Masada Guitars
Masada Anniversary Edition Vol. 1: Masada Guitars | ||||
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Studio album by John Zorn | ||||
Released | January 2003 (2003-01) | |||
Genre | Jazz, klezmer | |||
Length | 74:39 | |||
Label | Tzadik TZ 7171 | |||
Producer | John Zorn | |||
John Zorn chronology | ||||
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Masada Anniversary chronology | ||||
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Masada Anniversary Edition Vol. 1: Masada Guitars is the first album in a series of five releases celebrating the 10th anniversary of John Zorn's Masada songbook project.[1][2]
History
Masada Guitars was the first release in 2003 of a series commemorating the tenth anniversary of Zorn's group Masada and the 205-song Masada songbook. Each song is written in accordance with a number of rules, including the maximum number of staves, the modes or scales that are used, and the fact that the songs must be playable by any small group of instruments. The album features 21 Masada songs performed by solo guitar. The tracks are split between three performers: Marc Ribot, Bill Frisell and Tim Sparks.[3]
Reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
All About Jazz | (not rated)[4] |
Allmusic | [5] |
The Penguin Guide to Jazz | [6] |
Pitchfork Media | [3] |
Masada Guitars received mostly favorable reviews. Allmusic music critic Sean Westergaard stated "Those expecting an electric romp through the Masada songbook might be disappointed; Masada Guitars consists entirely of solo, mostly acoustic performances. Preconceptions aside, this is a beautiful album. Marc Ribot, Bill Frisell, and Tim Sparks each bring their own voice to these tunes: Sparks with his rich fingerpicking, Ribot coming from his classical guitar background, and Bill Frisell with his unmistakable ethereal tone."[5]
In his review for All About Jazz, Farrell Lowe writes of the stripped-down nature of the songs revealing their essence, writing: "This recording also reveals how powerful the modern guitar can be. Zorn chose three very distinctive players to interpret these pieces. Each guitarist shapes and cuts his own world of sound out of Zorn's compositions."[4]
Chris Dahlen was less positive about the disc as a whole, considering it too long: "This disc is almost indulgently long, crammed with 21 similar pieces that get dignified, mid-tempo readings. That's a lot of samey acoustic guitar to wade through, and the fact that it's all pretty doesn't justify the length. But the upside is that Zorn knows where he's going, and he knows what he wants from these guitarists; he's just willing to give them a lot of chances to hit it." He calls Sparks' arrangements "rigorous and exciting", Ribot as "plain-spoken" and Frisell the "maverick" of the three.[3]
Acoustic Guitar named Masada Guitars as essential in their article "20 Years of Essential Acoustic Albums".[7]
Track listing
All compositions by John Zorn. Performer's name in parentheses.
- "Abidan" – 3:31 (Frisell)
- "Kodashim" – 3:37 (Sparks)
- "Kedem" – 3:29 (Ribot)
- "Bikkurim" – 3:00 (Frisell)
- "Ravayah" – 4:01 (Sparks)
- "Hadasha" – 2:45 (Ribot)
- "Katzatz" – 3:37 (Frisell)
- "Kanah" – 3:27 (Sparks)
- "Hodaah" – 3:24 (Ribot)
- "Kisofim" – 4:53 (Frisell)
- "Sippur" – 2:48 (Sparks)
- "Sansanah" – 5:54 (Ribot)
- "Galgalim" – 1:45 (Ribot)
- "Elilah" – 3:05 (Frisell)
- "Kedushah" – 4:32 (Sparks)
- "Shevet" – 3:11 (Ribot)
- "Kochot" – 3:56 (Frisell)
- "Tzalim" – 2:21 (Ribot)
- "Kivah" – 2:33 (Ribot)
- "Avelut" – 4:05 (Frisell)
- "Moshav" – 3:54 (Ribot)
Personnel
References
- ^ Tzadik catalogue entry for Masada Guitars
- ^ Masada World: Masada Guitars, accessed January 6, 2020
- ^ a b c Dahlen, Chris (2007). "Review: Masada Guitars". Pitchfork Media.
- ^ a b Lowe, Farrell. "Masada Guitars > Review". All About Jazz. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
- ^ a b Westergaard, Sean. "Masada Guitars' > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
- ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1543. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
- ^ Acoustic Guitar Magazine. 20 Years of Essential Acoustic Albums. Archived 2010-09-17 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved September 20, 2010.
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String Trio
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Anniversary
- Masada Guitars
- Voices in the Wilderness
- The Unknown Masada
- Masada Recital
- Masada Rock
Celebration
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- Templars: In Sacred Blood
- The Lost Judgment
- The Dreamers
- O'o
- Ipos: Book of Angels Volume 14
- A Dreamers Christmas
- Pellucidar: A Dreamers Fantabula
- Alhambra Love Songs
- In Search of the Miraculous
- The Goddess – Music for the Ancient of Days
- Simulacrum
- The True Discoveries of Witches and Demons
- Inferno
- The Painted Bird
- 49 Acts Of Unspeakable Depravity In The Abominable Life And Times Of Gilles De Rais
- The Garden Of Earthly Delights
- Baphomet
- Chaos Magick
- Nostradamus: The Death of Satan
Inspirations
- IAO
- Enigmata
- Nova Express
- At the Gates of Paradise
- Nosferatu
- Rimbaud
- A Vision in Blakelight
- The Concealed
- Dreamachines
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- The Gnostic Preludes
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- In Lambeth
- In Memory of Nikki Arane with Eugene Chadbourne
- Locus Solus
- Yankees with Derek Bailey & George E. Lewis
- Deadly Weapons with Steve Beresford, Tonie Marshall & David Toop
- Ganryu Island with Sato Michihiro
- The Art of Memory with Fred Frith
- Zohar with Yamantaka Eye
- Nani Nani with Yamantaka Eye
- Harras with Derek Bailey & William Parker
- Euclid's Nightmare with Bobby Previte
- Weird Little Boy with Trey Spruance, Mike Patton, William Winant & Chris Cochrane
- Downtown Lullaby with Wayne Horvitz, Elliott Sharp and Bobby Previte
- Prelapse with Prelapse
- Buck Jam Tonic with Bill Laswell & Tatsuya Nakamura
- Naninani II with Yamantaka Eye
- The Stone: Issue One with Dave Douglas, Rob Burger, Bill Laswell, Mike Patton & Ben Perowsky
- The Stone: Issue Three with Lou Reed & Laurie Anderson
- The Art of Memory II with Fred Frith
- Late Works with Fred Frith
- @ with Thurston Moore
- Sonic Rivers with George E. Lewis & Wadada Leo Smith