John Zorn Masada:Masada Live at Tonic

Rating:
Summary: masada dvd - great, but not as great as i wanted it to be
Review: I was extremely excited when i heard the news that tzadik would be releasing a live dvd of my favorite jazz group right now, Masada - in their home base (and one of my fav venues) TONIC where my favorite Masada live album was recorded. When I finally got it, i was not so amazed. The sound and picture quality are both very good, although i cant really see a reason why anyone should praise the filmmaker in his effort other than the fact that he brought us a masada live dvd - other than that fact alone, this concert is shot very straight-fowardly, which can be said to his credit but its nothing special.
The set list is probably the reason for the few complaints I have. and mind you, i'm using this review to give perspective to the first persons raving review of the dvd, therefor i dont need to fill it with praise - but dont think i dont totally dig the dvd, cause i do. However, if Zorn were to release this show as a live disc in the live series, having heard it now i probably would not buy it. I have almost all the live albums, plus a few bootlegs and *almost* all of those amazed me more than this show. Based on the extreme wonderfulness of the Live At Tonic 2001 cd, this show pales in comparison. It does last about 75 minutes total, which is a good length and as ALL Masada songs are good all the songs here are good. I was just expecting more. There are a bunch of good solos and a lot of reasons to pick this dvd up if you've never seen the band live (like me), like watching Zorn put rubberbands on his sax, or playing the mouth piece in a glass of water to attain a reallly cool affect. I just feel like of all the amazing music i've heard from this band and each of its members, nothing about this DVD stands out or shines like i wanted it to.
Being a Masada enthusiast, im ready to accept and buy almost anything they do. I'm glad I bought this dvd and im sure ill watch it a few more times... but for the record, if you are looking for a really essential example of Masada Live go buy the Live At Tonic 2001 and Live In Sevilla cds. Better set lists, better solos, and even better band interaction, in my personal opinon. But if you are a Masada fan, DEFINATELY buy this DVD. It is worth it, its just not the best dvd ever.

Rating:
Summary: This is it!!
Review: This is it! A brilliant visual account of John Zorn's Masada, one of the most dynamic and groundbreaking quartets of the last quarter century. This no frills DVD puts you right in the middle of the action. There's no tricky camera work, no special effects, no mics on the instruments, no soundboard audio representation of the band, so it's Masada at it's truly acoustic best. The pure sound and sight of four masters creating magic.
There's nine tunes with two "bonus tracks".
The band itself is a marvel of dazzling telepathic brilliance. They blast their way through the set, playing in a jazz setting, but playing music that has elements of hardcore thrash, Arabic, Jewish, cartoon music, free jazz, classical, and other genres (one bonus track, "Katzatz", is a great example of the cartoon music element).
Dave Douglas has become one of the top trumpeters in modern music, and here, you can see and hear why. He just seems to know exactly how to make the most out of these beautiful tunes by improvising counter-melodies, playing amazing solos, and just knowing this music inside and out and really knowing how to listen. Greg Cohen turns in a moving solo on "Kedushah" and remains solid, swinging, and inventive throughout the set. Joey Baron is simply the most exciting drummer in jazz today. The man can do it all, and Zorn's music, whether it be Masada or Naked City, always pulls out some of Baron's most revolutionary work. He's really fun to watch here on this DVD, having a great time and laughing whilst spontaneously re-writing the book on drumming. And of course, there's composer Zorn's saxophone playing. He's always had one of the most beautiful and distinct tones on alto sax, and it really comes through, particularly on "Shechem", where he turns in a gorgeously swinging jazz alto sax solo. He's mostly known more for his trademark and groundbreaking honks, squeals, and screams, which are here in all their virtuosic glory, but the man can swing his ass off as well. His conduction on one of the bonus tracks, "Shamor", (mistakenly named "Ashnah" on the sleeve. Only a true Masada geek would know this, but I'm proud to be one) shows the man as a true master of musical imagination. It features Zorn himself blowing his mouthpiece into a glass of water, all the while giving hand signals to the band, resulting in a stunning piece of musical invention. An absolutely restless musical mind and a true genius in every sense.
If you like concert videos at all, this one is a must. A great piece of work by director/producer Antonio Ferrara, finally bringing us a visual document of one of the greatest working bands of this generation.