John Zorn: The Garden of Earthly Delights

Avant Jazz / Free Improvisation / Avant-Garde
premiera polska: 2017-08-31,
Wydawnicto Audiofilskie
seria wydawnicza: Archival Series
kontynent: Ameryka Północna
kraj: USA
opakowanie: digipackowe etui
opis:
multikulti.com - ocena * * * * *:
Nie wiem czy to dzięki Hieronymusowi Boschowi, któremu płyta jest dedykowana (na 500-lecie śmierci Boscha), czy basiście Trevorowi Dunnowi, który wniósł do zespołu coś niezwykłego, czy w końcu z powodu grudniowej, zimowo-mrocznej pogody w Nowym Jorku, kiedy sesja miała miejsce, zornowskie trio Simulacrum nigdy dotąd tak nie brzmiało.
Rozpoczyna się tak jak poprzednio, potężne metalowe uderzenia perkusji i grająca rytmicznie gitara przygważdżają do ziemi i obezwładniają słuchacza. Jednak gdzieś w połowie, od "Eve and Adam" muzyka nabiera nowej energii, więcej tu miękkiego, transowego, funkowego pulsu, który w drugiej części płyty staje się jej fundamentem. Nigdy dotąd Simulacrum nie brzmiało tak przestrzennie, szczególnie odczuwa się to w dark-ambientowych momentach. A zmysłowa wokaliza Sary Serpy, w kończącym płytę "Out of the Eternal Sphere" jest po prostu wspaniała!

Tak oto czarny sen krytyka muzycznego niepostrzeżenie przechodzi transformację. Pomimo tego, że rdzeń zespołu tworzą John Medeski na organach, lider Medeski Martin & Wood, Matt Hollenberg z art-metalowego bandu Cleric na gitarze i Kenny Grohowski z awangardowego black metalowej grupy Imperial Triumphant na perkusji, muzycy nie prą bezmyślnie w stronę dźwiękowego chaosu. Niesamowite są współbrzmienia gitarzysty Hollenberga i basisty Dunna, - od delikatnych dźwięków po furię i na odwrót, od furii do delikatnych brzmień. Muzyka ta ma obrazotwórczą moc, przenosi nas w inne stany świadomości. Jednak od potencjału wyobraźni słuchacza zależy gdzie nas lektura "The Garden of Earthly Delights" zawiedzie. Bez wątpienia warto się w tą podróż wybrać.

Szósta płyta Simulacrum to wielka niespodzianka, a dla fanów Praxis, Painkillera czy Material pozycja nieodzowna.
autor: Mariusz Zawiślak
Copyright © 1996-2017 Multikulti Project. All rights reserved
Editor's info:
The sixth CD by Zorn’s heaviest 21st century ensemble Simulacrum celebrates the 500th anniversary of the passing of one of the greatest painters the world has ever known—Hieronymus Bosch. A visionary of unparalleled power whose imagination and fantastical creations re- main uniquely his own, Bosch is one of the most enigmatic figures in world art. Inspired by his surreal visions of Heaven and Hell, “The Garden of Earthly Delights” blends heavy metal, blues, funk, jazz and modern classical music together into one of the strangest amalgams you’ve ever heard. Tighter than ever and joined by bassist Trevor Dunn, Medeski, Hollenberg and Grohowski are at their manic best in this jaw-dropping visit to a wild musical world where absolutely anything is possible!

somethingelsereviews.com:
The Garden of Earthly Delights is the sixth album by John Zorn’s Simulacrum, here augmented by bassist Trevor Dunn and vocalist Sara Serpa. The album celebrates the 500th year of the death of Hieronymus Bosch, and is named after one of his triptych paintings – a work which depicts the Garden of Eden on one side, the Last Judgement on the other and a scene in the center with animals, humans and weird plants all seemingly living in a sort of mystical Utopia.

Bosch’s penchant for including surreal scenes, over-sized creatures and oddly at ease monsters interacting with naked humans, set in dark or intensely enlightened landscapes, seems to give permission for the music to follow patterns and fantastical rhythmic changes. All of it makes perfect sense in worlds of varying musical journeys: Simulacrum’s music is as fantastical as the pictures. Given John Zorn’s eclectic, diverse and charismatic ideas of what can be garnered under the musical umbrella, it all makes perfect sense.

The Garden of Earthly Delights, issued via Zorn’s Tzadik label, covers any style you can think of almost, and the only thing holding the listener back is the imagination. You don’t have to know it relates to Bosch or that it is loosely based on fantastical beings and possibilities. The music soon speaks for itself. John Zorn is charismatic, hides himself from view and seems to be only accessible by those to whom he gives projects like the Superb Spike Orchestra or this trio. But Zorn is also clever, because that creates a magic around this composer, arranger and musician which is reflected in the music he oversees unleashed under various projects – each with their own identity and musical stamp.

“Angels and Devils” sets off at a speed and intensity which gives anything following a hard time. The driving, heavy, repetitive theme works well as the opener for The Garden of Earthly Delights. “The Infernal Machine” is theme / section / theme, with John Medeski’s keyboard working overtime and the drumming building up and up into overdrive, with a sudden drop into which the repetitive theme intersperses again. “The Dragon Tree” is of a similar vein with a lot of interaction between percussion, keys and guitars. It also features a gorgeous section where each part is in a different time emphasis – very enjoyable. The middle section introduces a series of repeated notes under which the bass works up a complete storm; Trevor Dunn’s bass line itself is worth listening to for its technical work and depth.

“Paean to the Prince of Hell” is sacred sounding initially, like a hymn introduction, before guitar and percussion work out the theme between them, with Dunn’s bass adding its own voice. John Zorn’s Simulacrum offer a pulled-back beat, then the fairground ride and the manic, driving noise when everyone goes for it, hell for leather. A fulsome track and a noise-some one. “Music of the Flesh” starts with Matt Hollenberg’s guitar, as an eerie atmosphere is set before the percussion builds a soft susurration with echoey interventions from the guitar. Then it builds over a different line from guitar, then a pause, then a gentle section and, finally, everyone in John Zorn’s Simulacrum goes tooth and nail – fighting for supremacy with notes ricocheting and cymbals crashing, before a sudden complete silence and a guitar-led finish over soughing from the percussion.

“Adam And Eve” is interesting. It starts with a gentle rolling up and down key-led tune, under which percussion and bass trip before Hollenberg’s guitar sings out the theme, which is almost balladic. A beautiful and carefully worked piece again, repeated riffs aplenty adding a familiarity amongst the strangeness of it all. Perfectly placed, this is a refuge of a track from John Zorn’s Simulacrum. Then comes “Mirror Image,” announced by screaming guitar under which percussion and then the rest of the instruments take themselves off on a mad dash for the cliff edge. Trevor Dunn’s bass then sets up a lovely, deep rhythmic riff, and the others just keep doing their own manic thing, each taking turns to take the lead over that wonderful, constant bass. “The Garden of Earthly Delights” is strange and eerie, and atmospheric. Deep drums, metallic guitar-sounding tunes and thundering in the distance, interspersed with jaw-dropping screech notes like some banshee reminding you of its malevolent presence. This is not a garden for the faint hearted, nor delightful. This track tries to create a vision, a sense of other worldliness and it works to some extent. What that world is, is entirely up to the imagination of the listener.

“The Circuit” is short, sharp and to the point – the point being a maelstrom of noise, undecided direction and explosive journeys to lord knows where. “Out of the Eternal Sphere” finishes The Garden of Earthly Delights, and begins as a gentle, peaceful, busy number with everyone adding their harmonic and linearly derived phrases. It is enhanced by the vocals of Sara Serpa, whose voice is pure, with a range covering over two octaves on this track. The supporting harmonics are well honed and “The Circuit” is the closest to a traditional ballad as John Zorn’s Simulacrum gets here – not a bad thing.

Every track on The Garden of Earthly Delights has parts, spaces and sections, and each is different slightly in timing and the way the sounds interweave together and work. However, it is full almost to the point of being unfathomable – and perhaps, just perhaps maybe less from John Zorn’s Simulacrum would have been more in places. John Medeski keyboard is technically brilliant but its constant presence is also almost annoying at times, reminding the listener of an organ or fairground ride, yet it suits a lot of the tracks too.

The Garden of Earthly Delights is like nothing I have heard before, and yet at the same time in an ironic way, there is a familiarity to much of the music – something from the past, something rocky, ’70s, bluesy, heavy metal and a jazz swing in there at times. Nothing new, nothing particularly spectacular, yet all good and all driven, manic and seething in its vociferous pursuit of something. Quite what, it can’t decide. But somehow, surely, John Zorn’s Simulacrum is getting there – just not yet.
by Sammy Stein


www.notreble.com:
Trevor Dunn Anchors New John Zorn Album

Composer John Zorn has released the sixth album with his 21st-century ensemble Simulacrum, called The Garden of Earthly Delights. The powerhouse band is comprised of bassist Trevor Dunn, keyboardist John Medeski, drummer Kenny Grohowski, guitarist Matt Hollenberg, and vocalist Sara Serpa.

The exploratory album celebrates the 500th anniversary of the death of renowned painter Hieronymus Bosch. “A visionary of unparalleled power whose imagination and fantastical creations re- main uniquely his own, Bosch is one of the most enigmatic figures in world art,” a press release states. “Inspired by his surreal visions of Heaven and Hell, “The Garden of Earthly Delights” blends heavy metal, blues, funk, jazz and modern classical music together into one of the strangest amalgams you’ve ever heard.”

Dunn’s playing follows that same gamut of styles with bass lines ranging from big, warm padding to gritty, angular streams of consciousness
by Kevin Johnson

muzycy:
SIMULACRUM TRIO:
John Medeski: Keyboards
Kenny Grohowski: Drums
Matt Hollenberg: Guitar

Trevor Dunn: Bass
Sara Serpa: Voice

utwory:
1. Angels and Devils
2. The Infernal Machine
3. The Dragon Tree
4. Paean to the Prince of Hell
5. Music of the Flesh
6. Eve and Adam
7. Mirror Image
8. The Garden of Earthly Delights
9. The Circuit
10. Out of the Eternal Sphere

total time - 45:36
wydano: February 24, 2017
nagrano: Recorded and mixed December 2016 at EastSide Sound, NYC

more info: www.tzadik.com