|
|
Post by Sordel on Feb 18, 2018 5:10:06 GMT -5
Things are quiet here but I thought we should have a thread on this release.
It's interesting to see who Zorn picked to record it: no Masada quartet, Electric Masada. String Trio or Bar Kokhba, arguably benching the bands that would lay claim to being the Masada headliners. On the other hand, Kezmerson, Zion 80, The Spike Orchestra, Secret Chiefs 3 and Banquet Of The Spirits: some of the artists with the best records of 'translating' the heads into notably different styles. Abraxas & Cleric from Zorn's new list of favourites. No standard acoustic combo (sorry to see no new Brian Marsella or Craig Taborn trios). Gnostic Trio but not the Nova Quartet. Sofia Rei in a new configuration (sounding great on the sample track) and the Midsummer Moons duo stepping up to the A-list. It's a pretty thrilling lineup.
Missed opportunities? I would have liked to see Dither in the set because they would bring an Avant Garde feel not well represented otherwise in the personnel here. The set as it stands seems to promise to be accessible, which is almost counter-intuitive given that any Zorn fans lining up to buy an 11-disc set at this point would be considered the hardest of the hardcore. I wonder whether in his own mind Zorn separated out some bands to be Bagatelles and some to be Beriah. If so, it makes it even more important to me that we get Bagatelles recordings as well.
Thoughts?
|
|
|
|
Post by stefanodoug on Feb 19, 2018 15:53:13 GMT -5
Things are quiet here but I thought we should have a thread on this release. It's interesting to see who Zorn picked to record it: no Masada quartet, Electric Masada. String Trio or Bar Kokhba, arguably benching the bands that would lay claim to being the Masada headliners. On the other hand, Kezmerson, Zion 80, The Spike Orchestra, Secret Chiefs 3 and Banquet Of The Spirits: some of the artists with the best records of 'translating' the heads into notably different styles. Abraxas & Cleric from Zorn's new list of favourites. No standard acoustic combo (sorry to see no new Brian Marsella or Craig Taborn trios). Gnostic Trio but not the Nova Quartet. Sofia Rei in a new configuration (sounding great on the sample track) and the Midsummer Moons duo stepping up to the A-list. It's a pretty thrilling lineup. Missed opportunities? I would have liked to see Dither in the set because they would bring an Avant Garde feel not well represented otherwise in the personnel here. The set as it stands seems to promise to be accessible, which is almost counter-intuitive given that any Zorn fans lining up to buy an 11-disc set at this point would be considered the hardest of the hardcore. I wonder whether in his own mind Zorn separated out some bands to be Bagatelles and some to be Beriah. If so, it makes it even more important to me that we get Bagatelles recordings as well. Thoughts? Hi, you're right about this release: definitely worth to comment. Thanks for starting the thread. I am not surprised that none of the classic Masada bands have been called to record the last(?) installment of the Masada Songbook. I actually think Zorn did a great move when he shifted from those classic bands to the numerous ensembles that eventually gave life to the multifaceted Book of Angels project. A smart and effective idea to re-enliven a concept of music which could have got too repetitive in the hands of the same musicians who initially performed it. I did not listen to all Book of Angels releases, but among the half I heard, some seemed weaker than others. I can see the point in re-inviting Secret Chiefs 3 and Banquet of the Spirits for Book 3. To me those were really great recordings and brilliant arrangements (especially SC3). Zion80 is also a quite powerful ensemble which is nice to see also in the new cast. As the old guard of musicians (Marc Ribot, Joey Baron, Greg Cohen, Marc Feldman, Erik Friedlander) seem to have been forgotten for Book 3, there has been a pleasant return from the past in recent years: Bill Frisell. An early partner during what has been probably Zorn's most creative period (end of 80's, beginning of 90's), Bill has returned in other recent Tzadik releases (Brill Building vol 2) and I believe it's always good to hear him play. I pledged my copy soon after finding the Pledge Music link (https://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/johnzorn) because I am glad that artwork still matters to Tzadik in these digital download times. I also like the vinyl idea, although it would have been awesome to have a vinyl boxset too (too expensive perhaps). I don't know whether some more chamber-wise bands were left out. Maybe the character of the Bagatelles (which I never saw or heard) fits better with those bands than the Book Beriah's. I must confess however, that I am not too keen about Zorn classical output. I just hope we will get too see more masada marathons in Europe. Off topic: Did anyone see Amalric's doc on Zorn? Can we hope for a screening/broadcast or release?I remember him filming the 2010 Masada Marathon in Milan  |
|
|
|
Post by sarahv on Feb 20, 2018 0:13:48 GMT -5
You'll be able to pre-order the box set from Downtown Music Gallery if you'd rather support them than give a percentage to PledgeMusic... that's what I'm doing. I'm pretty pleased with the lineup - I'm an especially big fan of Shanir and Brian Marsella so it's great to see multiple projects featuring them. I went to 12 of the Vanguard sets in November, which were almost all Book of Beriah (the exception was Brian Marsella doing book 2). They were all very good, but Abraxas and Banquet of the Spirits were my favorites. (The Gnostic Trio probably would be also, but I started feeling really ill that night and spent most of the second set wondering what would happen if I passed out in the front row of a crowded show at the Vanguard. It turns out if you schedule Marc Ribot and John Zorn residencies back to back, I end up in urgent care. Spirit is willing, flesh is weak, blah blah blah...) I do really miss the 'old guard,' bands like Bar Kokhba, Masada String Trio, Electric Masada and etc. It seems like such a waste to shelve such great ensembles. Off topic: Did anyone see Amalric's doc on Zorn? Can we hope for a screening/broadcast or release?I remember him filming the 2010 Masada Marathon in Milan I got to see it at the NYFF, thanks to a friend who offered me an extra ticket on the day of the screening. I'd had surgery a few weeks earlier and had forgotten all about the screening while dealing with all that. I'm grateful for that bit of serendipity - I really enjoyed it. It's not a typical documentary, it's more of an impression of what it's like being around John Zorn and his music, I guess. The director was there and said something about how it's a work in progress and he's continuing to add new footage. So it didn't sound like they were looking at a definitive release soon, but I would expect them to continue the one-off screenings. Fun facts: you can see me in the audience in one scene, and I am 99% sure they borrowed a couple seconds of a video I posted on Youtube from Zorn@60 at the Met... :-) |
|
|
|
Post by Sordel on Feb 20, 2018 2:54:20 GMT -5
You'll be able to pre-order the box set from Downtown Music Gallery if you'd rather support them than give a percentage to PledgeMusic... that's what I'm doing. That's exactly what I intended to do, but I notice on the Zorn in Sarajevo Facebook group ‘John Zorn’ (probably not Zorn himself but likely a representative) posted that people should buy from Pledgemusic because there was a ‘misunderstanding’ with DMG. I'm thinking that there is an exclusivity deal there for some period of time, which likely means that Tzadik is anxious about losing pledges in advance of manufacture, which must be part of this economic picture. It creates a dilemma. |
|
|
|
Post by sarahv on Feb 20, 2018 12:55:53 GMT -5
You'll be able to pre-order the box set from Downtown Music Gallery if you'd rather support them than give a percentage to PledgeMusic... that's what I'm doing. That's exactly what I intended to do, but I notice on the Zorn in Sarajevo Facebook group ‘John Zorn’ (probably not Zorn himself but likely a representative) posted that people should buy from Pledgemusic because there was a ‘misunderstanding’ with DMG. I'm thinking that there is an exclusivity deal there for some period of time, which likely means that Tzadik is anxious about losing pledges in advance of manufacture, which must be part of this economic picture. It creates a dilemma. Odd. I just asked Bruce about it this weekend. Maybe he has a clause where he can't offer it until the pledge drive is over or something, to help them reach the minimum they need. |
|
|
|
Post by stefanodoug on Feb 20, 2018 13:11:45 GMT -5
Before making my pledge on PledgeMusic's site, I turned to Heung Heung Chin (Chippy Design) to ask her whether that campaign was true or not. Being off Facebook and other social media, it's easy to miss stuff.
After she confirmed the truthness of the campaign, she added: "They have the exclusive selling rights at the moment. It’s limited edition. Definitely get it through Pledgemusic first since DMG won’t have it first. When Pledge is done being the exclusive, DMG will be able to come on board."
I have been buying cds from DMG and I like to support them, but on this occasion after Chippy's remark, I went for PledgeMusic.
|
|
|
|
Post by Sordel on Apr 13, 2018 9:04:53 GMT -5
The launch (or, as it now is, pre-launch) concert for the boxed set took place at Symphony Space last night. First up was Secret Chiefs 3 with a very technical set anchored by the percussion of Kenny Grohowski and Ches Smith. At least three pieces had abrupt changes of time signature & style, giving the overall impression that the set was a riot of musicianship. Never having seen Spruance play before I had to double-take to make sure that he wasn't playing a fretless instrument: his phrasing is remarkably liquid. I suspect that I will enjoy these pieces on disc even more than I do their Book of Angels set.
Banquet of the Spirits was a gravitational battle between Brian's very kinetic pianism and Cyro's showmanship & good humour. The latter's array of instruments had the upper hand visually but it was the former who drove the music on with impressively wild playing. As with the SC3 set, the percussion itself with its infectious World Music dance rhythms contributed to the idea of the entire concert as a big celebration. The only misstep was Shanir's upright bass, which was difficult to hear, even on a couple of feature spots. This was another great set although I'd question whether the heads themselves appear to best advantage with this band.
Zion80’s set was looser, with Jon Madof cueing improvisation in a way that the other bands had not. This was my first time seeing the band and the lead players seemed to be Yoshie Fruchter (electric guitarj), Frank London (trumpet) and the imposingly tall Greg Wall on tenor sax. Jessica Lurie was billed as “baritone saxophone” but her two most important moments came on alto and flute. While I appreciated the more ex tempore feel of this set I felt that the size of the band, ultimately augmented by musicians. from the previous bands, lost some of the tightness that I enjoy on their BoA disc.
Zorn himself, who was clearly in a good mood throughout the night, joined Zion80 to contribute alto (and a little bit of conducting) to the final piece of the evening. The ninety- minute advertised running length was overrun by approaching an hour and the audience was rightly appreciative of an amazingly “groovy” set of bands. All three of these discs promise to be superb when the box arrives.
|
|
|
|
Post by APVrresto on Aug 28, 2018 11:11:09 GMT -5
Wondering if anyone else here has dipped into the Beriah recordings yet...? I have listened to the first three volumes, so far - and am very much in love with all of them. The Spike Orchestra sounds phenomenal, Cleric really impressed me with a style of music that I would not normally return to for repeat-listens (but already have a couple of times,) and the Sofia Rei volume is groovy and beautiful (and my favorite of those three.)
|
|
|
|
Post by Sordel on Aug 28, 2018 12:06:05 GMT -5
Still very much in “first listening” mode here. I do hope that we'll get a discussion going here as people form their opinions. So far I'd say that the set is everything I'd hoped for and my early favourite is ... the Klezmerson disc.
|
|
|
|
Post by rodrigo on Aug 28, 2018 17:29:37 GMT -5
on first listening here as well. I was going to post my favourites.. and then I realized they are almost all of them!!! Amazing (nonetheless because it was expected to be so) high level in all the recordings. I hope I get my hands on the physical release soon.. (my tshirt still didnt arrive  ) |
|
|
|
Post by APVrresto on Aug 28, 2018 17:34:01 GMT -5
I am trying very hard to take some time with each volume before moving on to the next, which has so far meant about three or four spins. I want to devour it all at once, and at first jumped around and listened to a track off of each volume. I've got all of it in an iTunes playlist that I could just shuffle through, also. Not sure what to do with 11 volumes of new music. Is restraint at all necessary? I want to appreciate these the same way I have the previous 42 volumes. That said, your recommendation was all it took for me to have the Klezmerson volume playing in the background right now... and it is indeed amazing.
|
|
|
|
Post by Sordel on Sept 4, 2018 16:13:15 GMT -5
A couple of quick observations based on my still very partial listening:
1. The piano disc, though it feels unfinished in places, is a gem.
2. For me Zion 80 disc is not as good as their BoA disc but The Spike Orchestra disc is better, so those two have swapped places for me this time out.
|
|
|
|
Post by rodrigo on Sept 5, 2018 5:30:10 GMT -5
not a big fan of Zion80 BoA, though I love their eponymous record. On first listen their Beriah sounded stronger to my ears.
Spike orchestra really good, huge improvement over an already impressive BoA.
Lage/Riley is a real gem.
Banquet of the Spirits seems like a more unified record than their BoA, less eccentric and more piano-centric.
Cleric seems like it would be impressive on further hearings.
So far my impressions after first/second listenings.
|
|
|
|
Post by Sordel on Mar 20, 2019 2:20:16 GMT -5
Very disappointed to hear the news from Zorn yesterday that none of the proceeds of the Beriah project have been received from Pledgemusic. I would rather have purchased from DMG at the outset and it's disturbing to think that - having pushed for an enterprising sales model - Tzadik has been swindled. It's hard to see what has gone wrong at Pledge because their running costs cannot have been that high for what is essentially a digital shop window.
|
|
)