Customer Reviews

Claudia Heuermann: Sabbath in Paradise

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Sabbath in Paradise" is a serious look at New York's Jewish Jazz scene in the 1990s. While the eponymously titled folktale is read, the featured musicians loosely act out the story, thus creating a visual metaphor. This device serves to not only retell the story but modernize it to fit New York City at the end of the 20th century. This storytelling is punctuated with gritty depictions of the City. This artistic cityscape helps to give the film a powerful sense of place. "Sabbath in Paradise" spends much of its time on a cadre of musicians including Marc Ribot, Andy Statman, Anthony Colman and John Zorn. Through interviews, these musicians offer cerebral insights into the scene and their place as American Jews. A large variety of musical incarnations are shown including solo performances, John Zorn's Masada, the Krakauer Trio and even traditional groups. Performances are shown in studios, wedding halls, synagogues, theaters and most notably the famed Knitting Factory. So what does the music sound like in "Sabbath in Paradise?" With a distinctively Jewish flare, most groups play Avant-garde Jazz but the genre is often accompanied by Straight Jazz, Free Jazz, Klezmer and Folk. As is often the case with Avant-garde Jazz, there are times when the music hurts the ears and other moments that achieve angelic glory. If not always compelling, the music is always interesting. The sound quality, video quality and production is excellent. As if to confirm the film's credibility, the score is by Zorn. It's hard not to compare "Sabbath in Paradise" to Claudia Heuermann's other similarly-minded film, "A Bookshelf on Top of the Sky." While "Bookshelf" is focused on John Zorn, the scope of "Sabbath" is wider as it covers the Radical Jewish Culture scene. While "Bookshelf" was dragged down by the self-indulgent emphasis on the film maker's personal journey, "Sabbath" is focused on the subject. As a whole, "Sabbath" is a better film, but the content is less interesting than what's featured in "Bookshelf." As "Sabbath in Paradise" philosophically and musically explores the nature of what is Jewish, the film offers an interesting look into a world that is unknown to most Americans.

The easiest and biggest mistake that a viewer could make with "Sabbath in Paradise" is to skip over the bonus feature. While "Following Eden" further explores the question of what is Jewish Music, it is with a different emphasis. Instead of following a cadre of musicians as in "Sabbath," this 48 minute film documents various groups. Featured groups include Rashanim, Eyal Maoz and Shanir Blumenkranz. A good portion of the documentary is spent describing John Zorn's Second Masada. Those who are familiar with the Book of Angels will be floored to watch familiar material played by Jamie Saft. In John Zorn's group, Erik Friedlander and Cyro Baptista are seen playing. All of the featured groups are nothing less than spectacular. In many ways, this brief documentary resolves the issues with Heuermann's previous films. "Bookshelf" was weighted down with the inclusion of the film maker and "Paradise" didn't quite have enough John Zorn. While less artistic than the accompanying "Paradise," "Following Eden" is a leaner and more muscular work. Additionally, it was done in 2004 so it is more current. Compared to the parent film, I anticipate that many viewers will better enjoy "Following Eden." Considering the two films on one disc, the Tzadik DVD Edition isn't just a unique exploration of Jewish Jazz, it's a good value.