JOHN ZORN NEW MASADA QUARTET
Village Vanguard178 7th Avenue South, New York 10014
John Zorn’s New Masada Quartet takes the 10 p.m. set at the Village Vanguard. Zorn leads the quartet on saxophone, joined by Julian Lage on guitar, Jorge Roeder on bass, and Kenny Wollesen on drums. Their program draws from Zorn’s Masada songbooks, a large body of compositions that gives the group both a defined repertoire and plenty of room to reshape the tunes in performance. This is a late set built around one of Zorn’s continuing musical projects rather than a one-off collaboration.
The available material does not establish a hometown for the quartet. It does place the band within Zorn’s long-running Masada project, whose hundreds of tunes the Gardner Museum describes as the ensemble’s repertoire. Zorn has called the concept “Ornette Coleman with Jewish scales,” and WRTI hears both “the keening Jewish klezmer tradition and the renegade musical language of Ornette Coleman” in the music. WRTI says this lineup “best evokes the original spirit” of Masada. Roulette calls it “one of the best groups Zorn has ever had,” pointing to “burning solos, harmonious group interaction, heartfelt lyricism, and hypnotic grooves.”
A narrow basement staircase leads to a triangular room with a red curtain and a stage at the point, where musicians play for a small audience of 123. Tables open like spokes from the stage, and the walls hold portraits of jazz legends. The acoustics are excellent, and the only sound before the music begins is the hum of the room. No food is served, only drinks at a bar. Shows start at 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., with seating beginning at 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. respectively. The atmosphere is focused entirely on the music, with silence requested before the concert begins.