Jazz
The long awaited first release of Zorn's most recent and most powerful Masada unit. A true downtown supergroup, blending the raw power of Naked City with the improvisational madness of Cobra and the lyrical soul of the Masada songbook, Electric Masada is considered by many to be the most exciting band Zorn has ever had. This set, the taut climax of a three night run at Tonic, features the full octet at its wildest and most creative. Incredible solos, jaw dropping ensemble conductions and much more.
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After playing an eclectic range of music in a variety of forgettable bands for more than a decade, Torsten Edwinson and Mattias Westin joined forces to form a psychedelic trance duo, Masada, in 1999. In an attempt to describe their music, alt-rock magazine, Ward 42 wrote, "thumping, resonant, booming, fast, smooth, ker-plow! (a Batman ker-plow! no less), dance, sweat, hot, movement".
By Craig Harris, All Music Guide.
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John Zorn's Electric Masada project is one of those bands that carries enormous weight with it-- indeed the label website states that "Electric Masada combines the raw power and manic speed of Naked City, the improvisational edge of Cobra and the spiritual lyricism of the Masada songbook" certainly a lofty bill to live up to. As-yet unrecorded in the studio, "At the Mountains of Madness" is the second live release by the band, recorded during two dates on the end of a European tour last year. Like the previous release ("50th Birthday Celebration Volume 4", recorded in September of 2003), this one remarkably lives up to all the hyperbole that the label's description can come up with.
For those who haven't seen this band live (and you really should if you get the opportunity-- the records really only capture a fraction of the power live), a bit about the performance environment. Zorn sits in the middle of the band, part performer, part conductor, indicating solos, moments, noises and so on, encourages solos he enjoys, shifting directions in those he does not, and so on. This leaves a fierceness and edginess reminiscent of the Game Pieces, although with the framework of the piece setting up the "rules", it translates better on album than the Game Pieces did. Zorn assembled for this tour what seems to be his preferred cast for Electric Masada-- the leader on alto sax, Marc Ribot on guitar, Ikue Mori on laptop electronics, Jamie Saft on keyboards, Trevor Dunn on bass, Joey Baron and Kenny Wolleson on drums and Cyro Baptista on percussion. Ribot, Saft and Baptista are in Zorn's direct line of sight in his regular playing position and are most commonly utilized in determining and altering direction of the pieces, whereas Dunn and the drummers are usually more concerned with maintaining the groove and rhythmic figures and Mori is somewhere totally in between all of this, providing an oddity to the music that really quite defies definition. The net result is that the entire performance is under Zorn's control at all times, with direction put forth usually via guitar or keyboard. The members of this band have been in projects together for the better part of twenty years of association with Zorn's downtown scene, however, and they respond to each other in powerful ways, blending together seamlessly and moving as one voice.
About the music itself, the two sets are both lengthy (the first disc runs about 80 minutes, the second 77), with eight and seven songs performed, respectively. Six songs are performed in both sets, and all the material except for "Metaltov" comes from the Masada book-- "Metaltov" is a Naked City piece that gets fitting readings in both sets. The performances really cover the range of Zorn's expression, from moody, spacious and lyrical ("Abidan", performed on both sets) to breezy with deep grooves ("Lilin" on the first set after the frantic opening) to explosive and fierce ("Metaltov") and overtly Stalling-influenced ("Hath-Arob"). Along the way, some fantastic playing comes forth from all parties, with the performance nothing short of top notch.
Comparing it to the birthday show, it's fairly similar, but if anything the performances here seem to capture more energy somehow. Five of the seven cuts from the birthday CD receive readings on this one, so you've some expectation of the diversity of material from the Masada songbook.
Bottom line-- this is just as fantastic as that release was, music this powerful is so rarely performed, the opportunity to hear it on record is extraordinary.
Highly recommended.
By Michael Stack.
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John Zorn— Alto saxophone
Marc Ribot— Guitar
Jamie Saft— Keyboards
Ikue Mori— Electronics
Trevor Dunn— Bass
Joey Baron— Drums
Kenny Wollesen— Drums
Cyro Baptista— Percussion
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Cd1
01. Lilin 16:14
02. Metal Tov 5:35
03. Karaim 16:15
04. Hath-Arob 5:17
05. Abidan 8:09
06. Idalah-Abal 6:33
07. Kedem 15:41
08. Yatzar 6:05
Cd2
01. Tekufah 17:59
02. Hath-Arob 6:55
03. Abidan 9:59
04. Metal Tov 5:52
05. Karaim 15:15
06. Idalah-Abal 6:08
07. Kedem 14:47
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