John Zorn's Masada - Book 1, Book 2 and Beyond...

I see this series popping up in a lot of other threads, but I didn't see one of its own. Some background on Book 1 and Book 2:

Masada Book 1: 10 studio volumes (and one studio outtakes) plus 6 live albums by the lineup below.

John Zorn (alto), Dave Douglas (trumpet), Greg Cohen (bass), Joey Baron (drums)

"The project for Masada was to create something positive in the Jewish tradition something that maybe takes the idea of Jewish music into the 21st century the way jazz developed from the teens and 1920s into the '40s, the '50s, the '60s and on ... My initial idea was to write a hundred tunes. And then I ended up writing over 200 for the first book and then performed it countless time for years."

Masada Book 2: 31 volumes by multiple artists.

"After 10 years of performing the first book, I thought 'Maybe it'd be nice to write some more tunes.' And I wrote 300 more tunes. When I started writing those it was 'Let's see if I can write a hundred songs in a month this time.' I've been working on these scales and playing these tunes all this time. In the back of my head somewhere are lodged all kinds of new ideas. Let's see if I can come up with 100 tunes in a month instead of in a year. So in the first month, I popped out a hundred tunes; the second month, another hundred; in the third month, a third 100 tunes. I had no idea that was going to happen."

Discography to date:

Masada
Studio Recordings

• Masada: Alef (DIW, 1994)
• Masada: Beit (DIW, 1994)
• Masada: Gimel (DIW, 1994)
• Masada: Dalet (DIW, 1994)
• Masada: Hei (DIW, 1995)
• Masada: Vav (DIW, 1995)
• Masada: Zayin (DIW, 1996)
• Masada: Het (DIW, 1996)
• Masada: Tet (DIW, 1997)
• Masada: Yod (DIW, 1997)
• Sanhedrin 1994-1997 (Unreleased Studio Recordings) (Tzadik, 2005)

Live Recordings

• First Live 1993 (Tzadik, 2002)
• Live in Jerusalem 1994 (Tzadik, 1997)
• Live in Taipei 1995 (Tzadik, 1997)
• Live in Middleheim 1999 (Tzadik, 1999)
• Live in Sevilla 2000 (Tzadik, 2000)
• Live at Tonic 2001 (Tzadik, 2001)
• 50th Birthday Celebration Volume 7 (Tzadik, 2004)

Masada String Trio

• John Zorn, Bar Kokhba (Tzadik, 1996)
• John Zorn, The Circle Maker - Disc 1: "Issachar" (Tzadik, 1998)
• John Zorn, Filmworks XI: Secret Lives (Tzadik, 2002)
• Masada String Trio, 50th Birthday Celebration Volume 1 (Tzadik, 2004)
• Masada String Trio, Azazel: Book of Angels Volume 2 (Tzadik, 2005)
• John Zorn, Filmworks XX: Sholem Aleichem - with Rob Burger and Carol Emmanuel (Tzadik, 2008)
• Masada String Trio, Haborym: Book of Angels Volume 16 (Tzadik, 2010)

Bar Kokbha

• John Zorn, Bar Kokhba (Tzadik, 1996)
• John Zorn, The Circle Maker - Disc 2: "Zevulun" (Tzadik, 1998)
• Bar Kokhba Sextet, 50th Birthday Celebration Volume 11: (Tzadik, 2005)
• Bar Kokhba Sextet, Lucifer: Book of Angels Volume 10 (Tzadik, 2008)

Electric Masada

• 50th Birthday Celebration Volume 4 (Tzadik, 2004)
• Electric Masada: At the Mountains of Madness (Tzadik, 2005)

Anniversary Series

• Masada Anniversary Edition Vol. 1: Masada Guitars (Tzadik, 2003)
• Masada Anniversary Edition Vol. 2: Voices in the Wilderness (Tzadik, 2003)
• Masada Anniversary Edition Vol. 3: The Unknown Masada (Tzadik, 2003)
• Masada Anniversary Edition Vol. 4: Masada Recital (Tzadik, 2004)
• Masada Anniversary Edition Vol. 5: Masada Rock (Tzadik, 2005)

Book 2: The Book of Angels

• The Jamie Saft Trio plays Astaroth: Book of Angels Volume 1 (Tzadik, 2005)
• Masada String Trio plays Azazel: Book of Angels Volume 2 (Tzadik, 2005)
• Mark Feldman and Sylvie Courvoisier play Malphas: Book of Angels Volume 3 (Tzadik, 2006)
• Koby Israelite plays Orobas: Book of Angels Volume 4 (Tzadik, 2006)
• The Cracow Klezmer Band plays Balan: Book of Angels Volume 5 (Tzadik, 2006)
• Uri Caine plays Moloch: Book of Angels Volume 6 (Tzadik, 2006)
• Marc Ribot plays Asmodeus: Book of Angels Volume 7 (Tzadik, 2007)
• Erik Friedlander plays Volac: Book of Angels Volume 8 (Tzadik, 2007)
• Secret Chiefs 3 plays Xaphan: Book of Angels Volume 9 (Tzadik, 2008)
• Bar Kokhba plays Lucifer: Book of Angels Volume 10 (Tzadik, 2008)
• Medeski Martin & Wood plays Zaebos: Book of Angels Volume 11 (Tzadik, 2008)
• Masada Quintet featuring Joe Lovano plays Stolas: Book of Angels Volume 12 (Tzadik, 2009)
• Mycale sings Mycale: Book of Angels Volume 13 (Tzadik, 2010)
• The Dreamers play Ipos: Book of Angels Volume 14 (Tzadik, 2010)
• The Ben Goldberg Quartet plays Baal: Book of Angels Volume 15 (Tzadik, 2010)
• Masada String Trio plays Haborym: Book of Angels Volume 16 (Tzadik, 2010)
• Banquet of the Spirits plays Caym: Book of Angels Volume 17 (Tzadik, 2011)
• David Krakauer plays Pruflas: Book of Angels Volume 18 (Tzadik, 2011)
• Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz plays Abraxas: Book of Angels Volume 19 (Tzadik, 2012)
• Pat Metheny plays Tap: Book of Angels Volume 20 (Tzadik/Nonesuch, 2013)
• Eyvind Kang plays Alastor: Book of Angels Volume 21 (Tzadik, 2014)
• Zion80 plays Adramelech: Book of Angels Volume 22 (Tzadik, 2014)
• Roberto Rodriguez plays Aguares: Book Of Angels Volume 23 (Tzadik, 2014)
• Klezmerson plays Amon: Book Of Angels Volume 24 (Tzadik, 2015)
• Mycale sings Gomory: Book Of Angels Volume 25 (Tzadik, 2015)
• The Spike Orchestra plays Cerberus: Book of Angels Volume 26 (Tzadik, 2015)
• Flaga (Craig Taborn, Christian McBride, Tyshawn Soey) plays Flaga: Book of Angels Volume 27 (Tzadik, 2016)
• Andras: Book of Angels Volume 28 (by Nova Express Quintet, 2016)
• Flauros: Book of Angels Volume 29 (by AutorYno, 2016)
• Leonard: Book of Angels Volume 30 (by Garth Knox/Saltarello Trio, 2017)

 

I LOVE this music. I especially love the Book of Angels series. I have a little more than half of the BOA discs. I happen to be listening to the Uri Caine entry for the first time right now, which is what led me to search and find this thread. Thanks for starting it. I'd love to see some discussion about Zorn and the various Masada projects. It's truly great stuff, some of my favorite music ever.

 

Great thread, thank you for taking the time to lay everything out. Huge fan of this stuff!

First got into Zorn via Mike Patton in the late-nineties/early-2000s. First Masada disc I bought was Live in Tapei 1995, at a Tower Records which used to be near my college. For the past six or seven years, especially, I've absolutely loved The Dreamers. Sure, some may say it's probably some of Zorn's most "accessible" music, but, as I get older, some of the earlier , maybe more experimental Zorn stuff I used to swear by has fallen into the background for me a bit, while I find that The Dreamers albums just keep getting better and better with age. Such an incredible ensemble of musicians. What a fantastic band.

 

Wow. I had completely forgotten about John Zorn. I went to their 1993 show in Norman, OK. I was very high and was completely blown away. One of the most electrifying concerts I had ever seen. I looked it up and it's on you tube! I will re watch this to see how my reaction might change.

 

Have them all except Angels 29 and 30. One day I'll find a copy of the original pressing of Masada Dalet, in mint condition, for a reasonable price and relief will wash over me as the sun shines on a dark shadow.

There's also the live Masada DVD 'Live At Tonic 1999' (TZ 3003, 2004) and an unauthorized release that shall not be mentioned by name, lest bad things happen.

 

Big fan of both Zorn and Marc Ribot here. Saw the then-unnamed Dreamers ensemble perform The Gift downtown at Tonic and it was the most beautiful thing we'd ever heard. Shortly thereafter saw Electric Masada blow the doors off the place. We walked out of there with our hair blown back feeling like we'd seen and heard something completely unique and exhilarating. When you plug into something like that you feel more alive.

 

I got into Zorn decades ago, via the CD artwork, it looked a good deal more interesting than 99% of the other CDs for sale. Thankfully, that's continued, with Chippy Design doing the art. A fine example is the new Simulacrum CD, The Garden of Earthly Delights.

I have all ten of the Masada studio CDs (bought 'em new) and the 50th Birthday Celebration Volume 7. I have The Circle Maker, Masada String Trio 50th Birthday Celebration Volume 1, and Bar Kokhba Sextet, 50th Birthday Celebration Volume 11. I have the two Electric Masada CDs. but only eight of the Book of Angels CDs (2, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 19, and 20 -- and I may have to get 28, Nova Express is fantastic).

 

Completely envious...what an experience that must have been!

Got to see Zorn/Patton/Mori at the Knitting Factory after a Mr. Bungle show at Irving Plaza in 1999. They were good, but, it would've been nearly impossible for anything to top Bungle for me around that time.

Realized I'm going a bit off-topic there, so, I'll swing back 'round. What are some of the best Book II releases to get after 2010? The last one I got was the Masada String Trio...Thanks!

 

Of the more recent ones that I have heard, I especially dig the Zion80, Spike Orchestra and Nova Express records.

 

Since you like Mr. Bungle . . .

 

Thanks for putting together this tribute

Love John Zorn's projects except some of the shredder metal stuff

The Book of Angels are sublime

Cellist Erik Friedlander is my favorite discovery
His outside solo work just as great

The ever expanding cd racks end with Zorn
Seems like 3 a month

 

That'll most certainly work...much obliged!

 

Yah, Xaphan is tremendous, easily in the top 3 BOAs. Check out Secret Chiefs 3 on their own as well, strong stuff.

I can't afford the entire catalog; Zorn is prolific, to understate grossly. It's a wondrous catalog to explore. Even if you do a mild Amazon preview, you never know exactly what you're gonna get on any given release. Certainly, the over-the-top hyperbolic descriptions on the "obi" strips are no help. And yes, the cover art is glorious; sacred and profane.

The musicians orbiting around Zorn are nothing less than world class, with impressive catalogs of their own.

I saw a couple shows when he did a residency here a few years back. One was Masada String Trio, tight and artful. The other was a Cobra assembly with about 20 all-stars on stage, Zorn conducting – that is, when the musicians weren't conducting right back back at him!

Coincidentally spun Electric Masada / At The Mountains Of Madness last night. That'un gets my highest recommendation.

 

Electric Masada is ferocious, and an astonishingly tight band, given the number of musicians, and the complexity of the material.

Back to Book of Angels, I'd add Tap (Volume 20) and Asmodeus (Volume 7) as extremely strong recommendations. I reviewed Tap on Amazon, I think it's a brilliant collaboration (with Pat Metheny, of all people! ).

Asmodeus has Marc Ribot on guitar, Trevor Dunn on bass, and G. Calvin Weston on drums. They rock, it's like a lean version of Electric Masada (which makes sense since both Ribot and Dunn were in Electric Masada).

 

Tap is a stunner! Never underestimate Metheny; he does all kinds of stuff.

I like Asmodeus too; rough stuff.

High marks also for Amon (Klezmerson), Andras (Nova Express), Balan (Crakow Klezmer Band), Caym (Cyro Baptista).

Another stunner would be Orobas as interpreted by multi-instrumentalist Koby Israelite.

It seems after the original Masada, and before BOA, Zorn sorta wandered his way into having others interpret these focused compositions. Great collections can be found on The Unknown Masada and also Voices In The Wilderness. This is the kind of development that has made an already eclectic catalog extremely rich.

Not sure exactly where Bar Kokhba and Circle Maker / Issachar fall in the timeline, but these are works in a similar vein, and should not be missed.

And we haven't even touched on Naked City, Filmworks, his Japanoise experiments, the female voice works, and various surf/exotica excursions.

The catalog is an adventure to say the least.

 

I had seen Zorn's name on the first Mr. Bungle album, but didn't really know who he was. Not long after I was jamming at a friend's house in NH and his Dad played us the first self titled Naked City album. My friend worked in a local record store and wouod buy two copies of each Zorn import on Avant, one for me and one for him. I moved to NYC in the spring of 1993 just in time for Zorn's month long residency at the original Knitting Factory. Preceding the shows he did two days of interviews on WKCR. He played a tape of the 'very first Masada gig.' It wasn't the band with Dave and Joey though. If memory serves it was Mike Sarin on drums and Marc Ribot on guitar along with Zorn and Greg Cohen. I have a tape of the broadcast somewhere. On one of the days they took call in questions and I got to ask him if he ever wanted to play with Frank Zappa. It was a surreal experience because while living in NH Zorn was this faceless musical entity and here I was a few months later speaking to him on the phone.

I saw 5 shows during that run: News For Lulu, Spy vs. Spy, Duo with Fred Frith, an improv night and one of the 'final' Naked City shows.

 

I went to the Masada Marathon at City Opera in 2011. I won tickets from Relix magazine and was sitting behind J. G. Thirlwell. If you're a Mr. Bungle fan it's interesting to note that Mike Patton,. Trevor Dunn and Trey Spruance were all sharing the same stage.

MASADA MARATHON - THE BOOK OF ANGELS

Wednesday, March 30, 2011, 8:00 p.m.

Masada Quartet:
John Zorn, saxophone
Dave Douglas, trumpet
Greg Cohen, bass
Joey Baron, drums
Mark Feldman, violin and Sylvie Courvoisier, piano

Banquet of Spirits
Cyro Baptitsta, percussion
Brian Marsella, keyboard
Tim Keiper, drums
John Lee, bass
Jason Fraticelli, bass

Mycale
Basya Schechter, voice
Ayelet Gottlieb, voice
Malika Zarra, voice
Sofia Koutsovitis, voice

Medeski, Martin and Dunn
John Medeski, keyboards
Billy Martin, drums
Trevor Dunn, drums

Bar Kokhba
Mark Feldman, violin
Erik Friedlander, cello
Marc Ribot, guitar
Greg Cohen, bass
Joey Baron, drums
Cyro Baptista, percussion

INTERMISSION

Secret Chiefs 3
Trey Spruance, guitars
Timb Harris, violin
Jai Young Kim, keyboards
Jason Schimmel, guitar
Trevor Dunn, bass
Ches Smith, drums
Erik Friedlander, solo cello

The Dreamers
Marc Ribot, guitar
Kenny Wollesen, vibes
Jamie Saft, keyboards
Trevor Dunn, bass
Joey Baron, drums
Cyro Baptista, percussion
Uri Caine, solo piano

Masada String Trio
Mark Feldman, violin
Erik Friedlander, cello
Greg Cohen, bass

Electric Masada
John Zorn, saxophone
Mike Patton, vocals
Marc Ribot, guitar
Jamie Saft, keyboards
Trevor Dunn, bass
Kenny Wollesen, vibes
Joey Baron, drums
Cyro Baptista, percussion
Ikue Mori, electronics

 

Wow, that lineup is amazing.

 

I have all of the very first ten (10) studio albums (took a while to find them all back in the day! - in actual record stores, no less, many of them used copies, iirc). But I never got any farther than that (too many to keep up with).

Brilliant writing, and fantastic playing.

 

I remember the big mystery with Dalet(4) when it was only available via mail order. It's not as long as the other studio volumes. One summer at a Jazz festival in NYC the Knitting Factory had a table and they were selling Dalet, so I grabbed one feeling like I was getting away with something scandalous.

Do you know what the differences are between the first pressing (June 1995) and the regular retail version (1997)? I'm going to assume I have the 1997 version.

 

For the Masada experts: if you had to pick 2 or 3 albums to get, either studio or live, which ones would you recommend?

 

I love Zorn and have several of the Masada releases, but I'll admit I haven't listened to any of his work in some time. I need to rectify that.

 

impressive

I'm no expert, but Live in Sevilla 2000 is one of my favorite live albums

 

They're the exact same disc, just with a different catalog number on the cover and label. Presumably just to drive collectors mad.

The first edition was DIW S3. The second edition was DIW 923.

 

My reactions to the Book of Angels series. I have them all and have played them often in recent years. Well, Volume 30 was just released and my copy is being shipped to me now.

Book 2: The Book of Angels

• The Jamie Saft Trio plays Astaroth: Book of Angels Volume 1 (Tzadik, 2005) Compelling, often very beautiful piano trio music. A highlight of the series.
• Masada String Trio plays Azazel: Book of Angels Volume 2 (Tzadik, 2005) All at a very high level, very beautiful, often exciting. This trio is always excellent.
• Mark Feldman and Sylvie Courvoisier play Malphas: Book of Angels Volume 3 (Tzadik, 2006) Lyrical and beautiful, consistently very good.
• Koby Israelite plays Orobas: Book of Angels Volume 4 (Tzadik, 2006) I wanted to like this more than I actually like it. It is ambitious but is not a series highlight for me.
• The Cracow Klezmer Band plays Balan: Book of Angels Volume 5 (Tzadik, 2006) Excellent within their style. Very klezmer oriented, one of the most klezmer dominated albums in the series. Not one of my personal favorites, but that is just me.
• Uri Caine plays Moloch: Book of Angels Volume 6 (Tzadik, 2006) Haunting, lyrical, beautiful solo piano music. It does start to sound all the same to me, but that sameness is at a very high level.
• Marc Ribot plays Asmodeus: Book of Angels Volume 7 (Tzadik, 2007) Noisy, abrasive guitar power trio music. I have to be in the mood for it.
• Erik Friedlander plays Volac: Book of Angels Volume 8 (Tzadik, 2007) Amazing solo cello recordings. Not something I would listen to everyday, but really good.
• Secret Chiefs 3 plays Xaphan: Book of Angels Volume 9 (Tzadik, 2008) Very imaginative, interesting arrangements. I like it a lot. I wish there were a few more improvised solos. Overall, a series highlight and a great album.
• Bar Kokhba plays Lucifer: Book of Angels Volume 10 (Tzadik, 2008) Very beautiful, compelling music. Wonderful, with memorable arrangements.
• Medeski Martin & Wood plays Zaebos: Book of Angels Volume 11 (Tzadik, 2008) Often great, always at least very good, a real success. One of my favorite albums by this group.
• Masada Quintet featuring Joe Lovano plays Stolas: Book of Angels Volume 12 (Tzadik, 2009) Atypical for this series, a mainstream jazz acoustic quintet album. Many compelling solos by Dave Douglas, Joe Lovano and Uri Caine. A highlight of the series.
• Mycale sings Mycale: Book of Angels Volume 13 (Tzadik, 2010) I want to get into this, but I cannot unlock the mysteries of the appeal of this a cappella vocal ensemble whose members sing in multiple languages. Sorry. It reminds me of trying to read "Finnegan's Wake."
• The Dreamers play Ipos: Book of Angels Volume 14 (Tzadik, 2010) Very beautiful, memorable arrangements, a great success. A highlight of the series.
• The Ben Goldberg Quartet plays Baal: Book of Angels Volume 15 (Tzadik, 2010) Intense clarinet-led small ensemble, close to avant garde jazz at times. Excellent.
• Masada String Trio plays Haborym: Book of Angels Volume 16 (Tzadik, 2010) Beautiful and excellent. This trio is always excellent, and they deliver again.
• Banquet of the Spirits plays Caym: Book of Angels Volume 17 (Tzadik, 2011) Unusual ethnic sounding music, with a lot of percussion. Enjoyable to listen to. I like it.
• David Krakauer plays Pruflas: Book of Angels Volume 18 (Tzadik, 2011) Clarinet led, klezmer meets electric ensemble. Consistently interesting.
• Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz plays Abraxas: Book of Angels Volume 19 (Tzadik, 2012) Dissonant, loud electric guitar dominated music. I have to be in the mood for it.
• Pat Metheny plays Tap: Book of Angels Volume 20 (Tzadik/Nonesuch, 2013) One of Pat Metheny's better albums. A very creative take on the compositions. A highlight of the series.
• Eyvind Kang plays Alastor: Book of Angels Volume 21 (Tzadik, 2014) Fun and interesting. I really like the 1950s lounge elements.
• Zion80 plays Adramelech: Book of Angels Volume 22 (Tzadik, 2014) Incredibly good. This is brilliant large ensemble music, one of my favorite jazz albums of the 2000s period, not just in this series. Wow!
• Roberto Rodriguez plays Aguares: Book Of Angels Volume 23 (Tzadik, 2014) A Cuban music meets klezmer hybrid. Not hot Cuban dance music. I find it very enjoyable.
• Klezmerson plays Amon: Book Of Angels Volume 24 (Tzadik, 2015) Very good, interesting arrangements, excellent ensemble. I wish there were more improvised solos, but overall, a really good album.
• Mycale sings Gomory: Book Of Angels Volume 25 (Tzadik, 2015) Once again, their appeal eludes me. "It's not you, it's me, Mycale."
  The Spike Orchestra plays Cerberus: Book of Angels Volume 26 (Tzadik, 2015) Great big band album. Wonderful. One of my favorite jazz albums of the 2000s, not just in this series.
• Flaga (Craig Taborn, Christian McBride, Tyshawn Soey) plays Flaga: Book of Angels Volume 27 (Tzadik, 2016) Very interesting, often intense piano trio music. Verges on the jazz avant garde at times. Not typical for this series, and really good.
• Andras: Book of Angels Volume 28 (by Nova Express Quintet, 2016) Great. I love it. A very appealing ensemble with memorable, fun arrangements. A real highlight of the series.
• Flauros: Book of Angels Volume 29 (by AutorYno, 2016) Very intense and discordant electric guitar dominated music. I have to be in the mood for it.
• Leonard: Book of Angels Volume 30 (by Garth Knox/Saltarello Trio, 2017) My copy is supposed to arrive within the next few days.