Film Works, Vol. 14: Hiding and Seeking
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Free Music Notes for Film Works, Vol. 14: Hiding and Seeking
Free Music Review: My intro to Zorn's music
Hit: 5 Stars
I actually got this one through the library, thinking that I should borrow a copy before buying Zorn music. I needn't have worried. This cd, Filmworks 14, is very easy to listen to and exceptional. It's the soundtrack to the film 'Hiding and Seeking, faith and tolerance after the holocaust'. Soundtracks normally are boring to me, but this is an easy listen, at times jazzy and always soothing. Definitely a good cd to listen to while at work.
What really impressed me most of all was reading Zorn's liner notes. He wrote the music for this cd in a matter of a couple of hours and recorded the whole shooting match in one day. It takes a great deal of musical vision and talent to do something like that, and to pull it off so well. Keep in mind that Zorn does not perform on this cd, for that he's pulled together a very talented group of musicians.
After listening to this, I'd say my musical journey with John Zorn has just begun. 5 stars.
Free Music Review: Masada-like acoustic guitar-based ensemble.
Hit: 4 Stars
This is a very unagressive piece by Zorn, featuring Marc Ribot on acoustic guitar, Trevor Dunn on upright bass, and Cyro Baptista on percussion. Additional performances are made by Kenny Wolleson (vibes) and Ganda Suthivarakom (voice). The vocal is used to double the guitar lines on several tracks, and all tracks with vocal are included without as well (Orthodox Jews evidentally are not allowed to hear a woman sing in public, so for the movie, the vocals were not used).
The music is largely in the Masada songbook vein, with Dunn setting up circular grooves over which Ribot plays melodies and infrequently solos, much of it is theme variation. Beneath the strings, Baptista works his usual magic array of sounds.
This one has a nice feel of coherency and comes together really well-- rhythmically its quite hypnotic, and its a quiet, laid back recording, Ribot really shines, his playing is fantastic throughout. But while I really enjoy this one, I can't give it a five star rating because I tend to reserve that for Zorn's work which blows me away-- this is a really great, groove-oriented and somewhat breezy record, and you'll come back to it over and over, but its not engaging on the level of some of Zorn's other work.
Free Music Review: A good introduction to Zorn's easy-listening music
Hit: 4 Stars
For the dedicated Zorn fan, this soundtrack is boring but beautiful. For everyone else, it's something you should buy right away. Zorn has blended a dozen new klezmer melodies with a tinge of lounge music. (He calls it "Martin Denny from the Catskills.") The arrangements are spare but effective --- every song is played by guitar, vibes, bass, and percussion. Four of the songs have been re-recorded with Ganda Suthivarakom singing the melodies.The songs are interrconnected by their tempo and Jewish folk themes, making the whole album sound like a single piece of music. The booklet contains a brief essay by Zorn and another by the makers of the documentary for which this soundtrack was recorded. The whole package is stylish and classy. I highly recommend this CD to anyone, even someone who isn't normally interested in John Zorn's music.
Free Music Review: hmm, not bad... not bad at all.
Hit: 4 Stars
I just finished listening to this disc and i must say, i'm rather pleased with it. The melodies are really simple, and quite beautiful. Being a big fan of groups like Combustible Edison, and 'exotica' pioneers like Martin Denny, naturally i love the arrangement of vibes, bass, percussion and wordless female vocals. But, as stated by the other reviewer, the real draw here is the fantastic classical-style guitar work from Mr. Ribot - quite stunning. This is certainly not to say that the other musicians don't shine throughout the disc as well. My only complaint (although this is something one must come to expect with 'exotica' music) is that just about all of the songs tend to have the same tempo and groove. That really isn't a big deal though.
All in all, a pretty solid recording - if 'Masada meets Martin Denny' sounds like an interesting combination to you, definately consider adding this to your list of next purchases.
Free Music Review: Not bad but Zorn's done better in this series.
Hit: 3 Stars
Marc Ribot saves the day on this release. The music is (again) very Jewish and the songs sound the same as many of those done on previous Filmworks CD's, so don't get your hopes up for a spellbinding experience. It's a good disc to have but I was hoping for more. Try "Invitation to a Suicide" first, if you don't have it. More interesting and the musicians get to strech out a little more...