JOhn zorn's MASADA: S&D / Cor D etc etc

The best performance of any of the live records is _Live in Taipei 1995_. The recording's pretty bad, but the band is TOTALLY ON (even if you can't hear Greg Cohen half the time). Killer versions of "Ziphim" and "Lachich."

If you want to start somewhere not quite as abrasive, go for _Live at Tonic 2001_--mature band, solid recording, very comfortable with the repertoire and especially with each other.

They're very worth going to see live, of course.

Taipei was the first Masada I heard...it was a long time ago so maybe I wasn't ready for it, but the crap recording quality really put me off, and I sold it eventually.

However, Masada is definitely THE place to start in my opinion, if you want to learn about Zorn's alto playing and his compostional skills. Masada is suprisingly easy to get into, with a sound similar to what Ornette Coleman would sound like if he was a Rabbi. My pick for Masada beginners albums would be two live albums 'Live At Tonic 2001' the team is definitely on fire, and the song choice is very varied, and there is a massive amount of music on this brilliant double album. Secondly, 'Live At Sevilla 2000', is another great album, the recording quality is very good, better than that of Live in Tapai. Drummer Joey Baron is in particulary good form throughout the date.

Now, if you want to more harsher affair, listening to Naked City will certainly do the job. The original self-titled Naked City album is probably the best place to start, the album is full of diverse influences, Zorn and his team play everything from Surf Music (Batman), To Hardcore Punk (Snagglepuss), to Free Jazz (Chronology (an ornette coleman tune)), To Easy Listening (Chinatown) to film music (James Bond Theme). Than if you want to journey further you might want to checko out the 'Black Box' (due to the obscene artwork that originally got the album banned outside Japan). Also a highlight for me is the classical tunes that Naked City plays on Grand Guigol, the City play Messiaen, Debussy, Scaribin among others. More ambient tthan naked city had ever been, however I have not bought this album due to the most obscene artwork ever to grace a cd cover, (well excluding other Zorn releases :P ). So untill Zorn maybe makes a coverless version of that and some other albums, I'll remain reluctant to buy. (Not That I dislike the music, but it's just a bit offputting to see a decapitated head on the cover that is real.)

Zorn's Chamber music albums are also excellent, I recently bought The Circle Maker, which is a pleasing mixture of Masada composed tunes played with a trio or with an extended sextet.

Than there is the film music series. I havn't bought any of these, I've downloaded some songs from them, but I have yet to have gathered enough judgement.

The Tribute CDs, I recently got hold of News For Lulu, a tribute to the 1950s/60s hard boppers, this album featuring the trio of John Zorn (alto), George Lewis (trombone) and Bill Frissell (guitar), is a fantastic compression of some of the greatest tunes in Jazz history. This album is particullarly mainstream for Zorn and Lewis, worth trying to find. The other tributes that spring to mind are 'The Big Gundown: A Tribute to Ennio Morricone', and 'Spy Vs Spy' an amazing tribute to Ornette Coleman, the tunes are played in an almost hardcore punk manner, very exciting, and the two alto at once feature certainly makes this a full out tribute, one of the finest tribute albums ever for one of the forefathers of Free Jazz.

I'm not even going to go into Game Music, I could ramble on for pages about Zorn, but I'll leave it here okay.

Thanks, Geoff

Let me say I think its shit. The hardcore/trash metal bands are far better and though I like the 'anti-jazziness' of it (and he sounds as if he has immersed himself in it and is not getting down 'with the kids') Zorn can't pull it off. Its an unsatisfying liten.

But as an impproviser, Zorn does the business. So get Harras (trio w/derek bailey and william parker), get his duo with E.Chadbourne and his duo with Fred Frith (tha art of memory).

Haven't got any masada yet but I will get it.

I forgot to listen to the interview yesterday, but I'll check the archive today.

ELECTRIC MASADA
At the Mountains of Madness
(Tzadik)

Zorn fans take note; this is the release you've been waiting for! The most recent band of the reigning king of the downtown scene has reached a new plateau. Although the group's greatness was hinted at on the 2003 live release commemorating Zorn's 50th birthday celebration, it is fully realized here. How could it not be with this lineup (John Zorn - sax, Marc Ribot - guitar, Jamie Saft - keyboards, Ikue Mori - computer, Trevor Dunn - elec. bass, Joey Baron - drums, Kenny Wollesen - drums, and Cyro Baptista - percussion) and material (Zorn's Masada songbook)? This is the culmination of Zorn's life's work: brutal elements of Naked City, Masada's lyrical finesse, improvisational mayhem a la his game pieces, and, as always, top-notch interpretations from his colleagues are in full effect.

This live double-CD is packed with material (sometimes repeated, always fresh) performed in Moscow and Ljubljana in 2004. As always, the packaging and sound quality are impeccable, but there is a sense of urgency in this ensemble's playing--maybe gigging these tunes outside New York City for nights in a row (in Eastern Europe!) loosened everyone up. Whatever it was, it worked, resulting in perhaps the most rewarding John Zorn listening experience (and there are like several thousand CDs so far) to date.

While Saft and Ribot do some incredible soloing (seriously!), the full group contribution is staggering. Not unlike Miles' early-'70s electric bands, E.M. transcends the "jam" genre through the strength of their ability to play off, rather than all over, each other--an important distinction if one is attempting 10-plus-minute songs. The bottom line is, you are missing out on some of the most soulful and rocking contemporary music being made if you pass on this one. [KC]

Didn't a Masada dvd come out recently? I'd like to see that.

xpost well I would say that it's devoid of critical love because it is, by and large, terrible

And postscript--Dave Douglas is an absolute freak because he did not look at the sheet music during the gig once, although all the rest of them did (including Zorn)!?! And it wasn't like they were playing a small repertoire or that it was somehow known in advance. I still do not understand that until this day, how Zorn called out chart numbers like a high school band instructor and Douglas would just nod and then rip into the melody with nary an off note.

http://arts.uchicago.edu/artspeaks.html

It's been commented before that he releases a ridiculous amount of material, but the past year or so has pushed that to an extreme limit what with the dozens of 50th Birthday discs. Trying to figure out what I need next!

Just popping in to say I've been playing the FUCK out of The Circle Maker (gorgeous, I think the most enjoyable listening experience I've had in recent memory) and Mountains of Madness lately (SO awesome).

He's doing a 5-night run here in SF this week, with a different lineup each night. Was gonna try and get to one of these but I'm not sure what tix are still available.

tix are $50 a night, though Yoshi's is doing a promo where you can get a free ticket to another show (excluding a 2nd Zorn show).

There's no way I'm going to be a completist about Zorn's Book of Angels thing, but this sounds like someting I might have to hear:

Mycale: Mycale: The Book of Angels Volume 13 [#7378]
Get ready for a whole new approach to Masada music! Expressive and passionate, Basya Schecter, Ayelet Rose Gottlieb, Malika Zarra and Sofia Rei Koutsovitis are four of the most creative vocalists around. Each the leader of a dynamic band of their own, they come together here in an intimate a cappella setting to interpret eleven songs from Zorn's remarkable Book of Angels. With lyrics in Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino, French and Arabic drawn from Rumi, Fernando Pessoa, The Hebrew Bible and more, the Masada vocal project is perhaps the most hauntingly beautiful installments in the entire Angels series. Dynamic and evocative New Jewish Music from four powerful women vocalists!

http://mateway.net/mycale/

Although since Zorn continues to tour Israel with various permutations of his stable of musicians, and build reinforce cultural ties between Israel and the U.S., I'm not sure I should continue to support his label. There is plenty of other music.

uh

Stray thought that just popped up: of all the people I'd like to hear tackle the three Masada books, tops might be Tony Levin on solo Stick, or maybe Stick +1 duets.

He should form Masada UK with Shabaka Hutchins, Tom Skinner et al

I am currently engaged in a deep internal struggle, trying to talk myself out of buying this box:

https://tzadik.limitedrun.com/products/748363-masada-30th-anniversary-edition-the-complete-studio-master-takes

Alef * Beit* Gimel * Dalet * Hei* Vav * Zayin * Het * Tet * Yod

The premier ensemble of Radical Jewish Culture, Masada is one of Zorn's most popular, personal, long-lasting, and powerful projects. Here you find the mother lode — the long-awaited Tzadik release of the original quartet's first studio recordings. Released in Japan by DIW from 1994–1997 and previously available only as hard-to-find Japanese imports, all ten CDs are presented here in their original configurations accompanied by an 84-page booklet filled with photos, scores, and over twenty essays of appreciation by a wide variety of musicians, poets, philosophers, and musical thinkers. Including an hour of rare alternate takes, rehearsals, and inserts, this is the ultimate Masada package. Made available to celebrate the band's 30th anniversary, Tzadik is proud to present this important historical document of one of the great acoustic jazz ensembles of all time-John Zorn's Masada.
Essential!

xp

but Tony Levin is American, he's from my hometown of Brookline, Massachusetts!

Only somewhat related, but I just learned over the last couple days that he was quite active in the jazz world in the late 60s and 70s, and was the first choice to play bass in Mahavishnu Orchestra, but declined after getting a garbled invite passed along from his mom. I didn't think he was really on the radar until the Peter Gabriel years.

iirc he was in a fusion band with Steve Gadd.

Looks like pre-Gabriel he played with Herbie Mann, and among other pre-Gabriel credits wiki has these:

Jaune (1970) – Jean-Pierre Ferland
Carly Simon (1971) – Carly Simon
Diana in the Autumn Wind (1972) – Gap Mangione (arrangements by Chuck Mangione)
Alive! (1972) – Chuck Mangione Quartet
Don McLean (1972) – Don McLean
Berlin (1973) – Lou Reed
Over the Rainbow (1973) – Livingston Taylor
The Roar of '74 (1973) – Buddy Rich
Playin' Favorites (1973) – Don McLean
Simba (Groove Merchant, 1974) – O'Donel Levy
Still Crazy After All These Years (1975) – Paul Simon
Welcome To My Nightmare (1975) – Alice Cooper
Judith (1975) – Judy Collins
Second Childhood (1976) – Phoebe Snow
Goes to Hell (1976) – Alice Cooper
Main Squeeze (1976) – Chuck Mangione
Lace and Whiskey (1977) – Alice Cooper
Never Letting Go (1977) – Phoebe Snow
Singin'... (1977) – Melissa Manchester
Ringo the 4th (1977) – Ringo Starr
Watermark (1977) – Art Garfunkel

And of course, lots later, from John Lennon to Tom Waits. Busy dude! I wonder how many of them let him bust out the Stick.

Wow, here he is in the late '60s, with hair, playing upright bass!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0gtCbRIBfo

Sorry, I meant Zorn, not Tony Levin.

I remember liking some tracks on Levin's first solo record, mostly duets he recorded in hotel rooms with other musicians while on tour.