Wow, I hope no one read the first review. I thought I was reviewing R.L. Burnside. Anyway, the critique on the cover says this will blow you away. If you like avant garde jazz (and I do) it will, most certainly, blow your mind! Really, this is some awesome stuff. I do not have the words to explain how @*&$#^> awesome this is. Do yourself a favor and just buy it already.
November 13, 2007 |  | Not for the faint of heart. |  |
"Asmodeus" is the seventh installment in John Zorn's Masada Book II. In case anyone reading is unfamiliar, a brief introduction: in the early '90s, Zorn began exploring his Jewish and Jazz heritages through the composition of a songbook of themes that could serve as a sprinboard for improvisation. He composed some 200 songs for the original jazz quartet, eventually expanding the project to be performed by other acts. Over a decade after its inception, Zorn revitalized the aging (by his standards) project by injecting a new songbook into the mix-- the Book of Angels, a collection of around 300 new themes. Instead of focusing on a band this time, Zorn has had different groups perform the material. "Asmodeus" presents ten pieces from the book as performed by a rock power trio led by guitarist Marc Ribot, ably supported by bassist Trevor Dunn and drummer G. Calvin Weston.
What follows is something that, even moreso than Electric Masada did, will shake your impression as to where this project can go. From the opener "Kalmiya"-- it's clear that this is something forceful-- Ribot comes blazing out with a frantic, noisy, overdriven guitar solo over a raging rhythm section before settling into a bit of a monster groove, with the melody eventually floating above (or perhaps in opposition to) a freely associating Dunn and Weston. Quite frankly, it's like Ornette Coleman's Prime Time project on steroids.
While the record admittedly settles down a bit (the second track, "Yezriel", finds the trio slinking into a blues rock feel after the explosive opener), the performance maintains a raging intensity and seemingly endless blistering guitar pyrotechnics throughout. Admittedly, at times this causes the performance to deviate a bit, capturing this sort of performance almost universally works better in a live setting where you can really see and feel the interaction and energy between the band, and here it can cause the pieces to occasionally feel disjoint ("Kezef" where Ribot seems tentative, "Armaros" where Dunn does, at least after his solo). Sometimes I suspect this was the intent-- if the goal was to capture a live energy here, it would stand to reason that you'd avoid repeated takes and sometimes you'll end up a bit disjoint. On the other hand, sometimes you'll end up so disjoint that what you'll have its a piece that bubbles over with so much energy, you can't help but be in awe of it, and Ribot's sound, while consistent on the record, still somehow manages to be all over the map, touching on John McLaughlin ("Yezriel"), Sonny Sharrock ("Cabriel") and Blood Ulmer ("Sensenya"), not to mention literally dozens of others.
One thing I can safely say about "Asmodeus", by the time it wraps up, you can almost feel exhausted. It is an immensely powerful record, and again while perhaps not as consisently successful as other entries in the Masada Book II catalog (the Masada String Trio record comes immediately to mind), this one is so overwhelming in its dissection and deconstruction of the rock idiom that it's hard to think of it as anything short of fantastic. Recommended.
August 22, 2007| | | Nice mix of accessible rock and avante garde jazz | |
Just picked this up the other day and I haven't stopped listening to it yet. Just guitar, bass and drums. Jewish/Sephardic melodies played in a rock/avante-garde jazz style. The brief liner notes compare his playing to Hendrix, McLaughlin, Sharrock, and Ulmer. I'd probably say closest to Sharrock, maybe because he's played with Zorn, but also because he may be the least "in the pocket" player and most willing to take chances, but without the trademark "blizzard of notes". Ribot's not a shredder, but he certainly keeps you guessing where the solo's going next, and he embraces dissonance like a certain bucket wearing guitarist Zorn is certainly familiar with. An interesting aspect of his style (on this cd anyway) is he doesn't use much vibrato, especially when holding a long note. Couple this with some of the high keening notes of the middle eastern scale and his slightly acidic tone and it really makes for a unique sound, almost like a reed instrument. The rhythm section is infallible, and keeps everything "real" and listenable through Marc's wanderings down Electric Ladyland. Trevor Dunn's bass work is quite remarkable, occasionally bubbling to the surface, then back down to groove-keeping. The tunes Yezriel, Zakun and Dagiel are my personal favorites. Yezriel in particular has a 60's groove reminscient of Jefferson Airplane's eastern experiments, but Ribot takes it somewhere Jorma never could have imagined (no matter how much acid he consumed). My only complaint is the cd's only 36 minutes long, but it's a thrilling 1/2 hour. Buy it cheap and enjoy!
August 2, 2007| | | Yet another "Book of Angels" gem... | |
I've collected volumes 1 through 6 with great enthusiasm and all have brought equal reward. John Zorn continues to amaze me with his prolific output, and overabundant talent and love for all things audible. With Book 7, Marc Ribot shines on all tracks, showing why he is the guitarist of choice for Mr. Zorn. Trevor Dunn also provides very solid basswork, and his interaction with Ribot is very tight, most likely coming from their past work in Electric Masada together. I am new to G. Calvin Weston's work, but from this effort alone, I will definitely be looking out for more. Tracks #2 and 4 are instant favorites, but none of the tracks are any less than stellar. Anyone obsessed with the involved parties probably have already picked this up, but anyone looking for a solid guitar/bass/drum trio effort, here it is.
July 7, 2007More reviews at Amazon.com ...
