John Zorn Music

The latest record in the Moonchild project, "The Crucible" deviates from the previous records in the project in that, while its definitely a "loud" album, rather than being thematic-based material, there is a distinct element of melody on the record. In addition, the Moonchild trio of Mike Patton (vocals), Trevor Dunn (bass) and Joey Baron (drums) is augmented by the composer on alto sax and, on one track, guitarist Marc Ribot.

Like Moonchild though, the album consists by and large of intense, loud, rock inspired music-- Patton sings, grunts, screams and mumbles wordlessly alongside Zorn's sax, in its full up "loud music" mode (though perhaps a bit less shrill than on something like Buried Secrets/Guts of a Virgin), all over the top of the rhythm sections fierce performance-- Dunn is aggressive and assertive, filling a role somewhere in between traditional rock bass and guitar through a round, aggressive tone, and Baron is his usual monster, illustrating mastery over his instrument of a capacity not usually seen.

But there are massive differences between this and previous records by this band, and this is obvious from opener "Almadel". As opposed to a rhythmic pulse with Patton raging away on top of it, this one features a dueling improv between vocal and alto not unlike the Dave Douglas/John Zorn duels on Masada, then breaks into a Masada-like theme before expldoing into another dueling improv section. Zorn is downright inspired, railing away with energy and fire, Patton is intriguing and explosive, and the group is anchored by show-stealing performances from the rhythm section. This continues forth throughout the rest of the album, moving through different moods and sounds, from trading screaches a la "Litany II" of Six Litanies for Heliogabalus ("Shapeshifting") to a "Black Dog" (of Led Zeppelin IV (aka ZOSO))-inspired blues rock feature for Ribot (who turns in the requisite brilliant and unpredictable solo) to bop-infused breakneck electric jazz ("Hobgoblin"). Along the way, we also get lots of haunting moods ("Maleficia"), a tribal jazz/rock sax trio performance where Zorn seems to channel late period Albert Ayler over Killing Joke (his soloing brough to mind "New Generation" off Ayler's much maligned New Grass) and at least one drum performance that stopped me in my tracks (closer "Initiate").

Bottom line-- there a lot to love here. It's significantly more melodic than Moonchild, and to its benefit. The closest thing in Zorn's catalog I can equate this to is his take on the Stooges' "T.V. Eye" on Rubaiyat - Elektra's 40th Anniversary (2 Disc Set). This isn't a jump cut record a la Naked City, it's something completely different. I waffled back and forth on 4 and 5 stars, but this is a really superb album. Highly recommended.

With this 4th release in the Moonchild series, John Zorn has made, perhaps the most one yet. This record, more then the other three has a sense of melody and lyricism. One minute into the opening track "Almandel" we hear Mike Patton harmonizing with John Zorn's sax. It is a delight to here, my first impression was that it was not unremaniscent of Brazilian tropicalia from the '60s. That may be my subjective view and after repeated listenings I hear the legacy of Masada more. Either way Zorn is on to something different here, then the 3 previous Patton/Dunn/Baron outings. This album actually has Patton taking a bit of a backseat compared to the previous 3 albums. Not that this is a bad thing, his role is more nuanced and quite frankly more palatable. Litany IV just wasn't my cup of tea. The album is really about Trevor Dunn and John Zorn. The bass playing dominates the tunes so much that Baron's drumming is more of a compliment. Dunn especially shines on "Incubi" and "Witchfinder" , which feature propulsive, heavy grooves. John Zorn's sax playing deserves special mention. His performance on this album is simply stunning. It's perhaps his best outing since the birthday series classic guide to strategy. On "Incubi", a track without Patton, he shines in what I would define as the best example of what "new music" is all about. This smoldering track combines the elements of painkiller and masada in one song in deep soulful way. Fellow downtowner, Marc Ribot, joins on "9 X 9", a rocking song that has a chord progression similar to Led Zeppelin's "black Dog". This song along with "of wonder and certainty" from the Dreamers album represent the new dare I say poppier John Zorn if there is such a thing. All said it is a recommended purcahse for John Zorn, Mr. Bungle and rock fans with avant leanings. Of course not everyone will dig this, but by now my ears are used to Mike Patton's screams that they sound like Brazilian psychedelic music...Enjoy

`Ute Lemper Sings Kurt Weill, Volumes 1 and 2' released in 1988 and 1993, plus the third album of Weill's two most important song cycles in German, `The Seven Deadly Sins' (`Die sieben Todsunden') and `Mahagonny Songspiel' released in 1990 unequivocally established Ms. Lemper as the leading Kurt Weill interpreter since Lotte Lenya, Weill's wife and the singer for whom many of his vocal pieces were written. These three disks, sample pieces from most major Weill works written in German, including his most famous musical play, `The Threepenny Opera' (`Die Dreigroschenoper').

The first disc has fourteen tracks with three from `Der Silbersee' with lyrics by Kaiser, three from `Die Dreigroschenoper' with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht, two from `Berliner Requiem' with lyrics by Brecht, two from `Mahagonny' with lyrics by Mahagonny, `Je ne t'aime pas with French lyrics by Magre, and three from `One Touch of Venus' with English lyrics by S.J. Perelman and Ogden Nash.

The middle disc includes both works performed in their original German. After having listened to `The Seven Deadly Sins' done by several different artists, and having just reviewed a CD on which Anne Sofie von Otter does this work, I discover for the first time that the piece was written in two versions, one for a low voice and one for a high voice. Von Otter does the version for high voice and Lemper does the version for low voice that, I suspect, is the way it was originally performed by Fraulein Lenya. One service done by comparing Lemper and von Otter's performance is to see how much closer Lemper is to the original spirit of the work than is von Otter. Weill's venue was not the opera stages of Berlin or Vienna, it was the popular stage, actually much closer to what we see in the movie `Cabaret' than what we see in `Amadeus'. I enjoy von Otter's rendition, but Lemper stirs my heart where von Otter does not. Lemper also seems to have the benefit of a much better cast of supporting voices on the two works on Volume 1.

All albums are done with the backing of the RIAS Berlin Sinfonietta, conducted by John Mauceri who seems to get just the right tone of sleaze out of his ensemble to match the tone of the composition and lyrics by Weill and his various librettists, especially Berthold Brecht.

Volume 2 showcases Lemper's ability to sing with equal facility and understanding in German (Songs from `Happy End'), French (Songs from `Marie Galante'), and English (Songs from `Lady in the Dark'). While my understanding of French is far weaker than my understanding of the German and the English, when I compare Ms. Lemper's French interpretations with the French of Ms. Von Otter, I definitely prefer Lemper's treatment. She may not quite match Edith Piaf, but I feel she has a cachet all her own.

Lemper is a vocalist in that great European femme fatale tradition of Lenya, Piaf, and Dietrich and certainly to my lights the leading interpreter today of Weill's songs plus works by other European composers for the musical and cabaret (See her album `City of Strangers'). Compared to even some of the greatest contemporary American female vocalists on the stage such as Streisand and Minelli, both Yanks have their strength, but they can't or don't try to achieve the same depth of feeling behind the European `Weltschmertz' you hear from Lemper and her forerunners. The closest may be Minelli's performance as Sally Bowles in `Cabaret', but even there, she can't seem to hide her American innocence.

Of the three albums, the first of the three, `Ute Lemper Sings Kurt Weill' may be the best introduction, as it includes two of Weill's best English songs, `I'm a Stranger Here Myself' and `Speak Low'. The third, `Ute Lemper Sings Kurt Weill Vol. 2' has two of Weill's most famous German songs outside of `Die Dreigroschenoper', `Bilbao-Song' and `Surabaya-Johnny'.

If you encounter this review and have never heard Ute Lemper, I strongly urge you to try one of these albums. If the German and French turns you off, try Lemper's recent album, `Punishing Kiss'.

Very highly recommended.