Dreamers

John Zorn | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 18, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Tzadik
• ASIN: B0011BJQ8E
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #33,382 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #55 in Music > Rock > Oldies & Retro > Surf Rock

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another 'Gift' from John Zorn, March 18, 2008

By 

Michael Stack (North Chelmsford, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dreamers (Audio CD)

If nothing else, John Zorn is a man of stunningly diverse interests. While generally thought of as the enfant terrible of modern music, Zorn's influences include not just avant-garde masters of various forms from Kagel to Ayler to early Napalm Death, but this is the same guy who stated on NPR that, "Dick Dale... is welcome to ANYBODY'S Bar Mitzvah". "The Dreamers", in the tradition of The Gift, is an exploration not of Zorn's avant-garde passions, but of his commercial ones. Performed by the musicians from Electric Masada-- Marc Ribot (guitar), Jamie Saft (keys), Kenny Wollesen (vibes), Trevor Dunn (bass), Joey Baron (drums) and Cyro Baptista (percussion) with the composer sitting in on his alto sax on one track-- Zorn weaves together a mix of surf, Hawaiian, exotica, film scores, jazz and probably half a dozen more subtle influences. The resulting stew, expertly executed by the band, proves to be a superb listen.

Right from the start, it's clearly going to be Ribot who's the star of this one, particularly on the first half of the record, and really this is no surprise-- Ribot eats this kind of stuff up, providing delicate lyricism (Hawaiian tinged "Mow Mow"), bleak, wailing guitar over an extended performance with stunning use of space ("Anulikwutsayl") and fierce energy that boils over when prodded by the composition ("Of Wonder and Certainty"). Along the way, Zorn also serves up a great sing-song piece ("Toys", the only piece on which Zorn actually performs-- stating the theme and serving up the only real slice of skronk while he wails over free association from Saft and Wollesen), a great funk/blues workout ("Exodus", another great workout for Ribot) and even a chance for Saft to show off how lyrical he can be on the Rhodes ("Nekashim"). When closer "Raksasa" finishes up its rolling atmospherics, you'll probably find yourself either restarting the disc or reaching for The Gift to hear more like it.

While this isn't going to appeal to Zorn's entire audience-- certainly there's those who really want to hear the skronk all the time, "The Dreamers" really is a superb effort and a nice change of pace from Zorn. Highly recommended.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More consistent than The Gift, June 28, 2008

By 

It's Me, "Really" (Houston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dreamers (Audio CD)

I liked this one a lot. It takes the time to explore the group's sound and isn't as scattershot as were The Gift, Taboo & Exile, or Music For Children. The band gets an absolutely wicked groove going on "Exodus." Certainly fans of Zorn's more outrageous material might find this a bit tame, but it's also a sort of all-killer, no filler Zorn - a good point of entry. Marc Ribot and Joey Baron are outstanding on this album.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars John Zorn's "The Dreamers", April 25, 2008

By 

Justin St. Vincent "www.XtremeMusic.org" (Auckland, New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dreamers (Audio CD)

John Zorn's "The Dreamers" is a delightfully lyrical and poetic journey through instrumental fairy tales from the Electric Masada all-stars. Album opener "Mow Mow" sets the tone for a marvellous dream-like tour into a mesmeric world of exotica music. Listen for Jamie Saft's piano via "A Ride On Cottonfair", John Zorn's alto-sax on "Toys", both Marc Ribot's guitar and Kenny Wollesen's vibes on "Of Wonder And Certainty". "The Dreamers" is a varied and vibrant release perfect for fans who fell in love with John Zorn's "The Gift". Tzadik's incredible artwork for this album also features a sheet of sixteen collectable character stickers in a stunning CD package.