JOHN ZORN NEW MASADA QUARTET
Village Vanguard178 7th Avenue South, New York 10014
John Zorn New Masada Quartet is billed at Village Vanguard. The billing presents the group as a quartet, though no individual performers are listed. A narrow basement staircase leads to the Vanguard’s triangular room, where the stage sits at the point of the space and tables fan out from it. A red curtain frames the stage, while portraits of jazz legends line the walls. The room holds a small audience, with the focus kept on the music.
Beyond the billed name and its quartet designation, no background for the act is supplied here: there are no named members, hometown, record or tour context, collaborations, or reviewers’ comments. What is clear about the setting is that Village Vanguard holds 123 listeners, serves drinks at its bar rather than food, and asks for silence before the concert begins. Its excellent acoustics and close audience arrangement put the music in the foreground of the performance.
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.