John Zorn - Masada v5_Hei (1995)

John Zorn - Masada v5_Hei (1995)
jazz | 1CD | EAC Rip | FLAC+CUE+LOG | cover | 328MB
DIW | RAR +5% recovery

AMG:
Hei, the fifth release from John Zorn's Masada Quartet, shows the band at their tightest and most agile. In sound and design, it is much like the other nine releases from the Quartet, but it is rivaled only by Masada, Vol 3: Gimmel and Masada, Vol. 6: Vav for the musical acumen and togetherness of the players. A Jewish version of John Coltrane's A Love Supreme, Zorn here continues to explore issues of Jewish heritage and identity in the assimilated and diaspora Jewish world. The two opening tracks, "Paran" and "Halisah," show the prodigious talent of the band's frontmen, with Zorn on alto sax and Dave Douglas on trumpet as they groove through Ornette Coleman and Gerry Mulligan-inspired selections from the Masada songbook with a couple of helpings of the Middle East thrown in. These tracks set the tone for what will be the theme of the album, later picked up on with "Neshamah" and "Hafla'ah."While this album is not as aggressive or as transgress as some other Zorn projects, most notably Naked City or The Parachute Years, Zorn and Douglas still prove that they can screech with the best of them on tracks such as "Hobah" as they assert a new Jewish identity. At times, the stellar rhythm section of the Quartet, manned by Joey Baron on drums and Greg Cohen on bass, threatens to overshadow the brass. This is especially true on "Beeroth," the jewel of an album already glimmering in the desert, as Baron plays like a man released from a cage. While more melodic than not, Hei shows that the man known for his outfit of camouflage pants stands alongside the Israeli army as living proof that Jews can fight.

Personnel
John Zorn - Alto Sax
Dave Douglas - Trumpet
Greg Cohen - Bass
Joey Baron - Drums

Tracks
1 Paran Zorn 5:12
2 Halisah Zorn 6:27
3 Yoreh Zorn 6:50
4 Beeroth Zorn 4:12
5 Hobah Zorn 11:38
6 Neshamah Zorn 6:05
7 Lakum Zorn 3:11
8 Makedah Zorn 8:35
9 Hafla'ah Zorn 4:55

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John Zorn - Masada v6_Vav (1995)

John Zorn - Masada v6_Vav (1995)

jazz | 1CD | EAC Rip | FLAC+CUE+LOG | cover | 400MB
DIW | RAR +5% recovery

Review:
Recorded at the Power Station in New York in 1995, Masada, Vol. 6 Vav continues Masada's convincing union of Eastern European and Middle Eastern modalities with the freer, post-bop aspects of jazz pioneer Ornette Coleman. John Zorn's writing is particularly focused and well-informed, full of serpentine lines, mixed meters, and sudden shifts in tempo, while leaving plenty of room for collective and individual improvisation. The ensemble and the individual playing are uniformly superb throughout. Like much of Zorn's work, Vav exists in several simultaneous dimensions. For instance, "Debir," "Mikreh," "Nevalah," and "Nashon" showcase intense and intricate ensemble playing over variously fixed or open forms, which inform the generally caustic, playful and/or melodic improvisations. With bassist Greg Cohen in his pocket, Joey Baron's solo on "Nevalah" is one of the album's highlights. Conversely, "Shebuah," "Tiferet," "Avelut," and "Miktav" are generally slower and quieter. On "Shebuah," Cohen freely introduces the theme; on "Avelut" he solos with fragments of another. Trumpeter Dave Douglas' virtuosic playing is particularly effective at the slower tempos; his soulful solo on "Miktav" is another highlight. One of Vav's unifying threads is the ability of Zorn and Douglas — sharpened through years of playing together — to improvise contrapuntal lines together. "Beer Sheba" stands somewhat apart from the rest of the album. Zorn and Douglas slowly and freely state the theme while Baron and Cohen deliver a restless and churning texture. Zorn responds with his now-familiar shrieks over the slowly unfolding music that is reminiscent of his Pain Killer group. Vav is a consummate collection of Zorn tunes played with conviction and empathy by this extraordinary quartet.

Tracks
1  Debir  8:02 
2  Shebuah  8:09 
3  Mikreh  3:57 
4  Tiferet  4:05 
5  Nevalah 2:10
6  Miktav  9:40 
7  Nashon  8:37 
8  Avelut 7:31
9  Beer Sheba  8:50

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