JOHN ZORN NEW MASADA QUARTET
Village Vanguard178 7th Avenue South, New York 10014
John Zorn brings his New Masada Quartet to the Village Vanguard for a late-night quartet set. Zorn plays saxophone with guitarist Julian Lage, bassist Jorge Roeder and drummer Kenny Wollesen. The group interprets music from Zorn’s Masada project, a songbook and ongoing body of work whose sound has been described as “Ornette Coleman with Jewish scales.” Expect the quartet’s own reading of those tunes rather than a guest-led bill or a tribute program.
The New Masada Quartet is described by the Gardner Museum as Zorn’s newest ensemble. Its music connects Masada’s Jewish klezmer and folk sources with Ornette Coleman’s “renegade musical language”; JazzPRESS characterizes the continuation as a blend of Jewish folk and free jazz. WRTI says this lineup “best evokes the original spirit” of Masada. The four musicians are documented here as working together in this quartet, with no other collaborators named in the supplied material. Roulette calls them “a unit of like-minded virtuosi” and “one of the best groups Zorn has ever had,” pointing to fiery solos, collective interplay, lyricism and hypnotic grooves. The available information does not establish a hometown for the group.
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.