Masada Guitars
Masada Anniversary Edition Vol. 1: Masada Guitars | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 2003 | |||
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
Reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Pitchfork Media | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Masada Guitars received mostly favorable reviews.
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
- ^ Pitchfork Media.
- ^ a b Lowe, Farrell. "Masada Guitars > Review". All About Jazz. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
- ^ Allmusic. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
- 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.