snobb John Zorn is one of key figure in New York down town scene for some last decades who for many listeners associates with radical experimentation and/or prolific accessible jazz-related releases long lasting history. Both tags are right, but Zorn has much more faces then just this. In late 80s, besides of developing one of his most shocking and influential Naked City project, based on Japanese brutal avant-rock jazzier interpretation, Zorn played in unusual trio with his regular guitarist of that time Bill Frisell and AACM trombonist George Lewis. Two albums has been recorded - both in Europe.

First one - "News For Lulu" - is mostly studio work, when its continuation "More News For Lulu" contains similar material but this time coming from two gigs - one in Paris and the other in Basel, Switzerland. Unusual trio of sax player, trombonist and guitarist plays Blue Note material,or more precisely - hard bop compositions from Sonny Clark, Hank Mobley, Big John Patton, Kenny Dorham, and Freddie Redd, in addition to one selection from Misha Mengelberg.

Most unusual is the fact that this music, recorded almost in the same time when Zorn worked with Naked City,sounds very bright, swinging, light-full and in general very optimistic. Surprisingly enough, trio doesn't cross hard bop frames too often and their down town touch on material is noticeable mostly by modern arrangements and some freer soloing.

Probably a bit too long (lasting one hour and 18 minutes),the album demonstrates some repetitiveness in a second half, but in all it's an enjoyable example of three highest class musicians' work, one among best music John Zorn ever recorded under his name and excellent entry point for newcomers with mainstream jazz background interested in John Zorn massive legacy and unorthodox modern jazz in general.

Slartibartfast Bram Stoker is 100 years dead as of April 2012. Imagine that. Nosferatu is actually the name of a movie released in 1922 based on Stoker's novel Dracula but the studio wasn't able to get the rights the novel. The music was created for a modern Polish stage production that is supposed to be "of" the novel. I wasn't able to verify what they are actually calling the play, but anyway...

I was a big horror movie fan and also a movie soundtrack fan when I was a kid before I got into prog and jazz and classical so I had to go for this album and it has some of all of that all rolled together. Before you even get to the music you have to take a look at and a feel of the package. The Tzadic label gets two thumbs up for all the CD album packaging and artwork I have encountered so far. The outer cover is a velvety textured black cardboard with dark red slick textured lettering and a little bat on the front. The back is also smooth and velvety with dripping blood from the top edge. The booklet is more of a matt finish but also uses slick clear lettering on the front and clear slick blood streaks running down from the top edges of the pages in various patterns. The booklet has a few pages of pictures from the production (play, dance?) and it looks like it would be really good to see. Maybe it will make it to DVD one day.

Two other albums come to mind and they are Philip Glass's Dracula soundtrack for the Bela Lugosi movie that did get the novel rights and Harold Budd's (not at all about Dracula or Nosferatu) She Is A Phantom. The latter album comes closer to it for having vibes and a more atmospheric quality to the music. Put the three together and you'll have a nice spooky trio.

The track names are fairly indicative of the music you get as the characters and story themes inspire the music. Desolate Landscape starts out the album with foreboding dark ambient music. Mina mellows it out a little while with piano and vibes. The Battle of Good and Evil noisy as you would expect from a battle between good and evil. John gets to in a little of his trademark sax strangling of course. Very industrial sounding a little Nine Inch Nailsish.

Sinistera and Van Helsing have that spooky vibes driven sound that makes me think of the Budd album. Fatal Sunrise brings back some mellower sax work and Bill Laswell steps forward with some atmospheric bass. Hypnosis comes in and spins around your head vibes and electric piano. The Lucy theme has some similarities to another piece from another album, but I can't quite put my finger on it right now. All of the non-undead persons titled pieces on this are really down to earth, mellow, and contemplative. Nosferatu on the other hand is screwy and creepy with rat noises and Zorn's breath.

The Stalking is one of those trademark Bill Laswell ambient dub style pieces. It's a long stalking too, as all stalking should be I guess. Old horror movie stalkings tend to be that way. It's the longest piece. The bass plods on along and creepy keyboards and squealing sax drift in and out and about. The Undead is a quiet piece with John on piano. Death Ship sounds like a creaky old vessel on a dead sea. Jonathan Harker has Rob Burger, the main keyboardist in the group, taking center stage in a duet with the group's percussionist, Kevin Norton, on vibes.

Vampires At Large, bass and electric keyboards lurking about. Renfield, piano and vibes again, hesitant, a little mysterious. Stalker Dub wraps it up, figures, did you remember to shoot it in the head with a silver bullet? No wait? that's all wrong. The stake, the stake, aieeee!!!

dreadpirateroberts I certainly feel lazy, guilty even, by adding my tiny voice to the host of others describing John Zorn’s 'Mount Analogue’ as ‘mysterious’ – but that’s the feel the music gives me.

Setting aside the impetus of the surrealist novel of the same name, this is indeed enigmatic music. A sense of the unknown is evoked when you listen to its single track, the music pulls you along a near forty minute trip through South American jungles, rivers, mountains and caves. Or so it does when I hear it.

Once again, much has been said of the accessibility of this release, and when compared to some of Zorn’s other works, it is at that. At times it’s downright pleasant and soothing, beautiful. In other passages there is a sense of menace that never really gets too dark, accented by percussive thumps and at times, harsh or unsettling chanting. But there’s such a lightness to the music elsewhere, whether it comes from the variety of bells or the vibes, or piano in the opening minutes, it’s there. (And by ‘light’ I don’t mean to suggest that it has no depth.)

And so what does it actually sound like? World music, definitely, jazz, certainly, the Latin and folk genres, yep and yep. But more useful perhaps, would be to come back to that word, ‘mysterious.’ At times this music sounds like it would fit the discovery of a thousand-year old Temple, or maybe be played during a Shaman’s dance. But just have a listen and see what you get, the music is certainly capable of suggesting other images.

On 'Mount Analogue' John Zorn composes and has the Cyro Baptista Banquet of the Spirits quartet perform the work. Kenny Wollesen's vibes in particular play a vital role in establishing and changing mood with suddenness or subtlety as required, deserving of much credit. Perhaps the other standout for me in terms of performance, which was more of a personal favourite, was the organ. Throughout, Marsella does exactly what’s needed (as he does on piano too for that matter) and I found myself seeking it out probably more often than any number of interesting percussive instruments or the strings of the oud.

In short, I loved it.

snobb John Zorn's name during last two decades became synonym of avant-garde jazz (often - it's quirky side). But a lot of newcomers after few first trips into his huge discography are often surprised or even disoriented - far not every Zorn's album sounds as avant-garde jazz (or even related with any avant-garde at all). There is no mistake - big part of Zorn's (composed) music lay in such wide fields as modern classic, non-jazz experimental music or world (klezmer) among others.

There are still some very representative recordings, coming from Zorn's "classical" avant-garde jazz period, "The Art Of Memory" is great example. First of all, it is a duo between Zorn and one of most representative guitarist of improvisational music - Fred Frith. Both are in excellent form and the album is great evidence how fruitful and interesting improvisational jazz can sound when played by two masters. Only Frith's guitar and Zorn's alto sax sounds (plus some minimalistic tapes loops)build aural picture of thousand nuances. Not extremely freaky as Zorn's early experimental works,this music contains one of the best interplays in both musicians history. And - this release is great example how good improvisational sax player John Zorn is ( during last decade or even more he doesn't demonstrate his virtuosity too often).

Far not an easy listening, but one of great "classical" Zorn's avant-garde jazz works, must have album for every serious Zorn's music fan or researcher.

Slartibartfast What can one say about this album? The cover sleeve blurb says "Weaving sonic dramas around the legacies of Magick and Alchemy." Okay, I'll buy that and I did. "Powerful secrets are realized through intensity and extremes of experience." John Zorn. Can't say I wasn't warned.

Seven Sigils kicks the album off in high gear with a heavy driving bass line by Trevor Dunn thunderous drums from Joey Baron and then its whoooaaaa de deen heh hah he huh heh whoooo de naahh - Mike Patton doing scat language vocalizations, and then John Zorn appears and starts to strangle a saxophone. But it works and that's the important thing. However this one album I probably never ever ever be able to play for anyone I know in its entirety in one sitting. Maybe only many of the parts for a few seconds at best.

It really is like a soundtrack to a really intense horror movie. Not one of those boring slasher affairs but one that keeps you on the edge of your seat in a more intellectual fashion. Maybe more like a David Lynch flick. In fact you could pair this up with either the Lost Highway soundtrack or Octaves Of The Holy Innocent by Hellborg/Buckethead/Shrieve. The Book Of Los eases the tension of the opener a little, but still has a spooky aspect to it. Marc Ribot's guitar takes center stage on this one, the searing guitar branding your ass flesh. And thennnneeeooogghhh lalalala nnnddduu mmmsoo tnndkllll. OK, you really have to have a little sense of humour with the vocalizationsAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrruuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

So anyway, be expected to be taken on a ride of dissonance and wonder and darkness and harmony and horror and beauty and whatever the hell else you want in it or aauurrgghh. If I had an odd division in my collection, I'd have to place it there.

On a final note. The art of the cover isn't dead with the CD: this one's a digipak with three dark themed paintings I don't recognize. It is contained within a gold slip cover that has an equilateral cross cut out in the center of the front and a circle on the back, revealing two of the paintings.