John Zorn: The Mockingbird

Jewish / Ethno Jazz / Surf Jazz / Downtown scene
premiera polska: 2017-08-18,
Wydawnicto Audiofilskie
seria wydawnicza: Archival Series
kontynent: Ameryka Północna
kraj: USA
opakowanie: digipackowe etui
opis:
multikulti.com - ocena * * * * 1/2:
Filigrany Johna Zorna ukoją duszę zmęczoną napastliwością współczesnego świata człowieka. Wystarczy tylko dać jemu szansę.

Gnostyczne trio już po raz szósty po mistrzowsku realizuje unikalną zornowską koncepcję, napędzaną przez myśl ezoteryczną. Jeśli u podstaw gnostycyzmu leży negatywne doświadczenie aktualnego stanu rzeczywistości i mocna na to reakcja, to kompozycje Zorna są tego mocnym akcentem. Osiem utworów, raz promienistych, radosnych, miejscami mrocznych, momentami tajemniczych. Łagodne, momentami hipnotyczne, łatwo wpadające w ucho melodie płyną niespiesznie przypominając impresje Satiego czy Debussy'ego, repetycje Glassa.
W opisie do płyty John Zorn przywołuje książkę amerykańskiej pisarki Harper Lee 'Zabić drozda/To Kill a Mockingbird'z 1960 roku, wstrząsającą historię o dzieciństwie i kryzysie sumienia. Unikalny nastrój książki, w której optyka sześcio, siedmio a następnie ośmioletniej bohaterki pozwala czytelnikowi na obserwację prowincjonalnej społeczności, bez rządzących światem dorosłych stereotypów, doskonale konweniuje z nastrojem płyty, będącym zmysłową, magiczną wypadkową muzyki klasycznej, jazzu i muzyki tradycyjnej.

"The Mockingbird" wypełnia muzyka, która w zasadniczy sposób nie różni się od poprzednich, choć o żadnej z dotąd płyt Gnostic trio nie można było powiedzieć, że została zdominowana przez gitarę Frisella. To jego instrument wyznacza kierunki, stawia akcenty. Jednak rola harfistki Carol Emanuel i wibrafonisty Kenny'ego Wollesena jest niebagatelna.

Gnoza okazała się wiedzą tragiczną, bo niosącą „dobrą nowinę” o niemożliwości zbawienia, nawet dla wybranych. Telepatyczne porozumienie trójki muzyków sprawia wrażenie, jakby owa „dobra nowina” ich nie dotyczyła.
autor: Witek Leśniak
Copyright © 1996-2017 Multikulti Project. All rights reserved
Editor's info:
Featuring the magical sonorities of Bill Frisell’s guitar in a heavenly tapestry of harp and vibraphone, the Gnostic Trio is one of the most sublime ensembles in Zorn’s ever-expanding universe. Their sixth CD is their best yet, and presents gorgeous and intimate chamber music touching upon themes of innocence, adventure, childhood and longing that unfold like an exotic flower. Inspired by the charming character Scout from the American classic “To Kill A Mockingbird” and tempered by a folk-like simplicity, Zorn and company spins a hypnotic web of melodic beauty to soothe the restless spirit.

birdistheworm.com - Recommended!:
There’s no new territory opened up here. This is not a re-imagining of past Gnostic Trio recordings. There are no moments on The Mockingbird where you will say, wow, this is something completely different. This is the same ol’ stuff as I’ve written about before. The thing of it is, though, that more of the good stuff from the trio of guitarist Bill Frisell, harpist Carol Emanuel and vibraphonist Kenny Wollesen is as fine a gift as you could ask for. The compositions of John Zorn open up the door wide for the trio to roll out one gorgeous melody after the other. The harmonic and rhythmic elements add essential character to each song, and show the compositions are more than one-dimensional beauty. But not for nothing, those melodies are the thing that’s gonna get their hooks into you and enchant and mesmerize and break your hearts before rebuilding them from scratch.

Cheery tracks like “Scout” key off the melodic-rhythmic axis where guitar and vibraphones meet, and it’s why it’s the perfect music for a walk on an autumn day, when the gloom of winter is hinting at its arrival, but colors are everywhere you look. When Emanuel’s harp is dictating the action, as it does on “Riverrun,” the melodies are bold pronouncements, and the harp’s wide harmonic range allows Frisell and Wollesen to go off on tangents that add a sense of unpredictability and fun. “Pegasus” is a great example of what happens when all three musicians work out the melodic possibilities each with a different cadence… each melodic statement has its own arc and gives the impression of intersecting orbits, which adds all kinds of textural beauty to the dizzying sense of motion. The space-y “A Mystery” hits that same sweet spot, and the harmonic haze they develop individually yet together resonates like mad.

There’s nothing new here, and that’s okay, because all of it is beautiful, and you should scoop up every single one of these Zorn Gnostic Trio recordings.

jazzandblues.blogspot.com:
This album was inspired by the character Scout from the classic novel To Kill A Mockingbird and shows John Zorn’s compositions at their most subtle and graceful, floating across the divide between literature and music.
The trio has become a regular group that Zorn has convened to interpret some of his more understated compositions, featuring Carol Emanuel on harp, Bill Frisell on guitar and Kenny Wollesen on vibraphone and chimes. “Scout” opens the album with shimmering vibes which are met with some snarling guitar sounds (Zorn always brings out the best in Frisell) and there is a near chamber sound to some of the music, like on “Riverrun” where the harp glistens and the chimes twinkle, before things take a darker turn, hammering sounds and then pulling back to show their dynamic muscle. The milder “Child’s Play” builds through Wollesen’s melodious ringing sounds, which take center stage as guitar and harp hold back. He develops an interesting rhythm his own for this entire piece. Gentle guitar that sounds like it may come from an old time ballad opens “Porch Swing” and that deep emotional feeling that Frisell is able to conjure deepens the emotional resonance of the music as the harpist gently orbits around with gentle strums and the vibes further frame the music. Wollesen makes his mallets spritely dance as the trio joins together for the conclusion. There is a sweet and haunting melody to “Innocence” that the trio builds louder chiming together, then like a fairy tale gone wrong, the music turns progressively darker and spectral, as the heavy handed vibes become more urgent in their tone. “A Mystery” is a great track and really lives up to its title by having a quiet unsettled aura before Wollesen comes in with heavy clangs and lashes of metallic vibes sounding like the cry for help of a lost soul that deepens the mystery even further. His excellent playing allows the music to cover a range of emotion, and the wailing sound of the vibes and electric guitar is head filling and unforgettable. There is a lighter and defter movement to the music on “The Mockingbird” and while the vibes stay urgent to give the music a propulsive forward movement, the harp and guitar are in fine mettle. As the hard vibes ring out, taut guitar moves in with glistening harp to develop fine concluding textures.
This is their sixth album and one of their best, presenting quiet and subtle music touching upon themes of hope and fear, sadness and courage with great tact and dignity.
by Tim Niland

muzycy:
The Gnostic Trio:
Carol Emanuel: Harp
Bill Frisell: Guitar
Kenny Wollesen: Vibes

utwory:
1. Scout
2. Riverrun
3. Child’s Play
4. Porch Swing
5. Innocence
6. Pegasus
7. A Mystery
8. The Mockingbird

total time - 43:14
nagrano: Recorded and mixed December 8 - 10, 2015 at EastSide Sound, NYC

more info: www.tzadik.com