Search - John Zorn :: Masada, Vol. 2

Brilliance.

Michael Stack | North Chelmsford, MA USA | 06/22/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Masada's second album (although the first four were recorded the same day) is probably the most powerful of the early Masada studio releases, and may be the best studio record in the band's catalog-- witness the constant performance since of several of the tracks on this one in the live Masada sets. The band (John Zorn- alto sax, Dave Douglas- trumpet, Greg Cohen- bass, Joey Baron- drums) plays with a near psychic interaction, performing Jewish-tinged theme-based songs in a jazz style with dueling soloing on the frontline and stunning support. The most critical aspect of the music though may be the realization that often the support for the soloist is as powerful as the lead voice.



What makes this album stand out is that there it is an album of foreceful and powerful music-- everything, even the more laid back material, is injected with a sense of urgency and emotion that is somehow not as prevelent on the other material from the same session-- look no further than the breathtaking "Hadasha" (with probably the best soloing Douglas did in Masada, which is saying something) or the pair of "Sahar" and "Tirzah"-- the former is a building, churning piece (albeit with a somewhat dull theme) that reaching boiling point and evaporates into the subtle and quiet "Tirzah". Neither piece is particularly intriguing on their own, but together they work quite well (and pay close attention to the work Baron does under Cohen's solo on "Tirzah", he's nothing short of genius).



Other standouts include the near thrash jazz piece "Lachish"-- a short, propuslive number that just threatens to get tedious when it ends and drum feature "Ravayah"-- speaking of standout playing in Masada, Joey Baron takes a drum solo of such patience and careful development that it is nothing short of purely brilliant.



If you're looking for somewhere to start with Masada's extensive studio catalog (though I'd recommend starting with the live birthday concert from 2003-- its an unnervingly brilliant performance), this is quite a good spot-- it really is brilliant music. Highly recommended."