Masada String Trio Plays John Zorn
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Composer: John ZornConductor: John Zorn
Performer: Masada String Trio
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2004-02-24
Music Label: Tzadik
Soundtracks:
- Tahah
- Abidan
- Lachish
- Sippur
- Malkut
- Meholalot
- Kedushah
- Ner Tamid
- Karet
- Moshav
- Khebar
Music reviews of Masada String Trio Plays John Zorn
Music Review: Sorry - I ran out of cliches!
Rating: 5 Stars
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.
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