Film Works, Vol. 19: The Rain Horse

one of the best in the series

'Rain Horse', is the latest installment in Tzadik's very own 'Filmworks' series. It is also one of the best, as I'm stating very clearly in the title.

As the story goes, Zorn was approached by the director of this russian animated movie and asked to license several Masada pieces for the soundtrack.
He somehow fell in love with the movie and decided to produce several original compositions to better suit the story.
What the director (and us) got is a brilliant compilation of tunes well steeped in the russian folk/gypsy tradition, as another reviewer noted. Fans of Masada should be careful then, the 'jazz' element here is almost absent.
Also worth of mention: Erik Friedlander, whom I consider one of the best musicians to come out of the Downtown NY music scene, is in a state of grace here, which is probably part of the reason why I like the album so much.

Highly recommended! October 26, 2008

The Rain Horses

As a long time listener of Zorn, I am in awe of The Rain Horses. This is the best thing he's done since "The Gift." "Forests in the Mists" has some of the most evocative and powerful piano work I've heard from Zorn, or anyone else for that matter, in a long time. "The Stallion" is another powerful song that almost sounds like a marching tune. It's gripping stuff, and it may be his most accessible album yet. I haven't listened to it too often yet, but I'm constantly amazed by Zorn's compositions. The man must eat, breathe and dream compositions. There have been times, throughout his prodigious output, where I thought Zorn was retreating into old themes. I have no problem with him reworking a composition or a theme he loves, but I've tried to stay away from them. I like my music groundbreaking, bizarre. I prefer evocative pieces that place me in a given time or place. I don't know what he was thinking about during "Wedding of Wild Horses," but I was there. "Dance Exotique" may be the one piece I would stray from them in this set for all of you who purchase single mp3's. That piece doesn't feel right among these heavy weights. Birds in the Mist is a simple reworking of Forests in the Mist. The rest of the album is good, but those first five tracks leave me pretty speachless. I've never tried to write compositions, but it's hard for me to imagine that there is anyone else out there doing what Zorn is doing. The man has a beautiful gift that he has pushed to it's limits. I own a ton of his downloads, and I don't think I own a forth of them. As I said, some of them are similar, but no most of them are so varied and diverse that you find it hard to believe that one man could create such a catalogue. October 1, 2008

Quietly powerful.

The first release of a film score by John Zorn in nearly two years (2006's Film Works, Vol. 18: The Treatment being the most recent volume prior to this), "Filmworks XIX: The Rain Horse" was highly anticipated-- the beginnings of this decade had fans of Zorn's film soundtrack work spoiled with seemingly endless jewels and extraordinary prolificness (having released eight volumes of film scores between 2001 and 2006).

Assembling of trio of Erik Friedlander (cello), Rob Burger (performing on piano) and Greg Cohen (bass), the film in question was a Russian animation piece by Dmitri Geller. Zorn was originally approached for licensing of several Masada pieces but negotiated recording an original score instead. Intriguingly, given the original request and the proliferation of Masada or Masada-like pieces on Zorn's scores, Zorn's chosen a different direction. While it hints at the Masada sound, this one is more deeply imbedded in gypsy jazz and Russian folk sounds to my ear. The performers work with unnerving sensitivity to the feel of the music, invoking motion and power ("The Stallion"), foreboding and mystery ("Parable of Job", "Forests in the Mist" and it's solo cello reprise, "Bird in the Mist") and an unusually uplifting mournfulness ("Tree of Life"), this one makes a quiet and powerful statement.

One thing it does do unusually is blend in the background-- when this came in the mail I ripped it open and threw it on while I was cooking dinner. In this environment, I was not terribly impressed with it because it's strength is so quiet, but having listened to it several times since that first play, particularly with headphones on where its subtleties come through, I've been staggered at just the range of emotion the three musicians on this record convey. This is one that demands direct attention for full appreciation, and it offers a lot to appreciate. Highly recommended. January 23, 2008

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