Euclid's Nightmare

Euclid's Nightmare

ASIN: B0000057SL

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
It may work for game-show jingles and campfire songs, but cramming standard music into one-minute intervals doesn't usually translate into memorable listening experiences. John Zorn and Bobby Previte's Euclid's Nightmare attempts to do just this, however. Euclid's--the first release for Previte's Depth of Field (what noteworthy jazz artist doesn't have his own label these days?)--is divvied up into 27 unnamed tracks, all of which clock in at roughly a minute in length (with a few extended two-minute, don't-stop-now compositions thrown in). And it works. Zorn's sax and Previte's skin work are incredibly tight, and the tunes range from hastened interplay to soulful, Masada-esque melodies. It appears the pair kept the tape running on these sessions; there's occasional between-tune banter and many tracks blend perfectly into one another stylistically. And to think, in the minute it took you to read this, you could've been composing.... --Jason Verlinde

Euclid's Nightmare,John Zorn & Bobby Previte,Depth of Field,Avant-Garde,Free Improvisation,Free Jazz,Jazz,Pop,Popular Music

Average customer rating:

A fun meeting of two masters.

Euclid's Nightmare
John Zorn & Bobby Previte
Manufacturer: Depth of Field
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
General | Jazz | Styles | Music
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Downtown Lullaby

ASIN: B0000057SL
Release Date: 1997-09-16

Tracks:

1.07
1.06
1.10
1.07
2.02
1.06
1.04
2.01
1.02
1.42
1.06
1.00
1.07
2.02
2.06
2.05
1.01
1.04
3.44
1.14
2.06
2.20
1.14
2.06
1.03
1.14
2.02

Amazon.com

It may work for game-show jingles and campfire songs, but cramming standard music into one-minute intervals doesn't usually translate into memorable listening experiences. John Zorn and Bobby Previte's Euclid's Nightmare attempts to do just this, however. Euclid's--the first release for Previte's Depth of Field (what noteworthy jazz artist doesn't have his own label these days?)--is divvied up into 27 unnamed tracks, all of which clock in at roughly a minute in length (with a few extended two-minute, don't-stop-now compositions thrown in). And it works. Zorn's sax and Previte's skin work are incredibly tight, and the tunes range from hastened interplay to soulful, Masada-esque melodies. It appears the pair kept the tape running on these sessions; there's occasional between-tune banter and many tracks blend perfectly into one another stylistically. And to think, in the minute it took you to read this, you could've been composing.... --Jason Verlinde

Customer Reviews:

A fun meeting of two masters........2006-01-13

"Euclid's Nightmare" is an album of duets between drummer Bobby Previte and alto saxophonist John Zorn. The pair, who had played together extensively before this recording (in 1997), recorded 27 tracks worth of improvisations and (I suspect) compositions, with the majority working in the framework of being roughly a minute long. Interspersed between these minute improvisations are occasional themes.

Given the context of the record, it proves to be remarkably strong in its notion-- each piece is a little microcosm of sax and drum duet, covering a range of moods from nearly ambient (track 5) to boppish (tracks 6 and 22) to more frantic and freewheeling stuff (tracks 1, 17, 25 and many others). The interaction between the two is staggering-- on the more aggressively voiced material, Zorn tends to pave the trail and Previte lays the support and follows whereas on the more laid back material, Previte sets up a framework over which Zorn keens and moans.

All told, it's a fun album-- it doesn't quite reach the depth that many other records featuring these two does, but for fans of either musician, this is a worthwhile investment.

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