Sabbath in Paradise (fwd)

[Corey Marc Fogel <mecorey...>]

for any of you modernists (?) :

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1998 00:05:56 +1100
From: Peter Hollo <raven (at) fourplay(dot)com(dot)au>
To: zorn-list (at) lists(dot)xmission(dot)com
Subject: Sabbath in Paradise

Warning, LONG film review...
Just went to see the film Sabbath in Paradise at the Sydney Jewish Film
Festival. The film is about klezmer in modern settings and so on, and
concentrated on the downtown New York scene, so lots of Zorn and Tzadik
people!

The place was filled with ignorant Jewish people most of whom thought
they'd see unchallenging Jewish wedding music and straight klezmer I
think, and were a bit taken-aback by what they got ;)
The film is structured around a tale about a Rebbe who is on his way
somewhere and is taken in by some strangers who turn out to be Moses,
King David, King Solomon etc... and he hears wonderful music and so on.

There are interviews (or spoken bits) with various relevant people:
Anthony Coleman talks a lot, and there are some fascinating bits where
he describes how his Selfhaters music comes out of more familiar Jewish
contexts. Can't really describe it in words, but it was both amusing and
informative... 
Marc Ribot talks in his slightly drug-fucked way about a lot of things.
Because of his manner, most of the audience thought he was screamingly
funny and I think the highly intelligent philosophising he was doing
totally passed over their heads. Of the musicians related to "Radical
Jewish Culture" Ribot has always seemed to me to have the most un-Jewish
style of all, much closer to blues, country, thrash, whatever... and so
hearing him talk about what it means to be making Jewish music was
fantastic. His interviews at
http://www.shamash.org/shmooze/jsps/index.html which we were drawn
attention to before were along the same lines...
David Krakauer said some interesting things, and demonstrated how his
more ornate and style of playing comes out of traditional klezmer, and
Frank London talked along similar lines.

There were a couple of slightly more traditional klezmer musicians, whom
I didn't quite know... Andy Statman on clarinet and occasional mandolin,
an excellent musician but not particularly adventurous at all. He asked
whether a Jewish tradition could exist separate from the Torah for very
long, and suggested it couldn't historically. I disagree, but then I'm
an atheist Jew ;) There were other dissenting voices.
In fact, I'm interested whether Zorn and suchlike associates *are*
practising Jews, reform or not, at all... From the film, I suspect
Anthony Coleman at least isn't.
Also, a fantastic accordian player who also played guitar at one point,
and I'd be very grateful if someone could tell me who he was.

Musically, there was quite a lot too. We saw Zorn rehearsing the Masada
Quartet at the Knitting Factory and got to see just how much control he
has over what goes on, directing Joey Baron as to what cymbals to hit
when during certain passages and stuff... And we saw 2 or 3 pieces
performed live at the Knitting Factory too. Large slabs of Selfhaters
stuff, and one piece of Coleman's Sephardic Tinge trio... Various things
by Krakauer, and various other things by Statman and whomever. The
"soundtrack", intersperced occasionally, was snippets of stuff from the
Masada String Trio disc of Circle Maker. Again it was interesting how
the improvisations were slowly introduced, so that I imagine each of the
pieces was constructed quite controlledly by Zorn with the group.

Oh yes! Also, a shortish excerpt from a beautiful Cobra session,
involving Marc Ribot for sure, and various others (can't remember or
didn't know), quite quiet, with scraping and tinkling percussion by most
of them and stuff... wonderful.

Altogether an excellent movie. Filmed mostly on video I think, with some
very clever editing in some bits and at other times perhaps excessively
low-buget in feel, but who cares? Lots of excellent Jewish music,
wonderful live performances, snippets of rehearsal, and commentary from
the musicians (not including any direct-to-camera talking by Zorn,
interestingly) - what more could one seriously ask for?
It's on again on Saturday the 28th in Sydney... well worth seeing ;)

Peter.
np: Klezmer, NY - David Krakauer & Klezmer Madness! A wonderful CD, from
the funky alt(dot)klezmer at the start and the lovely setting of Der
Gasn Nigun at the end, to the stuff in between. Pity it's so short!
The new Naftule's Dream CD is also excellent.
-- 
Peter Hollo  raven (at) fourplay(dot)com(dot)au  
http://www.fourplay.com.au/me.html
           FourPlay - Eclectic Electric String Quartet
                    http://www.fourplay.com.au
"Of course, dance music can be a music where you lie on your back and
your brain cells dance" -Michael Karoli of Can, quoted in Wire mag.

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