Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » John Zorn/Jamie Saft Trio: Astaroth, Book of Angels Volu...
John Zorn/Jamie Saft Trio: Astaroth, Book of Angels Volume 1: Jamie Saft Trio Plays Masada Book Two
ByOnce the splashy, hyperactive chaos of the first couple of tunes pass by and the timid, atonal murmurs of the title track fade away, we are left with the gorgeous trappings of "Ariel, which arrives midway through the disc. Saft's tightly coiled piano melody unwinds unsuspecting through Ben Perowsky's breezy drum splashes. Settling into the relaxed glamour of lazy vanity, the sound evokes Spanish mystery and Hollywood cool.
Similarly to die for is "Lelabel, which begins innocently with a simple, unadulterated piano motive that repeats languidly throughout the tune. Greg Cohen's bass and Perowsky's drums fill in like two friends coming to the aid of another. They console as Saft's piano laments.
These pieces work brilliantly for piano trio, and each member of this group has balanced the others so well that personality pervades. Cohen is constantly tightening his grip on his pals, who are easily led to stray mischievously beyond the immediate parameters. But that is perhaps what Masada is all about. And the trio does ring with the effervescent freedom that Tzadik has come to embody. Saft's wild splatters of twinkling notes reach pinnacles of sound that pop like electricity, especially on "Sturiel, with Perowsky's broiling drum solo reminiscent of the Fourth of July grand finale. Saft's syncopated piano line at the end of the tune could be a sample in an electro dance track.
The piano's bright, jagged steps in "Baal Peor contrast with the warm notes of Cohen's bass. While Perowsky creates a shifting environ with bowed cymbals and flurried fills, Cohen remains a steady presence, like a safe mooring for listless souls who could drift off into the heavens at any moment.
Track Listing
Shalmiel; Ygal; Astaroth; Ezeqeel; Ariel; Sturiel; Baal-Peor; Pursan; Lela
Personnel
John Zorn
saxophone, altoGreg Cohen: bass; Ben Perowsky: drums; Jamie Saft: piano
Album information
Title: Astaroth, Book of Angels Volume 1: Jamie Saft Trio Plays Masada Book Two | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: Tzadik
< Previous
Right Before Your Very Ears
Next >
Live on the Riviera
Comments
About John Zorn
Instrument: Saxophone, alto
Related Articles | Concerts | Albums | Photos | Similar To