pix: http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=336862 [ CONTINUED FROM PART 1 ] they only had one row of chairs this time (10 chairs *total*) inside, naturally i wasnt getting one of those. but i did get a good spot to stand where i could see the whole band pretty much all the time. well, it sure was better than that first set on thursday. this time the mix was perfect. and the band was great from the very beginning. i dont know what to say about the music... masada, now that's real jazz. that's what jazz should be. that's what it could be. monster players playing creative interesting ROCKING charts (and sometimes WEIRD charts, ok also sometimes BEAUTIFUL, there's quite a range really) which they have totally internalized, they're totally familiar with each other, zorn is expert at leading through the form, guiding improvisations, signalling with hand gestures, shoulder shrugs, etc. what a squad. douglas and zorn improvising two-part counterpoint, now there's something i like to hear! there were moments tonight when zorn and douglas hit some serious telepathic highs. there was one horn "duo-solo" in particular which really soared. it ended with a beautiful synchronized phrase which i dont know whether it was based on a head or what, but wow! after which everyone including zorn and douglas knew they had done something special, both visibly celebrated after that, and the audience did too. after the first set, and an encore (IIRC), zorn and baron stayed on stage for a long time. zorn sat cross-legged next to joey's drumset, joey leaned over the tom, and they appeared to engage in animated conversation for the whole time. it was kind of moving actually to see them enjoying each other's company so much like that, to see them both so happy. zorn seems like he is in such a good mood these days... eventually i went to the bar to get a drink and just then i saw ellen walk in -- a wonderful surprise! she had had a tough time getting here, bought a ticket from somebody outside, and was making a beeline for the front of the room (or maybe the tables) where she figured she would find me, plus somewhere to sit. i intercepted her and we got a drink then went up front where the awful truth became apparent that there were no seats. and we were going to have to wait a long time. it was pretty agonizing. but finally, around 11pm perhaps??, masada started playing again. and Oh. My. God. what a great set. every now and then i checked in on ellen and she was always smiling... the set included fast upbeat tunes, slow beautiful tunes, crazy noisy tunes, a very large amount of staggering drumming from baron, fantastic bass solos from greg cohen, confident creative playing whether loud or soft, alone or together, by zorn and douglas. there were some great extended solos by zorn ("solos" in the jazz sense: baron and cohen were backing him up). when zorn wasnt playing he'd be off to the side, listening, sometimes directing or otherwise encouraging the other players, obviously into it. it was one of the best shows i've ever seen. at one point during the break between sets, i wanted to go talk to bruce and reminisce... masada is the naked city of the 2000s or something :) it's even better in some ways because it's more pure, it's more stripped down. perhaps its my "jazz" upbringing... i know many zorn fans arent into "jazz" necessarily, of course thats not all zorn is about (nor all masada is about) and i've met people (including recently at tonic) who come to zorn's music from a different perspective, from contemporary classical or whatever, and find masada relatively uninteresting. well that's too bad :) tastes do differ etc. but i feel especially sorry for "jazz" fans who dont know about this. if i may attack a strawman with a experimental hypothethis for purely rhetorical purposes ... everyone thinks "jazz" is a certain thing, they think they know what it is, who's doing it, and zorn and masada is not on their mind, masada is off on some "branch" which is not really "jazz", maybe it's "jazz-influenced", well i think that's backwards, masada is IT, masada is where it's AT! you want something TODAY that's like CHARLIE PARKER back then? or JOHN COLTRANE? or ORNETTE? well, here it is! i'm so glad i got to see it. -ed ps i said masada was probably the Show To See on friday. but then i talked to my cousin, who sort of stumbled upon "Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto" on friday. they were playing at some world music place on 26th street or something. he heard of them because they are doing two days (today and tomorrow/sunday) of workshop at Teatro La Tea (which happens to be a block from tonic), where he was helping out with some poetry reading or something. apparently they are guys in their 70s from colombia (San Jacinto is a small town there he told me). they've been playing together for 50 years and never been in NY before. the "gaita" is a 3-foot long bamboo flute. they also play percussion... steve really raved about it. i'm familiar enough with his musical taste to be sure i'd love it but it sounded extremely promising... and they are playing next friday too... unfortunately might be hard to go but i'd like to check it out.