Search - John Zorn :: Asmodeus: The Book of Angels, Vol. 7

Nice mix of accessible rock and avante garde jazz

Richard B. Schuchman | Orlando, FL United States | 08/02/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Just picked this up the other day and I haven't stopped listening to it yet. Just guitar, bass and drums. Jewish/Sephardic melodies played in a rock/avante-garde jazz style. The brief liner notes compare his playing to Hendrix, McLaughlin, Sharrock, and Ulmer. I'd probably say closest to Sharrock, maybe because he's played with Zorn, but also because he may be the least "in the pocket" player and most willing to take chances, but without the trademark "blizzard of notes". Ribot's not a shredder, but he certainly keeps you guessing where the solo's going next, and he embraces dissonance like a certain bucket wearing guitarist Zorn is certainly familiar with. An interesting aspect of his style (on this cd anyway) is he doesn't use much vibrato, especially when holding a long note. Couple this with some of the high keening notes of the middle eastern scale and his slightly acidic tone and it really makes for a unique sound, almost like a reed instrument. The rhythm section is infallible, and keeps everything "real" and listenable through Marc's wanderings down Electric Ladyland. Trevor Dunn's bass work is quite remarkable, occasionally bubbling to the surface, then back down to groove-keeping. The tunes Yezriel, Zakun and Dagiel are my personal favorites. Yezriel in particular has a 60's groove reminscient of Jefferson Airplane's eastern experiments, but Ribot takes it somewhere Jorma never could have imagined (no matter how much acid he consumed). My only complaint is the cd's only 36 minutes long, but it's a thrilling 1/2 hour. Buy it cheap and enjoy!"

Not for the faint of heart.

Michael Stack | North Chelmsford, MA USA | 08/22/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Asmodeus" is the seventh installment in John Zorn's Masada Book II. In case anyone reading is unfamiliar, a brief introduction: in the early '90s, Zorn began exploring his Jewish and Jazz heritages through the composition of a songbook of themes that could serve as a sprinboard for improvisation. He composed some 200 songs for the original jazz quartet, eventually expanding the project to be performed by other acts. Over a decade after its inception, Zorn revitalized the aging (by his standards) project by injecting a new songbook into the mix-- the Book of Angels, a collection of around 300 new themes. Instead of focusing on a band this time, Zorn has had different groups perform the material. "Asmodeus" presents ten pieces from the book as performed by a rock power trio led by guitarist Marc Ribot, ably supported by bassist Trevor Dunn and drummer G. Calvin Weston.



What follows is something that, even moreso than Electric Masada did, will shake your impression as to where this project can go. From the opener "Kalmiya"-- it's clear that this is something forceful-- Ribot comes blazing out with a frantic, noisy, overdriven guitar solo over a raging rhythm section before settling into a bit of a monster groove, with the melody eventually floating above (or perhaps in opposition to) a freely associating Dunn and Weston. Quite frankly, it's like Ornette Coleman's Prime Time project on steroids.



While the record admittedly settles down a bit (the second track, "Yezriel", finds the trio slinking into a blues rock feel after the explosive opener), the performance maintains a raging intensity and seemingly endless blistering guitar pyrotechnics throughout. Admittedly, at times this causes the performance to deviate a bit, capturing this sort of performance almost universally works better in a live setting where you can really see and feel the interaction and energy between the band, and here it can cause the pieces to occasionally feel disjoint ("Kezef" where Ribot seems tentative, "Armaros" where Dunn does, at least after his solo). Sometimes I suspect this was the intent-- if the goal was to capture a live energy here, it would stand to reason that you'd avoid repeated takes and sometimes you'll end up a bit disjoint. On the other hand, sometimes you'll end up so disjoint that what you'll have its a piece that bubbles over with so much energy, you can't help but be in awe of it, and Ribot's sound, while consistent on the record, still somehow manages to be all over the map, touching on John McLaughlin ("Yezriel"), Sonny Sharrock ("Cabriel") and Blood Ulmer ("Sensenya"), not to mention literally dozens of others.



One thing I can safely say about "Asmodeus", by the time it wraps up, you can almost feel exhausted. It is an immensely powerful record, and again while perhaps not as consisently successful as other entries in the Masada Book II catalog (the Masada String Trio record comes immediately to mind), this one is so overwhelming in its dissection and deconstruction of the rock idiom that it's hard to think of it as anything short of fantastic. Recommended."

Avant-garde rock

The Delite Rancher | Phoenix, Arizona | 02/24/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"In the spirit of there being a balance of opinions, I would like to offer an alternative take on "Asmodeus." This will be a contrast with the previous five star reviews. I've found that when it comes to Marc Ribot, it's either hit or miss. While a project like Los Cubanos Postizos was a big hit, "Asmodeus" falls shorts. The most succinct word to describe this album is 'noise.' As far as a Book of Angels context goes, this is hard rock. This rambling music doesn't begin anywhere and likewise it doesn't really go anyplace. There are times when it sounds like all three musicians are trying to simultaneously solo. I suppose this could be described as avant-garde rock. Mostly, Trevor Dunn and G. Calvin Weston lay down a groove and Ribot noodles over it. At times the playing echoes Jimi Hendrix and the Band of Gypsies. Considering that I come from both a Jazz and Jamband perspective, I am surprised at how uncompelling this effort is given the musicians and sonic environment. To listen to the Marc Ribot that I love, check out "Lucifer," which is volume 10 in the Book of Angels. In the Bar Kokhba Sextet, Ribot's playing is articulate, passionate and stunningly beautiful. "Asmodeus" has merits, but should be skipped over."