''Masada Anniversary Edition Vol. 1: Masada Guitars'' is the first album in a series of five releases celebrating the 10th anniversary of

John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conductor, saxophonist, arranger and producer who "deliberately resists category". Zorn's avant-garde and experimental approaches to composition and improvisation are inclusive of jaz ...

Masada Masada ( he, מְצָדָה ', "fortress") is an ancient fortification in the Southern District of Israel situated on top of an isolated rock plateau, akin to a mesa. It is located on the eastern edge of the Judaean Desert, overlooking the Dea ...

songbook project.Masada World: Masada Guitars
accessed January 6, 2020

History

''Masada Guitars'' was the first release in 2003 of a series commemorating the tenth anniversary of Zorn's group Masada and the 205-song Masada songbook. Each song is written in accordance with a number of rules, including the maximum number of staves, the

modes Mode ( la, modus meaning "manner, tune, measure, due measure, rhythm, melody") may refer to: Arts and entertainment * '' MO''D''E (magazine)'', a defunct U.S. women's fashion magazine * ''Mode'' magazine, a fictional fashion magazine which is ...

scales Scale or scales may refer to: Mathematics * Scale (descriptive set theory), an object defined on a set of points * Scale (ratio), the ratio of a linear dimension of a model to the corresponding dimension of the original * Scale factor, a number w ...

that are used, and the fact that the songs must be playable by any small group of instruments. The album features 21 Masada songs performed by solo guitar. The tracks are split between three performers:

Marc Ribot Marc Ribot (; born May 21, 1954) is an American guitarist and composer. His work has touched on many styles, including no wave, free jazz, rock, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notably Tom Wait ...

Bill Frisell William Richard Frisell (born March 18, 1951) is an American jazz guitarist, composer and arranger. Frisell first came to prominence at ECM Records in the 1980s, as both a session player and a leader. He went on to work in a variety of contexts ...

and

Tim Sparks Tim Sparks (born October 31, 1954) is an American acoustic guitar player, singer, arranger and composer. Life Raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, he was given his first guitar when a bout of encephalitis kept him out of school for a year. T ...

Reception

''Masada Guitars'' received mostly favorable reviews.

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

music critic Sean Westergaard stated "Those expecting an electric romp through the Masada songbook might be disappointed; Masada Guitars consists entirely of solo, mostly acoustic performances. Preconceptions aside, this is a beautiful album. Marc Ribot, Bill Frisell, and Tim Sparks each bring their own voice to these tunes: Sparks with his rich fingerpicking, Ribot coming from his classical guitar background, and Bill Frisell with his unmistakable ethereal tone." In his review for

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

, Farrell Lowe writes of the stripped-down nature of the songs revealing their essence, writing: "This recording also reveals how powerful the modern guitar can be. Zorn chose three very distinctive players to interpret these pieces. Each guitarist shapes and cuts his own world of sound out of Zorn's compositions." Chris Dahlen was less positive about the disc as a whole, considering it too long: "This disc is almost indulgently long, crammed with 21 similar pieces that get dignified, mid-tempo readings. That's a lot of samey acoustic guitar to wade through, and the fact that it's all pretty doesn't justify the length. But the upside is that Zorn knows where he's going, and he knows what he wants from these guitarists; he's just willing to give them a lot of chances to hit it." He calls Sparks' arrangements "rigorous and exciting", Ribot as "plain-spoken" and Frisell the "maverick" of the three. ''

Acoustic Guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

'' named ''Masada Guitars'' as essential in their article "20 Years of Essential Acoustic Albums".Acoustic Guitar Magazine. 20 Years of Essential Acoustic Albums.
Retrieved September 20, 2010.

Track listing

All compositions by John Zorn. Performer's name in parentheses. # "Abidan" – 3:31 (Frisell) # "Kodashim" – 3:37 (Sparks) # "Kedem" – 3:29 (Ribot) # "Bikkurim" – 3:00 (Frisell) # "Ravayah" – 4:01 (Sparks) # "Hadasha" – 2:45 (Ribot) # "Katzatz" – 3:37 (Frisell) # "Kanah" – 3:27 (Sparks) # "Hodaah" – 3:24 (Ribot) # "Kisofim" – 4:53 (Frisell) # "Sippur" – 2:48 (Sparks) # "Sansanah" – 5:54 (Ribot) # "Galgalim" – 1:45 (Ribot) # "Elilah" – 3:05 (Frisell) # "Kedushah" – 4:32 (Sparks) # "Shevet" – 3:11 (Ribot) # "Kochot" – 3:56 (Frisell) # "Tzalim" – 2:21 (Ribot) # "Kivah" – 2:33 (Ribot) # "Avelut" – 4:05 (Frisell) # "Moshav" – 3:54 (Ribot)

Personnel

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guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

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References

{{Authority control 2003 albums Tzadik Records albums Masada Anniversary albums Albums produced by John Zorn Marc Ribot albums Bill Frisell albums Tim Sparks albums