautiful noise and improvisation. The second track is a wild, heavy metal version of klezmer that has to be heard to be believed. Other tracks drift from introspective sounds and gentle playing to high-speed chaos. It never really breaks apart into pure noise, but the threat is always there. Half of the time, the music is so gentle, it fades into the background.This album is the climax of a long series of klezmer experiments by John Zorn. He started with Masada as a traditional four-piece band, recording ten studio albums. Then he recorded new arrangements of the same songs with other ensembles. Then he put out live albums. Now he's brought it all together with an album of new arrangements of traditional Masada songs, played live. It has the feel of the best game pieces (like Xu Feng) and some of Zorn's explorations of exotica (like The Gift).I highly recommend this CD. Even if you've never heard Zorn's work before, give it a try. Some of the songs are a little noisy, but you'll love it."