John Zorn - Gift (10 tracks) +Album Reviews

The other reviewers don't get it -- ignore them

01/10/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"the gift isn't any of the things you read here. it is lounge music for the 00's. some of ribot's stylish gutar playing is indeed surf like but the basis of the music is latin beats so this isn't surf. the melodies are strong, the band is excellent, and the arrangements (which is zorn's greatest tallent, exploiting the individual talents of the players in the composition as well as the arrangement) are ingeneous. this is no parody of lounge music (which is boring and of which there is enough already) it is respectful and exploits the values of lounge effectively in an updated context.that's all very well but what earns this disk 5 stars is its extraordinary feel. initially it sounds just like those 50's pop instrumentals: happy, carefree, upbeat. but you quickly get the idea that something is wrong. the smile is slowly turning into a sinister grin. as the cd moves on this aspect begins to dominate and the music becomes tense with evil. the intent is made clear with the last track; a grotesque reprise of the first. it's as though the music has been secretly invaded and taken over by an invisible, sinister force like in a cheesy horror movie: the face still has a vapid smile on it but you can see that behind it is a body posessed by evil.this therefore functions as a powerful critique of 50s american life: vapid, hypocritical and secretly sinister. this is quite an achievement for an instrumental cd. the packaging and art (which is really nothing to get excited about) is another metaphor of the same deciet: evil wrapped as a gift."

The quiet dream of a jazz-thrash artist

SPM | Eugene, Oregon | 10/26/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Zorn's reputation comes from his noisy cut-up music. It seems like he's either recording a complex collage of sound effects or he's squealing his way through a Masada improv. From Painkiller to Leng T'che, the guy knows how to melt a speaker or two.This album --- a collection of beautiful, playful melodies --- seems to be out of character. But it's not. Scattered throughout the massive Zorn catalogue are dozens of songs like these. Just
listen to Bar Kokhba or his soundtrack to Port of Last Resort and you'll see he's been here before.The real step forward on this album is an eerie tension that underlies every song. Somehow, there's a *threat* lurking in the surf music and the gentle trumpet solos. Is it in the composition, or should we credit the musicians? I have no idea. I just know that after the sixth or seventh time I heard this album, I heard more than pretty background music."

A beautiful piece of art with a very sinister reverse side

Henri Kovalainen | Finland | 10/28/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It's very intelligible why some people find this album offensive. It is indeed quite provoking in many ways. On the other hand, it's a shame people have to flood these outbursts here where they might be seen as proper criticism.The musical style or the medium is something Zorn is no doubt very familiar with: 50's "Surf music". Musically speaking it's all easy, cool and serene and that's exactly the thing that makes it all work so well as a whole. If you never saw the covers and maybe never played the last couple of tracks, chances are you would never understand what the album is about.The "package" is not what it appears to be. That is the message both visually and musically.Some people take this personally and as I said it's only natural, but in my opinion the message is intended for all humankind. The history is filled with eras that could be subjected to the same kind of criticism. Who knows, maybe all of history could, but here Zorn gave the 50's a piece of its share."

Pleasant, but feels underdeveloped

The Pitiful Anonymous | the Acres of Skin | 07/30/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you fell in love with the Naked City song "Sunset Surfer" from Radio like I did, this album is for you.

An entire album of chilled out, mellow Zorn compositions with beautiful melodies and tasteful arrangements. They cover a multitude of styles other than 'surf', maintaining a fairly constant mood but branching into ethnic harmonic structure and jazzy rhythms. There's a lot of diverse instrumentation here, all sorts of percussion, train bells, hand drums, flutes, synthesizers, trumpets... and these are a supplement to what could be a typical rock line up of drums, bass and guitar.

The problem with this album and the thing that prevents it from being an ESSENTIAL purchase is the lack of building on established ideas. Unlike the aforementioned "Sunset Surfer", these songs reach no climax or resolution, in fact they progress almost none at all. Zorn was content to establish an atmospheric, perfectly balanced backdrop and let the musicians jam with it. You've got one or 2 catchy melodies per track, switching to another theme for a little, then switching back. Solos here and there (great ones). Once a track has begun, it quickly becomes predictable. It's a good chill out album.

An all around great cast of players. Mark Ribot is an expressive guitar player, and we've got the legendary Trevor Dunn on bass, albeit playing a supportive role. Naked City alumnus Joey Baron's work here is tasteful and fitting. The other musicians are fantastic as well although less known to me.

Even the decidedly different songs follow the aforementioned structure. The dark, orchestrally-augmented jazz of "Mao's Moon" with solo trumpet is a work of genious. Probably my favorite track on the album, it moves between lush, romantic feel and ominous darkness. The trumpet player does a fantastic job. "Bridge to the Beyond" is the other slightly out-of-place number, also on the darker side of things with Mike Patton showing up briefly to do some chanting in the background. The dissonant, harmonic-filled majority of the song sounds like a build-up to horror movie violence, while the contrasting piano section feels nostalgic. It's a good mix. There's also "Cutting Stone", 7 minutes of a strange, percussive stringed instrument and tribal drums. There's no melody, and I've found this one hard to absorb. Being that it's truly something I don't understand, I won't judge it.

Of the more "Sunset Surfer"-esque tunes, I find myself favoring "The Quiet Surf" for its subtle tension.

I don't really catch the vibe of the album in general as dark like many other here do, although parts of "Mao's Moon" and "Bridge to the Beyond" fit that description. The majority evokes the content, summer night atmosphere "Sunset Surfer" did.

As for the strange and questionable artwork, who really cares? If you don't like it, don't look at it. Most of it isn't flat out obscene anyway, just bondage oriented. No matter what Zorn's attachment to this sort of thing may be, I do kind of wonder why he keeps plastering it all over his releases. Since no one else has said it flat out, the cover (beneath the gift wrap) depicts a young girl on a chair, possibly tied up, holding a gun. A weird image.

The Gift is mildly recommended to fans of Zorn. To those who aren't yet fans, I recommend buying some Naked City."

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	John Zorn Gift Genres: International Music, Jazz, Pop, Rock Track Listings (10) - Disc #1 Makahaa The Quiet Surf Samarkan Train To Thiensan Sanke Catcher Mao's Moon Cutting Stone La Flor Del Barrio Bridge To The Beyond Makahaa (Reprise)
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