A fresh thread for Zornverse recommendations, liveblogging, etc
Tzadik: Search & Destroy
John Zorn: Classic or Dud?
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Thursday, 28 September 2023 15:27 (one year ago) link
Funny that you picked this title, because when I looked this morning At the Mountains of Madness was one of the albums I couldn't find, at least on Tidal.
― read-only (unperson), Thursday, 28 September 2023 15:28 (one year ago) link
My very first swing at this (Jewlia Eisenberg - Trilectic) is a 10/10 all-time classic. Can only imagine what remains to be found
― imago, Thursday, 28 September 2023 15:29 (one year ago) link
Just kinda wish this was on Bandcamp too! But good to see regardless.
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 28 September 2023 15:36 (one year ago) link
Ha, I imagine it's a big lift to get everything properly tagged & uploaded to digital distro, seems like it will all be there eventually?
My first listen is Multiplicities II: A Repository of Non-Existent Objectshttps://www.tzadik.com/index.php?catalog=8399Julian Lage, Brian Marsella on piano (new name to me but he's pretty amazing here), Ches Smith, Jorge Roeder. It's great, lots of killer dual guitar/piano solos. The Zorn stop/start skronky moments are really appealing in this acoustic context.
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Thursday, 28 September 2023 15:37 (one year ago) link
Ironically, Trilectic is missing so far. Ditto JZ's Bagatelles, Episome by Otomo Yoshihide/Bill Laswell/Yoshida Tatsuya, probably a lot more but it's early days of digital crate-digging.
― I Wanna Find an ILXor That'll Flag My Last Post Till I Have To Go (WmC), Thursday, 28 September 2023 15:44 (one year ago) link
I'm making a giant Tzadik catalog playlist, and a track from that Jewlia Eisenberg album came up, it was very good and I will definitely dig further. It weirdly reminded me of Moomin Voices which is an album of jazzy songs about the Moomins featuring singer Johanna Grüssner.
Don't know if this thread is meant to cover albums credited to John Zorn, but a couple others that stood out included
The Mockingbird - this is credited to Zorn, but it he doesn't perform on it, it features Carol Emanuel, Bill Frisell, and Kenny Wolleson. What I heard seemed to be mostly a cool sounding bed of chimes over which Frisell does some ripping guitar solos. Very much my shit.
Kramer - The Greenberg Variations - no idea why Zorn is credited on this, it appears to be a Kramer solo album and it's awesome
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Thursday, 28 September 2023 15:45 (one year ago) link
Interesting, on Tidal it's credited to Kramer. I anticipate JZ shitting bricks in public about this rollout.
― I Wanna Find an ILXor That'll Flag My Last Post Till I Have To Go (WmC), Thursday, 28 September 2023 15:48 (one year ago) link
Oh fuck yeah - gonna go blast Redbird.
― peace, man, Thursday, 28 September 2023 15:54 (one year ago) link
My first listen: the new(ish) Homenaje A Remedios Varo, which I believe is also Brian Marsella, Julian Lage, Jorge Roeder and Ches Smith.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 28 September 2023 15:55 (one year ago) link
Mystic Fugu Orchestra yes, Nani Nani and Naninani II no.
― I Wanna Find an ILXor That'll Flag My Last Post Till I Have To Go (WmC), Thursday, 28 September 2023 16:40 (one year ago) link
Correction, Naninani II is available
― I Wanna Find an ILXor That'll Flag My Last Post Till I Have To Go (WmC), Thursday, 28 September 2023 16:41 (one year ago) link
Double correction, both Nani Nani albums are there.
Is this on any other services than Tidal?
― deep wubs and tribral rhythms (Boring, Maryland), Thursday, 28 September 2023 16:43 (one year ago) link
I'm listening to stuff on Spotify.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 28 September 2023 16:44 (one year ago) link
lotta stuff on apple music (barely findable w/ its terrible interface)
― adam, Thursday, 28 September 2023 17:20 (one year ago) link
#2 - John Zorn 'Quatrain', which is Julian Lage and Gyan Riley both on acoustic guitar. Just really lovely, Zorn's guitar music blends composition and improv more seamlessly than some of the other groups to my ears.
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Thursday, 28 September 2023 18:17 (one year ago) link
As I mentioned on the John Zorn thread, I'm trying to get all of these into one massive playlist so that they are easier to find. I currently have close to 500 of roughly 900 releases accounted for.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4QzGKbxwEXyW5caVfcPqm1?si=bd1392112b0f46ec
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Thursday, 28 September 2023 19:10 (one year ago) link
This feels like when Aphex Twin dropped all those unreleased tracks. Except these have all been released and they're all full length and (probably) all pretty awesome.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 28 September 2023 19:11 (one year ago) link
Last one for the week (since this will mostly be a work listening activity for me) -
Brian Marsella Trio - Buer: The Book of Angels, vol. 31I started listening to his other trio record with Christian McBride and wasn't in the mood, but this is fantastic. Kenny Wolleson & Trevor Dunn killing it. Today has really made me a Brian Marsella convert.
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Thursday, 28 September 2023 20:28 (one year ago) link
I will say that this deluge has taught me how many different bands are named Masada.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 28 September 2023 21:25 (one year ago) link
Let’s not forget that this label has way more than Zorn
― deep wubs and tribral rhythms (Boring, Maryland), Thursday, 28 September 2023 21:33 (one year ago) link
lol. I lied, I also listened to "John Zorn" - Suite for Piano, performed by (of course) Brian Marsella, Jorge Roeder, and Ches Smith. Also sounded fantastic but I'm going to have to come back to this when I'm not multi-tasking, this one also really blurs what might be written vs improvised.
I came across a quote from Julian Lage about how he respects that Zorn will just write 300 new songs and go have them performed by 15 bands, maybe a bit hyperbolic (or not!) but what a maniac. I think I've said this elsewhere but if Zorn had learned to use a DAW instead of needing musicians to perform his work, who knows how many *more* albums he might be releasing. Or maybe that's not true, it would probably take more time to program and produce everything than it does to write the charts and book a studio session.
xp
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Thursday, 28 September 2023 21:37 (one year ago) link
xpost Are there really 900 Tzadik releases?
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 28 September 2023 22:15 (one year ago) link
it would appear so, yes - Discogs says 948
― out-of-print LaserDisc edition (sleeve), Thursday, 28 September 2023 22:18 (one year ago) link
You know, I've never really looked at the credits on many of these records, but I've always been impressed how well recorded they all are. Is there a house engineer or producer?
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 29 September 2023 02:59 (one year ago) link
In this interview he talks about having done 15-20 records, but his wiki says he recorded over 150 Tzadik records by the end of 2020.
https://sonicscoop.com/borne-of-john-zorn-marc-urselli-records-nycs-marathon-man/
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Friday, 29 September 2023 03:49 (one year ago) link
(gotta say I don't like the drum sound on these recent ones, but it's serviceable and I do kinda like the feel that they're just getting sounds and going for it, no time to waste fiddling around)
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Friday, 29 September 2023 04:00 (one year ago) link
Most of these sound fairly naturalistic to me
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Friday, 29 September 2023 04:10 (one year ago) link
I'm just letting this giant list roll on shuffle and it's pretty crazy how consistently high the quality is. I don't even really love the more abstract avant-garde pieces or the chaotic Mr. Bungle jams, and there's obviously plenty of both, but I'd say I can groove with at least 75% of what I've heard so far.
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Friday, 29 September 2023 04:24 (one year ago) link
I'm sure the acoustic albums are pretty hands-off, but once you start amplifying things, especially radically dynamic stuff, I imagine the producer or engineer has more work to do.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 29 September 2023 13:10 (one year ago) link
I'm not suggesting engineers don't do anything on these recordings, just that the sounds aren't being radically altered or processed from their sources. It sounds like they are mostly faithfully capturing live performances and making them sound as good as possible, perhaps adding in a bit of atmosphere.
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Friday, 29 September 2023 13:51 (one year ago) link
I'd never heard the first Kayo Dot album, it's pretty cool.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 29 September 2023 16:56 (one year ago) link
Jordan, not sure which ones you weren't liking the drums on. HOMENAJE A REMEDIOS VARO is the main one that sounds weird to me, like the mics on the individual cymbals are pushed way up in the mix and panned pretty hard, it's a bit distracting and unbalanced, although I still like the music on that one overall.
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Friday, 29 September 2023 17:30 (one year ago) link
It's nothing that really bothers me...on those piano trio records I was posting above, the snare is pretty compressed, which I'm into (more compression on jazz records please!), but it's a very generic and colorless modern drum should to me. I usually wish jazz records had more room sound and more saturation on the drums. But like I said, I also appreciate the consistency and sort of flat documentarian approach here, and I like the idea that Zorn is in there every week getting these records knocked out. And all the other instruments sound great.
Gyan Riley's solo guitar album is beautiful morning coffee listening. Looking forward to checking out the last Ikue Morie and other non-Zorn albums.
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Friday, 29 September 2023 17:46 (one year ago) link
I get the sense that Ches Smith really favors gear that has this very precise and articulated clarity, and yeah, it doesn't sound bad exactly, but it could use a bit more oomph.
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Friday, 29 September 2023 18:01 (one year ago) link
Speaking of art and packaging, I really have no idea who designs these CDs, but as a catalog I'd put the Tzadik aesthetic up there with anything 4AD and ... what other more or less contemporary label has a cool cover aesthetic?
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 29 September 2023 18:14 (one year ago) link
I love that Tzadik picked their look on Day One and have never deviated from it. You know Zorn and his designer just email the artists and say “this is your album cover - hope you like it!”
― read-only (unperson), Friday, 29 September 2023 18:24 (one year ago) link
The Nonesuch-released Naked City album is still not available on Spotify in the United States.I found it online but none of the songs are enabled to play and it doesn't come up in a search using the app.I assume that is because they cannot let me stream it in this country, I am open to correction.So maybe you can if you're fortunately enough to not live here.
While searching for it online I found the contemporaneous review in the NY Times by on Pareles that some may find interesting:https://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/08/arts/recordings-there-are-8-million-stories-in-john-zorn-s-naked-city.html
I do not find the Tzadik-released Naked City box which includes that album either.
Fortunately I still have my CD and it can be streamed through YouTube but not the properly licenced YouTube Music, I don't think.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xC0ZvuEuMg
― Loud guitars shit all over "Bette Davis Eyes" (NYCNative), Friday, 29 September 2023 18:41 (one year ago) link
I'm listening to Syzygys - Complete Studio Recordings. A microtonal Japanese pop duo featuring Harry Partch's 43-tone organ? Yes, please!
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Friday, 29 September 2023 19:18 (one year ago) link
Wait, are the other Naked City albums up yet?
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 29 September 2023 19:25 (one year ago) link
the only one I see is live at the Knitting Factory
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Friday, 29 September 2023 19:56 (one year ago) link
And yet if I search "naked city," I don't even get that.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 29 September 2023 19:57 (one year ago) link
https://open.spotify.com/album/5qlH2F8gU9YeND6Pc4Cq3N?si=r1BcwyujSxKCTZBpYmm7lg
I have also added it to my playlist
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Friday, 29 September 2023 19:59 (one year ago) link
I'm currently checking out Tetsu Inoue's Psycho-Acoustic (1998) and Fragment Dots (2000). I actually downloaded mp3s of these a while back, but this is prompting me to give them proper attention for the first time. His Inland is my favorite ambient album ever; I hear that one as a soundtrack to drifting over a gorgeous, hyper-detailed alien landscape, but the albums on Tzadik are completely different--pure glitch concrète. They remind me a lot of Stockhausen's tape stuff from the 60s (thinking Telemusik and Hymnen specifically) with fragments of static, synth squelches, field recordings, etc. flying in and out of the mix. Amazing on headphones. This kind of music would have been technically much easier to assemble in the late 90s than in the 60s, but by the 90s the universe of sounds at the artist's disposal had increased so much that more discernment was required to reach a good result. All this is to say these Inoue albums on Tzadik are very well-made if you're into that kind of thing.
I'm also digging Charles Curtis and Aleck Karis's 2004 recording of Morton Feldman's Patterns In A Chromatic Field. Spotify is currently crediting it to just Morton Feldman and John Zorn, so hopefully that gets fixed at some point. Compared to other recordings I've heard, this one is relatively dry (close-mic'd) and high-energy. Just beautiful, will surely be going back to it a lot as I explore other Tzadik stuff.
― J. Sam, Friday, 29 September 2023 20:08 (one year ago) link
This thread is inspiring me to listen to old Tzadik CDs that I haven’t played in years. First up is The Days Run Away by Peter Garland, a quiet haunting minimal work for solo piano, kind of like Satie if nothing ever happened, ambient and pretty.
― o. nate, Friday, 29 September 2023 22:50 (one year ago) link
I found (Melt-Banana guitarist) Agata’s Spike, which I have on CD somewhere. Nice to know I can pull it up on my phone within a few seconds (mind you, I can do that with all my mp3s since I synced them to the cloud).
― wronger than 100 geir posts (MacDara), Saturday, 30 September 2023 16:32 (one year ago) link
just here to rep for the yuka honda albums: cibo matto leftovers and faux video game cues. nothing but good vibes. definitely appreciate hearing these again. i love her so much.
― the adventures of Yari and ixa. (Austin), Saturday, 30 September 2023 22:24 (one year ago) link
Listening to the Electric Masada band, not the double live set mentioned in the title of this thread, but the single disc live set from Zorn’s 50th birthday celebration at Tonic. I think I might have been at one of those gigs. I think at the time I didn’t really get what they were going for (kind of a 70s fusion thing) and the heavy stuff sounded too busy, but I’m enjoying Ikue Mori’s sound effects and the busy percussion more on this listen.
― o. nate, Sunday, 1 October 2023 17:23 (one year ago) link
I love that Nonesuch Naked City record, have had a burned copy of it since I was 19 and it stillplays, miraculously.
― butt dumb tight my boners got boners (the table is the table), Monday, 2 October 2023 01:15 (one year ago) link
Still hovering around the newer & softer Tzadik releases, this year's 'Full Fathom Five' is gorgeous, fr. Under Zorn's name/pen but the band is his current crew of Julian Lage / Brian Marsella / Ches Smith / Jorge Roeder.
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Monday, 2 October 2023 15:27 (one year ago) link
I find it weird that so many of these bands, and even solo performers, are not credited on the front cover of these Zorn releases.
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Monday, 2 October 2023 15:36 (one year ago) link
Yeah, it seems to be more of a modern classical presentation where the composer is credited and the ensemble members are just in the liner notes? But it feels weird in a jazz context where the performers are so crucial & and upfront.
Trying to think of similar examples, maybe those Quincy Jones albums where he produced/arranged/composed and didn't play?
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Monday, 2 October 2023 15:41 (one year ago) link
Something's going to have to be done about artist credits, Zorn presents himself as One of the Last Honorable Men, a tzadik if you will. As Glenn M has said more than once on the Spotify thread, the responsibility for correct info is up to whoever delivers the files to the streamer — label, distributor, other?
― WmC, Monday, 2 October 2023 15:41 (one year ago) link
In my experience the label submits a spreadsheet to the distributor with all the release info, then that gets 'ingested' by all the different streaming platforms.
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Monday, 2 October 2023 15:48 (one year ago) link
it definitely could be cleaned up in Spotify, but I'd say this is an issue on many of the original releases as well
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Monday, 2 October 2023 15:52 (one year ago) link
So where are these Naked City albums, or at least the first one? Nonesuch stuff seems to be on Spotify, I wonder if there is some other weird rights issue. The CD is out of print.
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 2 October 2023 16:44 (one year ago) link
It seems relevant that none of the original albums were on Tzadik first. (Avant, Shimmy Disc, Toy's Factory, Nonesuch) Maybe he had to license his own stuff to put out the Complete Studio Recordings box.
― WmC, Monday, 2 October 2023 17:05 (one year ago) link
That's a good question, is any Avant stuff available? Are those albums still in print?
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 2 October 2023 17:20 (one year ago) link
Avant was Zorn's own label, pre-Tzadik, but it was owned by DIW. I think their whole catalog is out of print now.
― read-only (unperson), Monday, 2 October 2023 17:34 (one year ago) link
Mary Halvorson Quartet - Paimon: The Book of Angels Volume 32
Last of this series, really strong. Two guitars, appealingly skronky sometimes but also restrained when appropriate. I love the harmonized dual leads on 'Jesodoth', very 'Iron Maiden plays Masada' (which would have been a great Book of Angels btw).
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Monday, 2 October 2023 17:54 (one year ago) link
That reminds me, I wish the long series had consistent naming conventions. The Book of Angels volumes are variously called "(Title): The Book of Angels Vol XX" or "The Book of Angels: (Title), Vol XX" and in the case of Vol. 2, leaving out the title altogether.
― WmC, Monday, 2 October 2023 18:13 (one year ago) link
No offense guys but I'm hoping for less nitpicking and more recommendations
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Monday, 2 October 2023 18:22 (one year ago) link
Ah, well, "Redbird" is a must for any fan of later Morton Feldman, beautiful and very very slow. The other piece on the Redbird album, "Dark River," is a solo for bass drums, frustrating listening on my tiny desktop speakers but really nice at high volume if you have the speakers for it.
― WmC, Monday, 2 October 2023 18:30 (one year ago) link
Will listen to that next!
Just finished Pat Metheny - Tap: The Book of Angels vol. 20. Seriously recommend this to Metheny fans and skeptics, it's mostly great and out of his usual idioms. He plays everything besides the drums (Antonio Sanchez) and you get some noisy shredding, a lot of pensive acoustic playing, some piano freakout on the last track, etc.
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Monday, 2 October 2023 19:33 (one year ago) link
Yeah, I am a Metheny agnostic (at best) but that is a great record.
― read-only (unperson), Monday, 2 October 2023 19:41 (one year ago) link
That's the only one in the series that I actually own, love it, some of his most inspired playing.
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Monday, 2 October 2023 19:59 (one year ago) link
The giant playlist is done for now. I was able to account for 844 albums, there are 33 more that don't appear to be available so far.
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Monday, 2 October 2023 20:20 (one year ago) link
I have two playlists that I'm adding to as I go, records that I like either go into 'Tzadik Records' or 'Tzadik for Coffee'. :)
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Monday, 2 October 2023 20:40 (one year ago) link
xp -- wow, I thought there would be more! Could you list the missing ones here?
― WmC, Monday, 2 October 2023 20:44 (one year ago) link
Here they are, if you come across any of these in spotify, let me know
Anthony Coleman : The Abysmal Richness of the Infinite Proximity of the SameBar Kokhba : Lucifer: Book of Angels Volume 10Barbez : Bella CiaoDavid Fulmer : On NightFred Frith / Chris Cutler : The Stone: Issue TwoHemophiliac : Hemophiliac (Tzadik Limited Edition)I.P.Y. : IPYJohn Zorn : Filmworks IJohn Zorn : IAOJohn Zorn : Naked City Black Box-20th Anniversary Edition: Torture Garden/Leng Tch'eJohn Zorn : Parachute YearsJohn Zorn : The Dreamers-The Gentle SideJohn Zorn : The Hermetic Organ Volume 10 - Bozar, BrusselsJohn Zorn : The Song Project Vinyl Singles EditionJohn Zorn/Richard Foreman/Henry Hills : Astronome: A Night At The OperaJohn Zorn's The Dreamers Featuring Mike Patton : The Christmas Song/Santa's WorkshopKen Jacobs : Celestial Subway Lines/Salvaging NoiseKen Jacobs : New York Ghetto Fishmarket 1903Lou Reed/Laurie Anderson/John Zorn : The Stone: Issue ThreeMark Applebaum : CatfishMedeski, Martin and Wood : The Stone: Issue FourMeredith Monk : Solo Concert 1980Naked City : Black BoxNaked City : The Complete Studio RecordingsPet Bottle Ningen : Pet Bottle NingenPierre Hébert/Bob Ostertag : Between Science and GarbageRaz Mesinai : Tunnel VisionSteve Beresford : Cue Sheets IITerry Riley : Autodreamographical TalesVarious Artists : Great Jewish Music: Serge GainsbourgZakarya : ZakaryaZohara : Scorched LipsZorn/Douglas/ Patton/Laswell/ Burger/Perowsky : The Stone: Issue One
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Monday, 2 October 2023 20:51 (one year ago) link
I've been pondering how to make a 2nd list of my favorites without turning that into a gigantic unwieldy beast as well
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Monday, 2 October 2023 20:53 (one year ago) link
Mary Halvorson - The Maid with the Flaxen Hair: A Tribute to Johnny Smith is a duet album with Bill Frisell, and it is a gorgeous addition to my wife-friendly 'Tzadik with Coffee' playlist.
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Monday, 2 October 2023 21:05 (one year ago) link
@MoodlesI don't think any of The Stone releases will show up -- they were fundraisers for the venue iirc? The Meredith Monk and Ken Jacobs releases are DVDs. The Gentle Side and the Dreamers/Patton releases were vinyl only...I have the Parachute Years box but never checked if the standalone releases Hockey, Pool, Archery and Lacrosse (which are available) are pulled from that.
Is the Great Jewish Music: Burt Bacharach release available on Spotify? It's not on Tidal.
― WmC, Monday, 2 October 2023 21:18 (one year ago) link
Filmworks I was originally on Nonesuch, probably the same situation as Naked City s/t.
― WmC, Monday, 2 October 2023 21:21 (one year ago) link
No, wait, Filmworks 1986-1990 is available, just not called Filmworks I.
― WmC, Monday, 2 October 2023 21:23 (one year ago) link
is there anything else on The Parachute Years besides those individual ones?
yes, the Burt Bacharach one is on there
didn't realize that was the same filmworks set, I guess it got repackaged with new art
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Monday, 2 October 2023 21:28 (one year ago) link
Can anyone find this one with Taborn, McBride, and Tyshawn Sorey? Having trouble finding it on spotify. https://www.tzadik.com/index.php?catalog=8341
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Monday, 2 October 2023 21:34 (one year ago) link
Comparing the Parachute box with the four sets, I think that's everything.I'm not seeing Filmworks III (1990-1995, including the Wieden & Kennedy cues) and XI (Secret Lives) on Tidal. May have to send my first "hey fix this" note to them. Otomo/Laswell/Yoshida's Episome is missing for me too.
xp yes, it's on Tidal, but another one of those mistitled ones. It's just called Book of Angels Vol. 27: Masada Book Two. This is why nitpicking is good!
― WmC, Monday, 2 October 2023 21:41 (one year ago) link
Haha fair enough, thank you! I've also stumbled onto the Medeski Martin & Wood volume, which I've wanted to hear for ages.
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Monday, 2 October 2023 21:42 (one year ago) link
its easy if u search them by their proper angelic names rather than by their temporal interpreters
― adam, Monday, 2 October 2023 21:45 (one year ago) link
Here's the spotify link for that one
https://spotify.link/9BJFdWFXzDb
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Monday, 2 October 2023 21:46 (one year ago) link
What is the detuning guitar effect being used throughout?
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 2 October 2023 21:59 (one year ago) link
It sounds like a tape delay emulator, and sure enough:
https://blog.line6.com/2020/08/24/mary-halvorsons-dl4-time-warp/
How are you getting those interesting pitch-modulation effects?I’m changing the delay time using the expression pedal. I have the pedal set to go from zero delay time to a short delay, and moving it as I play results in that pitch-shifting sound. Another thing I like to do is set the delay to a relatively short delay time, but with none of the original signal, so that when I first play a note you hear only the acoustic sound of my guitar, followed by the amplified sound a few moments later, which creates a sort of slap-back effect between the acoustic and amplified sounds. This is particularly effective when I’m recording, as I always record both the acoustic and amplified sounds.
What are your favorite models in the DL4?The two that I use most frequently are Tape Echo and Tube Echo. I use Tape Echo to get that pitch-shifting sound. I also use Ping Pong for a faster and longer delays, and Stereo Delays to get a weird custom loop thing happening. Oh, and I really like Reverse, as well.
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Monday, 2 October 2023 22:02 (one year ago) link
I had a hunch. I have a DL4, and just twiddling the knobs gets that effect. Pretty sure I saw Frisell doing the same thing. Man, DL4 still going strong after all these years!
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 2 October 2023 22:11 (one year ago) link
New to me is Asmodeus: Book of Angels Volume 7, with Marc Ribot absolutely killing it with Dunn and G. Calvin Weston.
So why are all the Book of Angels sets up except Lucifer: Book of Angels Volume 10?
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 3 October 2023 03:04 (one year ago) link
I'm guessing they just missed it or it's under some random name
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Tuesday, 3 October 2023 03:16 (one year ago) link
It's not possible to search Tidal by label at all. I remember the label search function on Spotify being a pain to use, but I wonder what it would turn up.
― WmC, Tuesday, 3 October 2023 03:22 (one year ago) link
That's how I found a lot of this stuff but have not seen that particular one
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Tuesday, 3 October 2023 03:38 (one year ago) link
I imported this disc to iTunes and the track was labeled as 'Mental pertubation" by the database.
First up is The Days Run Away by Peter Garland, a quiet haunting minimal work for solo piano, kind of like Satie if nothing ever happened, ambient and pretty.
This is a great cd and it has been sequenced masterfully. It flows great and the last two short pieces are almost like an encore.
― EvR, Tuesday, 3 October 2023 09:04 (one year ago) link
I wonder who plays what sounds like bass clarinet on the penultimate track on the Medeski Martin & Wood record, not credited and that one's a gem.
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Tuesday, 3 October 2023 16:43 (one year ago) link
At this point I'm starting to wonder if there are *any* outright duds among these 900 albums.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 3 October 2023 17:08 (one year ago) link
Doubtful, probably just styles you're not interested in. I've bailed out of a couple that were too heavy on free jazz skronk or super minimal long-form electroacoustic drone (like the Jim O'Rourke record).
Now playing the first New Masada Quartet studio record and it's predictably great.
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Tuesday, 3 October 2023 17:17 (one year ago) link
that's pretty much what I'm doing as well, cutting anything that is too abrasive or too abstract and meandering, but that is turning out to be a smaller portion of these albums than I would have expected
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Tuesday, 3 October 2023 17:32 (one year ago) link
The Days Run Away by Peter Garland
This is lovely stuff. The title track shows how far just a couple of chords can take you. Don't know why, reminds me of some ECM stuff.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 3 October 2023 17:39 (one year ago) link
Agreed! I was really into about half of this Zoh Amba record, a very young saxophonist with Joey Baron and Zorn in the group. The less screechy parts have some really entrancing mantra-like free playing, her tone kind of reminds me of Alabaster DePlume (that shaky vibrato) but much bigger. It's an especially good-sounding record too.
I've also remembered that my favorite kind of Masada tune is the one based around an endless bass vamp (like the opening track here), wish there were more of those. But 'rubato Masada' and 'insanely fast walking bassline madness' have their merits too.
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Tuesday, 3 October 2023 17:41 (one year ago) link
One thing that's a little surprising is that I haven't seen a single musician post on social media to say "hey you can finally listen to this album." I wonder if some of them even know? But a lot of jazz musicians aren't particularly active on instagram etc, except to post tour dates or whatever.
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Tuesday, 3 October 2023 17:46 (one year ago) link
Shh, don't tell them, maybe Zorn doesn't know.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 3 October 2023 17:53 (one year ago) link
I do a "tzadik catalog now streaming" search every day to see what, if anything, the music press is saying about this, and yesterday saw some Instagram promotion from Toby Driver about his/Kayo Dot's releases.
― WmC, Tuesday, 3 October 2023 18:52 (one year ago) link
Zion 80 - Book of Angels vol 22: Afrobeat x Masada tunes is a cute idea, but I don't really like it came out (as in, how they're playing it and how it sounds, lol).
The Taborn/McBride/Sorey album is deep and great (although the ride cymbal sound is super distracting to me, TS is playing all this shit but you literally only hear the click of the stick on the cymbal, with almost no actual cymbal sound).
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Tuesday, 3 October 2023 20:27 (one year ago) link
Ok I think I'm a little Tzadik-ed out for the moment, at least as far as spelunking on my own.
Here are my playlists if anyone's interested:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0aLUT87Nr5gnfVHF19lonF?si=0f26c09a13574f23
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0sXTfsMSzmaCL5HhYgof2c?si=4a77f78609774db9
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Wednesday, 4 October 2023 17:32 (one year ago) link
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/05/arts/music/tzadik-music-streaming.html
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 5 October 2023 23:18 (one year ago) link
I really wish there were an easy (instant) way to know who was playing on most of this stuff. "Quatrain," for example, is afaict credited to Zorn, not just on Spotify but on the Tzadik site itself, so you have to dig deeper to even know it is a guitar duo album featuring Gyan Riley and Julian Lage.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 5 October 2023 23:29 (one year ago) link
Working on a list of my own for this month's Stereogum column, more focused on the jazz-oriented releases (lots of Wadada, the Anthony Braxton/William Parker/Milford Graves disc, etc., etc.).
― read-only (unperson), Friday, 6 October 2023 00:03 (one year ago) link
I went back and listened to Zubi Zuva, the a cappella group led by the Ruins guy. I’m tempted to vote dud on this one. A cappella zeuhl is not a terrible idea and the enthusiasm is sweet but these guys don’t really have the vocal chops to pull it off.
― o. nate, Friday, 6 October 2023 01:19 (one year ago) link
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, October 5, 2023 6:18 PM
Anybody got a gift link to spare for this one?
― WmC, Friday, 6 October 2023 02:29 (one year ago) link
One sec ...
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 6 October 2023 03:07 (one year ago) link
This should work:
https://archive.ph/S5VYU
Not much there, really mostly just a recommendation of 10 places to start, which is to say, 10 random records out of hundreds, but maybe a good representation? You be the judge!
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 6 October 2023 03:09 (one year ago) link
zubi zuva is great, with vocal chops it would sounds awful
― massaman gai (front tea for two), Friday, 6 October 2023 03:19 (one year ago) link
I really wanted to like it, since I love most of Yoshida's projects, but apart from a few moments, its kind of tiring to listen to for me.
― o. nate, Friday, 6 October 2023 15:52 (one year ago) link
Been a really long time, but I'm listening to (the original) "Bar Kokhba" right now. Still great! I love how Zorn has written/recorded/released stuff at the far edges of extremity, and yet, has also been responsible for stuff I could safely gift my in-laws.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 13 October 2023 22:56 (one year ago) link
I listened to Otomo Yoshihide's New Jazz Ensemble album Dreams the other day. I think that one's a keeper. It kind of spans the two extremes of noise and approachability. On some tracks you could imagine a Japanese chanteuse serenading a sparse crowd of pickled salary men in a smoky cabaret club, with the buzzing of the sine-wave generator almost mistakable for the buzz of an ungrounded microphone. But then on other tracks, all hell breaks loose with full-on skronk and screaming.
― o. nate, Friday, 13 October 2023 23:59 (one year ago) link
Zohara - Scorched Lips is very good, a moody take on Jewish music full of very original compositions and top-notch musicianship. Zahava Seewald has a fantastic voice.
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Saturday, 14 October 2023 17:55 (one year ago) link
Does anyone know if any of those Bagatelles box sets are up for streaming, or the Beri'ah book box?
― EvR, Sunday, 15 October 2023 12:00 (one year ago) link
I don't think the bagatelles are there. The book beri'ah ones are but split into the individual discs.
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Sunday, 15 October 2023 13:30 (one year ago) link
I enjoyed Misha Mengelberg's Senne Sing Song yesterday. It's pretty laid-back for a Tzadik joint. It doesn't really break a lot of new ground for Mengelberg. Nine of his compositions, many if not all of which he has recorded before, in his Monkish post-bop style, though it gets a bit freer on the solos, in a congenial trio with frequent Zorn collaborators Greg Cohen and Ben Perowsky. Very pleasant.
― o. nate, Sunday, 15 October 2023 16:12 (one year ago) link
Listening to Eyvind Kang - The Yelm Sessions. Very nice cinematic orchestral pieces.
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Monday, 16 October 2023 17:37 (one year ago) link
Bummer that the Hemophiliac record isn't available, it's way up there for me as far as successful examples of Mori/Zorn/Patton doing their thing, never understood why it is always been such a hard thing to locate/listen to?
― chr1sb3singer, Monday, 16 October 2023 18:08 (one year ago) link
there is a Hemophiliac live album from the 50th birthday series on there
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Monday, 16 October 2023 18:17 (one year ago) link
Yeah and I'm sure it's cool (I haven't gotten to it yet) but the original https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemophiliac_(album) which was always a super-limited deal is great
― chr1sb3singer, Monday, 16 October 2023 18:21 (one year ago) link
Also, o.nate otm about the Mengelberg joint, maybe not an essential record but a fun listen, esp to hear him in context with Cohen and Perowsky
― chr1sb3singer, Tuesday, 17 October 2023 14:06 (one year ago) link
Wrote about this for Stereogum and picked a dozen titles for people to check out.
― read-only (unperson), Thursday, 19 October 2023 18:48 (one year ago) link
Nice read, this interview with Mathieu Amalric on his ongoing Zorn docus.
― EvR, Sunday, 22 October 2023 13:20 (one year ago) link
Anyone read the Arcana books? Would love a recommendation on where to start.
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Sunday, 22 October 2023 14:10 (one year ago) link
I bought the first volume back when it came out (2000?), and not only did I never read it, I only recently learned there have been several more volumes! I just picked flipped through it, though, and it seemed interesting, if pretty academic.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 22 October 2023 14:17 (one year ago) link
Some (but not all) of the contributing artists are in fact academics, so that makes sense. (BTW some contributions are interviews or conversationts, they're not all essays).
I've read all but two volumes (vols. 10 and 5) and my answer would be: pick one that has artists you're interested in. Some writing is indeed academic, with lots of sheet music to explain a point of the writer in question. There are very good contributions found in each volume, and less interesting/serious one to level that. Some personal highlights: Vol. 2 has a conversation with Jim O'Rourke (and someone else I can't remember) on Zorn's film work. Pat Metheny did a great essay on "Bright Size Life" in another one. I remember a very funny contribution by Derek Bailey. The deadpan Marc Ribot essay in the first volume (reprinted in his "Unstrung" book). A great interview with Barbara Hannigan (on adapting Berg's "Lulu" opera).
Bottom line: I'm happy Zorn financed and created this series, as I've discovered some great records from the selected discography section in each volume. Some of the writing is excellent, but as a whole, the quality of the individual volumes is very uneven.
(I think the first volume is a little different than the rest as it also includes pieces that were already published somewhere else (such as the Peter Garland travelogue). Also, I think the series as a whole has been an inspiration to William Parker "Conversation" book series on Rogue Art.)
― EvR, Sunday, 22 October 2023 15:15 (one year ago) link
There's a John Zorn public group on Faceache, and aside from the wealth of dumb posts, a lot of JZ/Tzadik Spotify playlists have been posted, carving out little subdivisions like sub-2:00 Masada pieces, Dreamers, Brian Marsella Trio, etc.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/336545431430782
― that's when I reach for my copy of Revolver (WmC), Monday, 23 October 2023 16:12 (one year ago) link
shouldn't surprise me, but people seem real intense there
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Monday, 23 October 2023 16:18 (one year ago) link
lol yeah, I had unfollowed the group for years until streaming started last month. I'll probably unfollow again since nobody posts Tidal playlists.
― that's when I reach for my copy of Revolver (WmC), Monday, 23 October 2023 16:21 (one year ago) link
Jordan, put on your coffee playlist, the opening "Quatrain" is lovely stuff. Not your fault, but I wish it was credited to the artists on it.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 9 November 2023 01:14 (one year ago) link
Cool! I haven't gone back to any Tzadik catalog stuff in the last few weeks, but now I'll have to get in the habit of checking for their new releases.
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Thursday, 9 November 2023 15:29 (one year ago) link
New Lage/Frisell/Gyan Riley guitar trio record (under "John Zorn - Nothing Is As Real As Nothing") going straight to the Tzadik coffee playlist.
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Tuesday, 28 November 2023 19:59 (one year ago) link
It's a good one
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Tuesday, 28 November 2023 20:42 (one year ago) link
Great Jewish Music: Serge Gainsbourg now up on Tidal, so I assume it's on all the streamers.
― that's when I reach for my copy of Revolver (WmC), Friday, 16 February 2024 14:58 (ten months ago) link
folks over at the free jazz blog did a two-part overview late last year that highlights some tzadik releases post-deluge:
https://www.freejazzblog.org/2023/11/the-tzadik-stream-is-flood-part-1-of-2.html
― budo jeru, Sunday, 3 March 2024 21:29 (nine months ago) link
I was considering heading to New York to see Electric Masada this May, and then I realized it's Memorial Day weekend, which suddenly turns it into a big expensive pain in the ass.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 3 March 2024 23:16 (nine months ago) link
Is the new Painkiller album out? I don't see it on Tidal.
― WmC, Friday, 22 November 2024 17:13 (one month ago) link
Fwiw, RYM lists it as coming out next Friday.
― Maxmillion D. Boosted (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Friday, 22 November 2024 17:16 (one month ago) link
Yeah, I believe it's 11/29; I ordered a copy last week and they said it might take a couple of weeks to ship.
― Instead of create and send out, it pull back and consume (unperson), Friday, 22 November 2024 17:36 (one month ago) link
Ah, I was thinking earlier in the month for some reason.
― WmC, Friday, 22 November 2024 18:13 (one month ago) link
I think it was supposed to come out 11/15 — there was a story in the Times that featured interviews with all three members published on 11/14:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/11/arts/music/painkiller-john-zorn-bill-laswell-mick-harris-samsara.html
But the story has been amended to include the 11/29 release date, so there must have been a problem getting the discs delivered. Tzadik uses the same manufacturers I do — A to Z Media — so I understand their predicament.
― Instead of create and send out, it pull back and consume (unperson), Friday, 22 November 2024 19:59 (one month ago) link
Ok I never knew that John Zorn made a Christmas album, what the fuck
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Dreamers_Christmas
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Friday, 6 December 2024 17:19 (two weeks ago) link
Mike Patton doing a straight-faced version of The Christmas Song, lol
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Friday, 6 December 2024 17:22 (two weeks ago) link
I love that certain folks are such weirdoes that not doing the weird thing becomes the weird thing.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 6 December 2024 17:51 (two weeks ago) link
I love even more that Zorn's own compositions on the album are called "Santa's Workshop" and "Magical Sleigh Ride".
― spiral galaxy 0891 505050 (Matt #2), Friday, 6 December 2024 19:27 (two weeks ago) link
I kind of like this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxZ5mfT9gbo
― spiral galaxy 0891 505050 (Matt #2), Friday, 6 December 2024 19:34 (two weeks ago) link
All part of his Radical Jewish Culture initiative, I assume, since most of the canonical Christmas songs were written by Jewish guys...
― Instead of create and send out, it pull back and consume (unperson), Friday, 6 December 2024 19:41 (two weeks ago) link
I wrote about the return of Painkiller.
― Instead of create and send out, it pull back and consume (unperson), Tuesday, 10 December 2024 15:27 (one week ago) link
Cool, I look forward to reading it! There's another new/nu Painkiller album on its way, too.
PainKiller: The Equinox (#9319)The Equinox is the exciting follow-up to PainKiller’s acclaimed 2024 release Samsara,and this time around there is greater variety and flexibility in their approach. Sixtracks of various feels and tempi are performed with trademark Painkiller intensity,with jazz, metal, noise, grindcore, techno, and more coming together into thePainKiller gristmill. Inspired by the magickal procedures of Aleister Crowley, thisnew recording is filled with great melodic, rhythmic, and textural invention. Almostorchestral in its layered complexity, The Equinox is an exhilarating masterwork fromthree radical and uncompromising forces of nature.(February 2025)
I lucked into a ticket to see New Masada at the Village Vanguard Sunday (a matinee). I'm stoked.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 10 December 2024 15:36 (one week ago) link
I tried a couple of times with the new Painkiller on the stereo and could not get into it. This morning I listened on earbuds and it sounded better, still I don't love Harris's electronic drums (esp after listening to Collected Works again for the first time a while) they just don't have the same effect as his acoustic drumming, and it makes Samsara sound a bit inert. I am still curious to hear the other new one.
― chr1sb3singer, Monday, 16 December 2024 16:26 (one week ago) link
I'll post a picture later, but I was all but seated on the stage at the Vanguard show! Like, I could have reached out my arm and grabbed Lage's guitar neck!
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 16 December 2024 18:02 (one week ago) link
No photography during the set, but I couldn't even be sneaky, because this was the view from my seat:
https://i.imgur.com/cDNv1xe.jpeg
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 16 December 2024 19:11 (one week ago) link
That kit oozes confidence. Was it Wolleson on drums?
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Monday, 16 December 2024 19:13 (one week ago) link
Yep! Dude hits haaaaaard.
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 16 December 2024 19:22 (one week ago) link