Masada, Vol. 1 [Import]

Masada, Vol. 1 [Import]

ASIN: B000005RGI

Track Listings

1. Jair

2. Bith Aneth

3. Tzofeh

4. Ashnah

5. Tahah

6. Kanah

7. Delin

8. Janohah

9. Zebdi

10. Idalah-Abal

11. Zelah

Tracks:

Azazel, Book of Angels, Vol. 2/Tufiel
Azazel, Book of Angels, Vol. 2/Mibi
Azazel, Book of Angels, Vol. 2/Tabaet
Azazel, Book of Angels, Vol. 2/Symnay
Azazel, Book of Angels, Vol. 2/Mastema
Azazel, Book of Angels, Vol. 2/Bethor
Azazel, Book of Angels, Vol. 2/Uriel
Azazel, Book of Angels, Vol. 2/Gurid
Azazel, Book of Angels, Vol. 2/Gazriel
Azazel, Book of Angels, Vol. 2/Azazel
Azazel, Book of Angels, Vol. 2/Rssasiel
Azazel, Book of Angels, Vol. 2/Garzanal
Azazel, Book of Angels, Vol. 2/Ahiel

Customer Reviews:

not your average genius.......2007-06-15

Any old genius can write music that startles, challenges the mind or moves the heart. Perhaps only a genius like John Zorn can write something that sounds like middle eastern restaurant muzak and still have his fans barking like trained seals at his cleverness. This is unremarkable world music hash warmed over.

Simply put- superb........2005-12-19

"Azazel" is the second in the series of releases for John Zorn's Masada Book Two. In the early '90s, Zorn wrote about two hundred pieces for his Masada project-- a songbook of melodies that could serve as springboards for improvisation all written using the "Jewish scales"-- this lent a slight klezmer bent to the music. In the second half of 2004, Zorn took it upon himself to compose a new book of Masada pieces-- all told he composed some three hundred melodies, naming each after an angel and titling the songbook "The Book of Angels". "Azazel" is performed by the Masada String Trio-- violinist Mark Feldman, cellist Eric Friedlander and bassist Greg Cohen.

One thing immediately notable about the pieces is the diversity of moods on them-- it seems as a composer Zorn seemed to also challenge himself to repeat little ground and avoid sounding, for lack of better term, Jewish. The pieces cover such diverse styles as frantic cartoon music ("Mibi", "Gurid"), lush and romantic ("Mastema", "Garzanal"), patient yet foreceful ("Tabaet"), moody ("Symnay"), dramatic ("Bethor") and just plain exciting and fantastic ("Uriel", "Aheil"). Of course, this is all helped by having just purely virtuoso performances-- these guys have been playing together (and playing Zorn's compositions) for nearly a decade and it shows-- they approach the material with an unusual sensitivity and vigor-- really digging deep inside the pieces. At times, each receives a spotlight and performs admirably, but its really the collective play that pans out, whether it be cartoon explosions and frantic improvs ("Mibi") or one outdoing the other as they trade solos ("Symnay", "Azazel", "Garzanal"), it seems that every time you think they've reached a peak, someone brings it just a bit higher.

When I first listened to this, I thought to myself that it really isn't quite as good as the live performances,b ut as I listen to this more critically for this review, truthfully I can't find anything bad to say about it-- this album is just utterly fantastic-- its not so simple as to say it's "chamber music" or "jazz on strings" or any other label, its just fantastic music performed admirably. Highly recommended.

Book Two : Book of Angels keeps amazing us..........2005-12-04

You hear people sometimes say that JZ has stopped to surprise us with his various Masada recordings and that there are "too many" Masada records ...
I could'n disagree more. JZ wrote a new batch of around 300 Masada tunes in a few months time : "The Book of Angels". These tunes will not be played by the acoustic Jazz Quartet "Masada", but by various groups. This CD, the second volume, has the Masada String Trio playing 13 new Masada tunes. They do not cease to amaze me in their quality of composition, arrangements, playing, improvising...
The character of the Masada tunes of Book II is a bit different from the first book : they are as versatile and brilliant as those of book one, but also very refined and sometimes a bit less agressive. (more mature ?)
Some pieces have the theme in pizzicato, like "Uriel" and "Tabaet", which reminds us a bit of the famous "Abidan"-theme, but very pleasing indeed. And then there are the lyrical ones, like "Mastema" and "Garzanal", which has some Klezmer violin-playing influence.
On the CD are some jump/cut cartoon-like pieces that are played brillantly. The improvisation is brilliant and very convincing. You feel and hear that these guys have worked a lot together and are at the top of their playing.

If you have not yet tasted the Masada String Trio, this is a must-have. If you know the MST, buy it and you'll be fascinated by the new roads they take with the Book of Angels.

The future looks bright ..........2005-11-28

Now in a holding pattern, John Zorn has long since left behind the post-modern jump cutting aesthetics of his initial game pieces and Naked City hard cross-over band to focus solely on his two greatest loves, composing and his Masada project. What once started out as an acoustic jazz quartet modeled on Ornette Coleman's infamous piano-less quartet, albeit fuelled by Yiddish scales and melodies, has now grown into Zorn's primary passion. With over three thousand individual compositions to his credit, Zorn has debuted his second book of compositions, "The Book Of Angels: Masada, Volume Two." This string trio recording is the studio debut of a number of new, never before recorded Masada compositions.

Fitting in seamlessly with the rest of Zorn's discography, these tunes conjure the same sort of timeless magic that the Masada songbook has always enjoyed. Modal in nature, with a primal and naturalistic drive, Masada tunes have proven to be Zorn's most popular project, even despite their sometimes intense and discordant delivery. Veering from haunting balladry to frenzied interplay, the trio accepts all of the composer's compositional challenges with glee. Featuring Mark Feldman on violin, Erik Friedlander on cello and Greg Cohen from the original Masada quartet on bass, the trio is never at a loss for virtuosic creativity. Strings are bowed, plucked and scraped in a passionate commingling of ancient Yiddish harmonics and post-modern compositional aesthetics.

"Azazel" is a stunningly beautiful example of the power and persistence of Zorn's vision and a welcome reminder of the composers abilities. "Azazel" is the first of many potential recordings featuring the second book of Masada tunes, as such it is a wonderful introduction to this familiar old world.

Masada String Trio: 50th Birthday Celebration, Vol. 1

Average customer rating:

Sorry - I ran out of cliches!
mmm...Issachar is better...
Superb live set from the Masada String Trio.
A brilliant performance

Masada String Trio: 50th Birthday Celebration, Vol. 1

Manufacturer: Tzadik
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0001886JI
Release Date: 2004-02-24

Tracks:

Tahah
Abidan
Lachish
Sippur
Malkut
Meholalot
Kedushah
Ner Tamid
Karet
Moshav
Khebar

Customer Reviews:

Sorry - I ran out of cliches!.......2006-02-23

I've been listening to Zorn's music for a while now, and it took a Live Masada String Trio performance, in person, to finally get me to purchase this. I saw the trio perform a few weeks ago at Zorn's club, The Stone, in lower Manhattan. From the first couple bars of the first song, I was hooked. I would say I listen to this live record more often than any other music I've picked up in a while - which is a pretty big deal considering my vast music collection.

For those unaware, John Zorn has had a group since the mid-90's called Masada which combines Klezmer music with avant-garde 'Ornette Coleman-style' jazz. The group performs out of two books of songs, all of which have been written by Zorn himself. There are literally hundreds of Masada songs out there, and in addition to the regular quartet, there are several other ensembles that also perform Masada songs - the string trio is one of these groups.

The Masada String Trio consists of Mark Feldman (violin), Erik Friedlander (cello), and Greg Cohen (bass). Zorn sits in and conducts them. I've seen it in person as he literally opens up a Masada song book and randomly pulls out pieces. "Number 65," Zorn would say and Mark, Erik, and Greg would pull out that song and play it as if they had performed it thousands of times before. This is not classical music - it has a foundation in jazz, so it's basically jazz being performed on instruments not normally used for that style of music. There is definitely improvising going on, and Zorn picks which musicians improvise and when. His conducting goes far beyound that, though, and he will often cue one or two musicians to play just one note, or a series of individual notes broken down between the three performers. It is easier to pick up on these elements if you have had the privelage of actually seeing it in person. Zorn also does this for his other groups such as Electric Masada, except in that group, he is also a performer!

The sounds emanating from my stereo when I listen to this cd are some of the most beautiful and majestic I have ever heard. I could listen to this for the rest of my life and never get bored with it. If you are somewhat familiar with the Masada catalogue, you may recognize some of these tracks. The most impressive element is the switch between arco and pizzicato on tracks such as 'Abidan,' 'Meholalot,' and 'Khebar' - the last being a real barn-burner! The trio is masterful on more digestable tracks as well like the opening, 'Tahah' or the relaxing 'Sippur'.

I also believe this record is evidence of Zorn's superb song writing abilities. He has written hundreds of Masada pieces but they can be performed for all sorts of different ensambles that span several different styles of music. No matter what the vehicle of delivery is, the performances are always breathtaking. This is a great place to start if you are not familiar with Zorn's music - most indviduals I have played this for loved it immediately. If you are not new to Zorn and don't own this, you are doing yourself a major inconvenience. Pick it up.

mmm...Issachar is better..........2006-01-11

...a couple of errors but it's a fine recording...Of course, Issachar is better. To me...three stars and a half.

Superb live set from the Masada String Trio........2005-04-26

This album, the first volume of releases from a series of concerts in September 2003 at Tonic celebrating John Zorn's 50th birthday, brings forward the Masada String Trio-- Mark Feldman (violin), Erik Friedlander (cello), and Greg Cohen (bass), conducted by composer John Zorn. The trio plays pieces out of the Masada songbook, bringing a chamber aesthetic to the music, but maintaining the largely improvised concept behind the music-- in many ways, this highlights the genius of these players, to be so far out of the accepted domain for their instruments and formation-- string trios improvising on jazz?-- and yet still produce something of such magic and beauty, sometimes aggressive, in your face, as much so as Zorn and Dave Douglas wailing on two horns ("Malkut"), sometimes delicate, passive, truly chamber-like ("Abidan").

One thing that should be noted for anyone who hasn't seen this ensemble live, Zorn conducts to a great level, signaling soloists, accompaniments, when the head comes back around, etc. He'll cut off the musicians, start them back up, elicit a single note from them, or keep them on the tracks until the point of derailing, switch them at once from arco to pizzicato and back again, and generally keeps tight control of the proceedings-- to watch the three string players with their focus intently on Zorn and yet playing with such sympathy for each other is really something to behold.

The music itself is impressively performed, most of the songs are drawn from "The Circle Maker", each is given an expert reading, filled with briliant soloing and accompaniment ("Meholalot"), the Masada soloist-counter soloist concept remains firmly in place with the trio. To discuss the pieces individually is almost without point, the Masada songbook has a quality where each piece is really a vehicle and is almost less essential than the power of the performance-- a stunning array of technique is shown here, these three, particularly in my assessment Friedlander, are masters of their instrument and have a real passion for the material, getting deep into it. It also I feel is the best of the Masada chamber pieces, highly recommended.

A brilliant performance.......2004-03-30

In September 2003, the club Tonic hosted a month-long tribute to John Zorn's music. Zorn and all of his favorite musicians were involved. This CD is the first in a series documenting that celebration.

At first glance, this is a live version of The Circle Maker --- and that fact alone makes it worth buying. The Masada String Trio (Mark Feldman, Erik Friedlander, and Greg Cohen) plow through eleven well-known Masada tunes, with Zorn conducting from the sidelines. The performance is fast and creative. You can tell that these musicians love to play these songs.

Tracks:

Karaim
Hath-Arob
Sippur
Acharei Mot
Kedushah
Ravayah
Piram
Ashnah

Customer Reviews:

I'm not sure...2 or 3 stars..........2006-01-11

I am a John Zorn mega fan...but this one is more more less than I expected...And if there are more than 50 used CDs, there will be a reason...

Overwhelming and brilliant live set........2005-04-23

This set, recorded September 18, 2003 at Tonic during Zorn's extended birthday celebration, is the most recent recording of the original Masada quartet-- John Zorn on alto sax, Dave Douglas on trumpet, Greg Cohen on bass, and Joey Baron on drums.

What is there to say about this band that hasn't been said already? If you're not familiar with them, the project was Zorn's attempt at coming to terms, musically, with both his Jewish and his jazz heritage-- while parallels are rightfully drawn to Ornette Coleman's original quartet, there's a number of other influences, most thoroughly the Klezmer vibe in the pieces, that sort of Eastern European sound to the melody, vamp-like bass lines, Baron's reliance on his tom-toms, but moreso than that, there's an element of focused, simultaneous improvisation-- Zorn and Douglas often solo together as much as separately. It also many of the standard Zorn ideas-- the Pharoah Sanders/Albert Ayler speaking-in-tongues sax overblowing, the overt Carl Stalling influences, in both timber and arrangement, the sort of pseudo-theatrical nature of soundtrack music. The music is injected with brilliance, wit and humor and for any fan of jazz, is essential, even if the rest of Zorn's work is foreign or too far out of orbit. Probably the magic of this band is that all of them are the center of things, the four of them are phenomenal musicians who sound like they were born to be playing this music.

Truth to be told, given the band's massive catalog (ten studio albums and I think seven live ones, plus several albums of other groups performing Masada material), and the fact that none of the studio records stand out as particularly superb in my mind (they're all quite good), the live sets fare much better, with my own preferences being this one and the "Live at Tonic" release. The material on this set is pretty widely spread over the Masada catalog, three songs from Masada 2, two from 9, and one each from 3, 7, and "The Circle Maker" (Masada songs in a chamber setting).

Right away, you get everything they have to offer-- "Karaim" is a great mid-tempo piece with extended dual improvs between Zorn and Douglas, Zorn's fiery squeals, a great (if brief) drum solo over the bass vamp. The only thing missing is the overt cartoon music sound, with comes to the fore on the next track, "Hath-Arob"-- opening with a great trade between bass and drums, it eventually moves into its frantically stated theme with the entire ensemble using cartoon noises to great effect.

The thing that's amazing is that after twenty minutes of fire, the band keeps lighting it up throughout the album-- "Acharei Mot" features jaw dropping (yet remarkably tasteful given how extraordinary it is) drumming over which Zorn and Douglas really dig in fiercely, it maintains the intensity without drifting out of orbit of its vamp (Zorn threatens, but Cohen and Baron keep things grounded), and check Baron's soloing and the rest of the band when they trade fours towards the end-- incredible!

As this is a collective, and the virtuosity is spread throughout, Zorn leaves room for features for both his rhythm players-- bass feature "Kedushah" and drum feature "Ravayah" allow Cohen and Baron to prove just how brilliant their playing is through extended solos of remarkable creativity, innovation, and technique, and for that matter, through their sympathetic accompaniment for the other underneath the other's solos. Zorn and Douglas, for their parts, maintain full restraint of these tunes, appropriately allowing the rhythm section shine. The opposite is true on "Piram", where the front line pull out all the stops. Zorn in particular is on fire, with Baron pushing him higher and higher, and for a front-line feature, check out Cohen and Baron below Douglas during his powerful solo.

For all this excitement, there are some more layed back moments-- "Sippur" slips nicely and stays in a groove, and "Ashnah" is so tame and quiet as to almost be soporific during the theme before building-- check out some of Baron's brushwork and Cohen's sympathetic accompaniment to Zorn and Douglas' quiet lines. For all the rest that this record is, the use of space on this one is as powerful as the flurries, sympathetic playing, and countering on other pieces. And certainly Zorn and Douglas accompanying Cohen's solo on breathy sounds through their horns is nothing short of breathtaking.

If you haven't gotten the impression, I really can't say enough good things about this one, so few discs stretching 77 minutes are great the whole way through, this one is an exception. Highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

Great Place to Start
Amazing.
quintessential Zorn
white-hot set from a jazz band to die for.
Why I love avant-garde jazz

50th Birthday Celebration, Vol. 4
Electric Masada
Manufacturer: Tzadik
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Masada Guitars

ASIN: B0001XXBD4
Release Date: 2004-05-25

Tracks:

Tekufah
Idalah-Abal
Hadasha
Hath-Arob
Yatzar
Lilin
Kisofim

Customer Reviews:

Great Place to Start.......2005-08-18

When I first heard John Zorn, I was a bit turned off by his styles. I use the plural, 'styles,' because he has so many different groups (naked city, masada, string trio, hemophiliac, etc.) that it would be an injustice to put Zorn into one specific category. After giving him another listen months later, I fell in love with much of his music, and this 'Electric Masada Birthday CD' is where I began.

This was recorded live at Tonic during the month of September '03 in celebration of Zorn's 50th birthday. The lineup is a who's-who of the downtown music scene - Zorn (alto sax), Marc Ribot (guitar), Jamie Saft (keys), Ikue Mori (laptop electronics), Trevor Dunn (bass), Joey Baron (drums), Kenny Wolleson (drums), and Cyro Baptista (percussion). Those who attend Zorn shows regularly at places like Tonic or The Stone will definitely recognize some of these names.

After hearing the wide scope of music Zorn is reponsible for, I can say for certain that this album is a perfect place to start for new fans. Some would argue that Naked City is a good place to begin, but I find that music to be a little too commercial, and frankly, not in line with some of Zorn's more recent projects. The music played here is a 'best-of' from the Masada catalogue with an electric spin on it. The most notable additions are Dunn, (from Mr. Bungle and other work with Mike Patton), Ribot (who is best known for his work with Tom Waits), and Ikue Mori who uses some of the craziest samples you will ever hear, such as the 'giggling madman' sound we hear on track 6, 'Lilin'.

This music is not as challenging as some of Zorn's other work in the way that this is not totally improvised. The songs have structure, for the most part, and at times have some extremely 'catchy' parts. My favorite track here is 'Idalah-Abal' which sounds like Black Sabbath with Zorn! The guitar part is mundane in nature, and matches well with Zorn's squeals, honks, and screeches. This reminds of 'Batman' from the original Naked City album. Another favorite of mine is 'Hath Arob' which is full of dissonant harmonies, probably influenced by cats like Ornette Coleman or some of Coltrane's later work. However, it is irresponsible to compare Zorn to anyone else, because his music embodies the term 'originality.'

If you are growing tired of the stale, bland music that monopolizes the radio these days, and you want something refreshing, check out Zorn. If you take my advice and pick this up, and find it to be too challenging, I would then recommend his first Naked City album from the 80's. Whether you love him or hate him, there is no denying the religious experience of listening to John Zorn.

Amazing........2005-04-19

One of the most highly anticipated bands led by downtown New York luminary John Zorn is the Electric Masada ensemble-- often thought of as Naked City meets Masada, but this sells the concept short-- this is really the culmination of Zorn's career-- the game pieces and conducted systems, the jump cut and genre blending, and the Jewish-tinged jazz. The band's roster is constantly shifting, based I suspect on availability, the lineup on this particular recording is John Zorn (alto sax, conductor), Marc Ribot (guitar), Jamie Saft (keys), Ikue Mori (laptop), Trevor Dunn (bass), Joey Baron and Kenny Wollesen (drums), and Cyro Baptista (percussion), performing as part of the month-long Zorn festival celebrating his 50th birthday at Tonic.

If you haven't seen the Electric Masada band, it may be hard to understand some of what's going on with this recording-- I know my appreciation of it deepened after witnessing this first hand-- Zorn literally conducts the band, bringing musicians in and out, queuing solos, accompaniments, blasts of noise, themes, bass lines, etc. as necessary. Nothing you hear on this, no matter how free and unled it sounds, is out of his control-- the musicians focused intently on him for every sequence-- every free improv is highly structured, every entrance in the midst of chaos is timed by him. It helps that Zorn has an extraordinarily sympathetic group of musicians to work with-- Ribot is perhaps of all the brilliant guitar players to work with Zorn, the best foil for him. The same could be said for any number of musicians on this one-- Baptista, Mori and Baron all have long associations and a real understanding for how Zorn works, or more importantly, how Zorn wants to work. I also believe all of them worked with Zorn on his game pieces, and while there may not be rules defined like there were in the game pieces, Zorn is definitely calling all the shots.

The performance on here is brilliant-- a number of pieces should be familiar to anyone with time spent in the Masada catalog, although one of the things about the Masada songbook that (to me) makes it so special is the infectious and familiar nature of the pieces-- the first time you hear the songs, you almost feel like you grew up with them. The performances cover a lot of territory, blending through genres, keeping the same sort of anchored feel that the Masada pieces have, and highlighting the contributions of every member of the ensemble. I don't know if its fair to discuss highlights as the entire album is phenomenal start to finish-- even as it threatens to overwhelm, it can suddenly switch gears (very much like Naked City) and settle into a groove. And when that groove begins to grow tired, it can explode again. Unexpected sounds abound, usually from Baptista and Mori, who are adept at punctuating the work of the other musicians, although like nearly every ensemble he's part of, Ribot steals the show much of the time.

If you're a Zorn fan, this is the Holy Grail, if you're curious, there's a lot here to love, and a lot of different faces of Zorn's style to look at. Essential.

quintessential Zorn.......2005-02-11

Electric Masada is a quintessence of John Zorn portfolio. It contains of almost all sides of his freeform music vision - from brutal metal jazz of Naked City to post-folk creativity of original Masada series. It was recorded live, that adds some bonuses (as the haunting jazz atmosphere) with some passable minuses (not as perfect as usual sounding and musicianship).
Totally this record is outstanding - it holds your attention every second of 73 minutes playing time. And it's one of the few Zorn's records, that capable to play repeatedly another and another with the same delightful and exciting effect.

white-hot set from a jazz band to die for........2004-10-08

Other than the Hemophiliac disc, the Electric Masada disc from John Zorn's 50th Birthday Celebration series was the one that most excited me. And how could you not be? The lineup is something out of dreams: John Zorn (alto sax), Marc Ribot (guitar), Jamie Saft (keyboards), Ikue Mori (laptop electronics), Trevor Dunn (bass), Joey Baron (drums), Kenny Wollesson (drums) and Cyro Baptista (percussion).

Electric Masada simply rocks. The grand theme of "Idalah-abal" gains new character with its rock-oriented arrangement. "Tekufah" spends its first three minutes spiraling through clamors of triple-percussion attack, plinking electronic glass-like sounds, and tortured guitar feedback, before Dunn's fat, high-energy bass line emerges, laying the foundational groove for the main theme, the melodic anchor of the piece. Then it goes through screaming sax solos, crunchy electric organ jams, mad thematic twists on percussion, a cosmic, heavily reverb'd guitar solo, and more. "Hath-Arob", the shortest piece on the album, reveals Zorn's cartoon music affinity (something uncommon in Masada), cutting Naked-City-like between a zany klezmer melodic figure and erratic instrumental clatters.

It's not all a jazzy firestorm, tho'. "Yatzar" is very hazy and atmospheric, with strange electronics sounding like alien crickets and water-droplets in slow motion, hissing cymbals, quietly rumbling percussion, melodious Rhodes, and entrancing guitar soloing. Zorn uses the saxophone to add curious bird-like sounds to the mix. It has incredible atmosphere and lovely sounds. "Kisofim" is the mellow encore, dominated by Marc Ribot's classy soloing. He further convinces me that anything he does it topnotch. Ikue Mori also proves her impeccable taste with an array of sounds from weird cartoon character screaming (over pounding, dissonant organ chords on "Lilin"), to bizarre animal-like noises and metallic squeals (near the end of "Yatzar"). She adds a great deal of depth and deranged spontaneity that inspire this group at this live performance.

Here, the Masada songbook is interpreted with unrivalled energy and power -- it's electric! This is one of the best jazz releases of the year undoubtedly, and John Zorn's 50th birthday celebration collection is proving to be the ultimate 2004 document for jazz, avant-garde, and free-improvisation. Recommended!

Why I love avant-garde jazz.......2004-07-23

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.

Average customer rating:

Sparkling debut from Zorn's most respected project.

Masada, Vol. 1
Masada
Manufacturer: DIW
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Jewish & Yiddish Music | Folk | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Jazz Fusion | Jazz | Styles | Music

Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Avant-Garde | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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At the Mountains of Madness

ASIN: B000005RGI
Release Date: 1998-12-16

Tracks:

Jair
Bith Aneth
Tzofeh
Ashnah
Tahah
Kanah
Delin
Janohah
Zebdi
Idalah-Abal
Zelah

Customer Reviews:

Sparkling debut from Zorn's most respected project........2005-06-22

John Zorn's Masada is arguably the project for which he has received the most recognition and found success. Conceptually, its quite simple, an exploration of his roots in Judaism and jazz and an attempt at composing a songbook like Monk and other musicians had, with the restrictions that the pieces had to use the "Jewish" scales. With such a strong limitation, its quite amazing that Zorn manages to capture such a great level of diversity in the writing, and he composed somewhere around 200 pieces, performed originally by this quartet of master musicians (Zorn on alto, Dave Douglas on trumpet, Greg Cohen on bass and Joey Baron on drums) but later expanded to performance by other ensembles. The original Masada band has released ten studio albums, with a further host of live records. This is the band's debut, and one of four albums recorded on February 20, 1994.

Musically, Masada is a bit more than Ornette Coleman Quartet meets klezmer, though its often reduced to that by lazy critiques. Its strength lies in the simplicity of the themes and the ability of the musicians to really get behind them and intertwine their parts-- Douglas and Zorn will often simultaneously solo, and it seems that whenever anyone is soloing independently, someone behind them is doing something more interesting-- Baron's drum fills behind the duo-leads on "Zebdi" is probably the best of example of this-- Zorn and Douglas are ferocious, covering a ton of ground, but behind it all, Baron is stealing the show.

The album opens in an aggressive mode-- "Jair" features some fantastic soloing from Zorn, but quickly settles into the dark and meditative "Bith Aneth". This is really the strength of the Masada ensemble, the ability to express in such diversity of forms, and the piece's opening cries and squeals give way to the hypnotic theme. If you're not sold by this point on the record, you're never going to be sold on Masada.

The remainder of the album maintains this high quality, with more aggressive material including a piece with monster drum solo ("Tzofeh"), a haunting, and dark piece that three minutes in deconstructs into quiet screeches ("Ashnah") and an early classic in the Masada catalog and one of the endearing themes, the forceful and swinging "Tahah". The problem is, all these pieces I point out are on the firswt half of the record, and the material on the second half, while its certainly quite good, isn't nearly as strong (bass feature "Idalah-Abal" being the exception-- with Cohen all over the place and Baron supporting him brilliantly and gently before the horns enter, wrapping themselves way up in a theme filled with such longing as to almost be hard to listen to). The album really sort of loses steam halfway through.

Nonetheless, Masada having lost steam is quite a bit superior to almost anything else out there. While I think the live albums make a better introduction to the project, this is certainly as good a place to any to dive into the studio material. Its a fine album and well worth the investment, recommended.

Average customer rating:

Not as memorable as much of the rest of the Masada pieces.

Masada, Vol. 5: Hei
Masada
Manufacturer: Import [Generic]
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Masada, Vol. 9
Masada, Vol. 7

ASIN: B000005RGL
Release Date: 2000-04-18

Tracks:

Paran
Halisah
Yoreh
Beeroth
Hobah
Neshamah
Lakum
Makedah
Hafla'ah

Customer Reviews:

Not as memorable as much of the rest of the Masada pieces........2005-06-23

"Hei" is the first of two albums recorded by Masada over two days in July of 1995. It is, in my assessment, one of the weakest entries into the Masada catalog, but be aware-- this doesn't make this by any stretch not an enjoyable listen, it just means that comparatively speaking, its a weak effort, and my rating is reflective of how it measures up to the rest of the Masada studio material.

Masada consists of composer/alto saxaphonist John zorn, trumpeter Dave Douglas, bassit Greg Cohen, and drummer Joey Baron. Musically, it is often simplified as Ornette meets klezmer. The keys to to this music are the use of Jewish scales in simple jazz compositions, collective improvisations, often more than one musician solos at a time, and brilliant interaction-- these guys play together fantastically and often the highlight of a solo isn't the soloist, but rather the support structure.

I'm not sure what it is about this record that makes it less enjoyable than the rest for me-- I suspect its that I don't find any of the themes particularly memorable-- the playing is, particularly from Joey Baron, superb, and there are several decent pieces on here-- "Halishah" is kind of an unexciting theme but Baron's performance definitely steals the show, "Yoreh" has an unusual march beat and some fine soloing from Douglas, "Beeroth" is a drum feature and Baron tkaes full advantage of his center stage, showing not only his stunning technique but his sense of style and taste (so rare even in jazz drum solos), and "Lakum" is a neat little thrash jazz piece. But really none of these stand out or stick in my head. In an interview, Zorn pointed out that Masada was a "major exploration of melody", and these melodies just aren't particularly memorable.

Start with one of the first three Masada records (or the live "50th Birthday Celebration Volume 7"), come to this after you've digested some of their better executed music. It's a good record, but there's a whole lot better in the catalog.

Average customer rating:

Expensive EP.
Twenty beautiful minutes

Masada, Vol. 4
Masada
Manufacturer: Disk Union
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Masada, Vol. 1
Masada, Vol. 3
Masada, Vol. 7
At the Mountains of Madness

ASIN: B0000070FA
Release Date: 1998-12-16

Tracks:

Midbar
Mahlah
Zenan

Customer Reviews:

Expensive EP........2005-06-23

Originally only available to those who purchased the first three Masada albums (but since commercially released), "Dalet", the fourth Masada album, is an EP of sorts, with three songs from the same February 20, 1994 session that produced the first three albums. The band (John Zorn- alto sax, Dave Douglas- trumpet, Greg Cohen- bass, Joey Baron- drums) plays songs from Zorn's Masada book, a series of Jewish-scale based heads from which improvisation can take off. This band's strength lied in their ability to interact-- point/counterpoint improvisations from Zorn and Douglas, brilliant work beneath other musician's solos, etc.

The three pieces on this release are all quite good-- "Midbar" is built with longer and more dramatic themes and features an unusually bluesy improv from Zorn under which Baron eventually falls into a rock beat. "Mahlah" is a laid back midtempo piece that features fantastic soloing in particular from Douglas and a great patient building solo from Cohen that allows itself to come into its own slowly. "Zenan" is a drum feature and full of fire-- a strong, almost Middle Eastern theme and an uncharacteristically aggressive solo from Baron, who typically shows a mastery of subtlety with Masada-- I actually much prefer those solos to this one and find this to be the weak link on the record.

All in all, its a decent release, but its really quite unessential and awfully expensive for less than 20 minutes of music. If you must have everything, pick it up, but if you're looking for an introduction to Masada, check one of the other records (the second album, "Beit" or the recent live recording "50th Birthday Celebration Volume 7") first.

Twenty beautiful minutes.......2000-08-08

This is the fourth in the series of John Zorn's 10 Masada quartet albums (plus, as far as I know, one live recording released by Jazz DCOR and few more released on Zorn's own label, Tzadik). The four masters of their instruments (John Zorn - alto sax, Dave Douglas - trumpet, Joey Baron - drums, Greg Cohen - bass) have recorded the ten albums in only a few studio sessions, all of which feature very, very passionate and inspired playing. The 10 albums are beautifully played, with exquisite sense for measure and taste, the musicians bringing their instruments to the edge of possible (and beyond, as it often seems, it's awesome!) but their virtuosity never being self-serving. Many compositions sound like folk themes, there's a lot of emotions, a lot of melancholy or sense of longing, but also some 'smoking', joyous faster tracks. Ornette Coleman comes to mind in some slipped music references or in the general feeling of some tunes.

"Dalet" is the title of this (fourth) album and originally, it was a "bonus" CD to people who purchased the previous three Masada records (named after the A-B-C of the Hebrew alphabet, namely "Alef", "Beit", and "Gimel"). Unlike an hour or so of music on each of the 9 other Masada albums, this one is over in just about 20 minutes. This fact is the reason for a single reservation I'd have in whole-heartedly recommending this record. However, if you have heard any of the other Masada CDs, it is likely you will eventually get this one (because you will love it!). The entire series is elaborately produced (with beautiful covers etc.) and dedicated to Asher Ginzberg (Ahad Ha'am), founding father of Cultural Zionism. Beautiful quote from Gershom Scholem printed at the back of CDs makes perfect sense: "There is a life of tradition that does not merely consist of conservative preservation, the constant continuation of the spiritual and cultural possessions of a community. There is such a thing as a treasure hunt within tradition, which creates a living relationship to tradition and to which much of what is best in current Jewish consciousness is indebted, even where it was -- and is - expressed outside the framework of orthodoxy."

Tracks:

Shechem
Elilah
Kodashim
Halom
Ne' Eman
Abed-Nego
Tohorot
Mochin
Amarim
Khebar

Customer Reviews:

Cooled down........2005-06-24

An unusual record in the Masada catalog after the overtly Stalling-influenced seventh record, "Het" is a very sedate record, almost the West Coast/cool jazz take on Masada. There's still some pyrotechnics, but its largely calmed down and feels out of place. Masada (John Zorn- alto sax, composer, Dave Douglas- trumpet, Greg Cohen- bass, Joey Baron- drums) is a jazz project exploring melody in the "Jewish scales". While the Masada performances are typically dense with entwining improvisations, the structure has loosened up a bit here, with solo lines often being more distinct. It is definitely a very different record.

No more apparent is this than the opening trio-- "Schechem", "Elilah" and "Kodashim" are much more mellow than most previous Masada pieces, with a delicate swing, overt cinematic (Morricone?) influences, and really a clear influence from '50s West Coast jazz. While the playing isn't nearly as firey as it had been in the past, there is a heavy infusion of passion, especially from Zorn, who really seems to dig in heavily to the form. A similar feel is present in "Abed-Nego", a dark, odd song, haunting and quiet, with a march beat and Douglas playing his heart out.

Of course, it is a John Zorn piece, so a bit of the jump cut cartoon influence is present, "Halom" feels bizarrely out of place, but its quite a bit of fun as a piece, and "Ne'eman" has a skipping rhythm to the theme further accentuated by short note lengths. For those craving the more Masadaish standard fare, there's a couple selections that fit the bill, including the propulsive "Tohorot", which rages and finds the 3/4 of the band fiercly building and threatening to come loose but keeping anchored by Cohen's bass.

Its not the best effort by the band, but its certainly one of the most unique records in the Masada catalog. Try the second or seventh album for a better introduction to the project, but this one may be a good second or third, even if others are better, its unique and quite digestable.

You won't get sick of it.......2001-04-11

This is the best John Zorne CD I have heard yet. If you like more traditional Jazz (vs. the Naked City, etc. stuff) I strongly urge you to check this one out. I've had it for two years, and its one of the few CD's I consistently take off the rack.

Average customer rating:

The better of the 1995 albums.

Masada, Vol. 6: Vav
Masada
Manufacturer: Diw Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000G4SQ
Release Date: 1999-01-19

Tracks:

Debir
Shebuah
Mikreh
Tiferet
Nevalah
Miktav
Nashon
Avelut
Beer Sheba

Customer Reviews:

The better of the 1995 albums........2005-06-23

A distinct improvement over the previous Masada album (although this is pretty odd since both of them came from the same recording sessions in July of 1995), "vav" is a fine effort by Masada (John Zorn- alto sax, composer, Dave Douglas- trumpet, Greg Cohen- bass, Joey Baron- drums). The four piece improvises over pieces written using the "Jewish scales" with a jazz head structure to the pieces (i.e. intro-head-improv-head) and a unity in performance that is absolutely stunning. The strength of this band, moreso even than the superb material, is their near psychic interaction, and often times, it isn't the soloist who is the highlight during a solo, but rather the supporting voices. The band is also famous for point-counterpoint sort of improvisation with Zorn and Douglas improvising together.

Admittedly, the album starts off much like the other record from this session-- the first couple pieces are decent enough (opener "Debir" features some ferocious improvising from Zorn), but they aren't particularly memorable pieces. It isn't until the nearly soporific "Tiferet" that we get something really interesting-- a mellow piece with Douglas playing muted, it really grabs your attention for something that is so decidingly laid back in form. Similar in mood is the brilliant "Miktav"-- Zorn opens the piece with a keening line, and a sense of haunting and foreboding infuses the playing of all four musicians, particularly Douglas, who is just brilliant in his solo, showing an amazing sense of taste and technique.

But what this album has that the previous record was missing is a couple really great themes that clearly inspire the band-- drum feature "Nevalah" has a great skipping sound and a superb solo from Baron, but the spotlight is really stolen by Cohen, who manages clever interplay while maintaining a nearly hypnotic groove. Also of note is the album standout, "Nashon"-- featuring a fantastic circular theme and superb performances from all four band members (particularly Cohen), this is one of the real greats of the Masada catalog. Cohen continues his amazing playing on the cooled out "Avelut"-- a laid back piece where the bassist just never ceases his inventiveness (Zorn gets in quite a solo too).

There are better Masada pieces, but this is really a quite enjoyable effort. Recommended.

Average customer rating:

Brilliance.

Masada, Vol. 2
Masada
Manufacturer: Disky Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000005RGJ
Release Date: 2000-04-04

Tracks:

Piram
Hadasha
Lachish
Rachab
Peliyot
Achshaph
Sansanah
Ravayah
Sahar
Tirzah
Shilhim

Customer Reviews:

Brilliance........2005-06-22

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.

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