The Squid's Ear Magazine


Tsahar, Assif and the Zoanthropic Orchestra: Embracing the Void (Hopscotch Records)

Tsahar's 60-minute suite with his NY heavyweights Zoanthropic Orchestra is a sort of self-portrait in sound, drawing on auditory memories from his childhood on.
 

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Personnel:



Assif Tsahar-conduction, tenor sax

Curtis Huselbring-trombone

Steve Swell-trombone

Reut Regev-trombone

Antoine Brye-trumpet

Matt Lavelle-trumpet

Taylor Ho Bynum-trumpet

Oscar Nuriega-bass clarinet, alto sax

Ori Kaplan-alto sax

Aaron Stewart-tenor sax

Alex Harding-baritone sax

Craig Taborn-piano

Tom Abbs-bass

Andrew Barker-drums


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UPC: B00HW3EX92

Label: Hopscotch Records
Catalog ID: HOP 09
Squidco Product Code: 11913

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2001
Country: USA
Packaging: Cardstock Gatefold Sleeve
Recorded live at the Knitting Factory, February 5, 2001 by Sascha Von-oertzen. Mastered by Assif Tsahar.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"On his first few releases, in duos and trios with Susie Ibarra and William Parker, Assif Tsahar proved himself a talented tenor man. More recently, he is showing his composing side, and a strong side it is. His string-heavy New York Underground Orchestra played a beautiful set at this year's Vision Festival with the leader conducting; that performance has been set to disc on another recent Hopscotch release.

The Zoanthropic Orchestra is a longer-standing ensemble than the string orchestra, and on Embracing the Void it shows a stronger hand from the composer. Tsahar's 60-minute suite is, as suggested by his liner notes, a sort of self-portrait in sound, drawing on auditory memories from his childhood to recent years. The notes are brief reminiscences, more snapshot than storyline, but they suggest a lifetime of listening. The 14-piece band delivers a strong performance, and while individual soloists are credited, this is an ensemble record. Tsahar's charts owe a spiritual debt to Charles Mingus (another composer of portraits). As with Mingus' large ensemble work, the interplay under the solos is often as exciting as the solos themselves. The group had played for over a year before recording this, their first disc, and it shows in their shared communication.

That said, there's plenty of talent contained within. Curtis Hasselbring, Steve Swell and Reut Regev make for a powerful trombone section and the excellent Taylor Baynum Ho is one of the three trumpets. Ori Kaplan, Alex Harding and the leader are in the five-horn sax section, backed up by the always-solid Tom Abbs on bass and ever mindful drummer Andrew Barker. Rounding out the rhythm section is pianist Craig Taborn, who delivers the strongest performances on the disc.

In the notes, Tsahar says that as an adolescent he was diagnosed with zoanthropy - the belief that one has turned into an animal. Whatever such a delusion might stem from, it does perhaps suggest an instinct and a zeal for living. As a player and as a composer, Tsahar shows passion. If that's animalistic, so be it."-Kurt Gottschalk, All About Jazz


Get additional information at All About Jazz

Artist Biographies

"Assif Tsahar (born Israel, June 11, 1969) is an Israeli tenor saxophonist and bass clarinetist. He lived in New York City from 1990 to the early 2000s, returning to Israel.

He has performed with Cecil Taylor, Butch Morris, William Parker, Mat Maneri, Hamid Drake, Peter Kowald, Susie Ibarra, Rashied Ali, Warren Smith, Wilbur Morris, Le Quan Ninh, John Tchicai, Fred Anderson, Rob Brown, Roy Campbell, Gerald Cleaver, Agusti Fernandez, Ken Vandermark, Kent Kessler, Joe Daley, Herb Robertson, Cuong Vu, Chris Jonas, Ori Kaplan, Oscar Noriega, Roman Stolyar, Alex Harding, Steve Swell, Cooper-Moore, and Tom Abbs

He founded the label Hopscotch Records in 1999. In 2006 he opens the music club Levontin7 with Daniel Sarid in Tel Aviv. "

-Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assif_Tsahar)
3/13/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Born in Newark, NJ, Steve Swell has been an active member of the NYC music community since 1975. He has toured and recorded with many artists from mainstreamers such as Lionel Hampton and Buddy Rich to so called outsiders as Anthony Braxton, Bill Dixon, Cecil Taylor and William Parker. He has over 40 CDs as a leader or co-leader and is a featured artists on more than 100 other releases. He runs workshops around the world and is a teaching artist in the NYC public school system focusing on special needs children.

Swell has worked on music transcriptions of the Bosavi tribe of New Guinea for MacArthur fellow, Steve Feld in 2000. His CD, "Suite For Players, Listeners and Other Dreamers" (CIMP) ranked number 2 in the 2004 Cadence Readers Poll. He has also received grants from USArtists International in 2006, MCAF (LMCC) awards in 2008 and 2013 and has been commissioned twice on the Interpretations Series at Merkin Hall in 2006 and at Roulette in 2012.

Steve was nominated for Trombonist of the Year 2008 & 2011 by the Jazz Journalists Association, was selected Trombonist of the Year 2008-2010 , 2012 and 2014-2015 by the magazine El Intruso of Argentina and received the 2008 Jubilation Foundation Fellowship Award of the Tides Foundation. Steve has also been selected by the Downbeat Critics Poll in the Trombone category each year from 2010-2016.

Steve is presently a teaching artist through the American Composers Orchestra, Healing Arts Initiative , Mind-Builders Creative Arts Center (Bronx), the Jazz Foundation of America and Leman Manhattan Preparatory School.

Steve was also awarded the 2014 Creative Curricula grant (LMCC) for the project: "Metamorphoses: Modern Mythology in Sound and Words" which was taught in a month long residency at Baruch College Campus High School in Manhattan."

-Steve Swell Website (http://www.steveswell.com/SteveSwellBio.htm)
3/13/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Israeli born and raised trombonist Reut Regev has been out in the New York scene creating and exploring music for over 20 years. Reut enjoys playing with some of the most influential experimental composers, New York style bands blending styles and cultures, and traditional sounds as well. Reut's typical year includes some free improvisation, contemporary compositions, blues, klezmer, latin music, straight ahead jazz, and everything in between. She has recorded and toured with Anthony Braxton, Butch Morris, Elliott Sharp, Burton Greene, Hazmat Modine, Metropolitan Klezmer, Joe Battan, and many more.

Reut's main project as a band leader and composer, for the last decade, is the band that she co-leads with her husband, drummer Igal Foni: "Reut Regev's R*time". R*time features mostly original compositions by Reut and Igal, and encourages soulful musical explorations by the band members. The personnel includes legendary free funk guitarist Jean-Paul Bourelly, as well as master bassist Mark Peterson. Also some wonderful paR*timers including renowned Tubist Jon Sass, and internationally acclaimed bass players Robert Jukic and Andrea Castelli. Since R*time's first release in 2009, "This is R*time", the group has been touring Europe extensively. Following R*time's 2012 Enja release, "exploRing the vibe", the most recent release, "Keep Winning" was released on Enja records earlier this year.

At the same time as holding a successful and exciting musical career, Reut has been building her music education studio - Notes And Beyond LLC. Through Notes And Beyond, Igal and Reut offer music workshops for various ages and levels, as well as private lessons in NJ and beyond."

-Reut Regev Website (https://reutregev.com/reut-2/)
3/13/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Taylor Ho Bynum (b. 1975) has spent his career navigating the intersections between structure and improvisation - through musical composition, performance and interdisciplinary collaboration, and through production, organizing, teaching, writing and advocacy. As heard on over twenty recordings as a bandleader, Bynum's expressionistic playing on cornet and his expansive vision as composer have garnered him critical attention as one of the singular musical voices of his generation. He currently leads his Sextet and 7-tette, and works with many collective ensembles including a duo with drummer Tomas Fujiwara, the improv trio Book of Three, the UK/US collaborative Convergence Quartet, the dance/music interdisciplinary ensemble Masters of Ceremony, and the trans-idiomatic little big band Positive Catastrophe.

His varied endeavors include his Acoustic Bicycle Tours (where he travels to concerts solely by bike across thousands of miles) and his stewardship of Anthony Braxton's Tri-Centric Foundation (which he serves as executive director, producing most of Braxton's recent major projects). In addition to his own bands, his ongoing collaboration with Braxton, past work with other legendary figures such as Bill Dixon and Cecil Taylor, and current collective projects with forward thinking peers, Bynum increasingly travels the globe to conduct community-based large ensembles in explorations of new creative orchestra music. He is also a published author and contributor to The New Yorker's Culture Blog, has taught at universities, festivals, and workshops worldwide, and has served as a panelist and consultant for leading funders and organizations. His work has received support from Creative Capital, the Connecticut Office of the Arts, Chamber Music America, New Music USA, USArtists International, and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation."

-Taylor Ho Bynum website (http://taylorhobynum.com/)
3/13/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Ori Kaplan (in Hebrew אורי קפלן; is an Israeli jazz saxophonist and a music producer. He moved to the United States in 1991. He has worked with many artists including Shotnez Tom Abbs, Firewater, Gogol Bordello, and Balkan Beat Box (of which he is a founding member). He is also known as DJ Shotnez.

The first band that Kaplan played for was DXM, an underground sampler-driven group in Tel Aviv. He chose playing for DXM instead of taking clarinet lessons.

He stayed in Israel until 1991, which is when he immigrated to the United States. After getting a degree from Mannes College in 1996, Kaplan formed a group with Tom Abbs and Geoff Mann called "Trio Plus". The Trio became a quartet in 1997 when Steve Swell joined.

In the same year, Kaplan also joined a lot of jazz projects related to the Knitting Factory.

Kaplan joined the rock band Firewater in 1998 and toured both the United States and Europe. He also formed his "Ori Kaplan Percussion Ensemble", with Susie Ibarra, Geoff Mann, and Andrew Bemkey.

He joined the band Gogol Bordello after having seen them play the Lower East Side and toured with them extensively from 2001-2004. In 2004 he formed Balkan Beat Box with Tamir Muskat. The band has been touring globally since and has released 4 albums thus far.

Kaplan's saxophone sound is also heard and sampled on 2 top 10 global hits: "Talk Dirty" by American R&B singer Jason Derulo and "Worth It" by American girl group Fifth Harmony, which was co-produced by Kaplan and Stargate. Additionally, Kaplan's sax work can be heard on DreamWorks Animation film, Home (2015)."

-Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ori_Kaplan)
3/13/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Alex Harding was born on April 5, 1967 in Detroit, Michigan. At the age of six, Alex knew what he wanted to do in his lifetime: to be a musician. He started to pursue his dream. Alex started on Drums & a few years later after hearing Grover Washington Jr on the radio playing Mr. Magic Alex switched to the tenor sax. Mr. Harding took band classes in elementary, middle school & high school, entering musical competitions and shows. He chose to attend Northwestern High School so he could study music under the direction of Mr. Ernest Rogers, a renowned musician & teacher. It was during high school that Alex decided to make the baritone sax and bass clarinet his main instruments.

Alex Harding studied music in his early years with Yusef Lateef, Beans Bows and Herbie Williams, and played with Wynton Marsalis and Donald Byrd while still in high school. Alex went on to win music scholarships to the University of Massachusetts and the Aspen School of Music. Alex's first European engagement in 1990 was in Porgy and Bess. A year later, he went to Mexico to the Arts and Music Festival with percussionist Francisco Mora.

After settling in New York in 1993, and a stint touring with Phatoms, a Haitian group, Alex joined Julius Hemphill's Saxophone Sextet. He also began performing with Muhal Richard Abrams, Craig Harris, Lester Bowie, Frank Lacey, Oliver Lake and David Murray's Big Band.

In 1996, Alex joined Hamiet Bluiett's Baritone Group and appeared with the Mingus Big Band, Jayne Cortez Firespitters and Lester Bowie's Hip-Hop Philharmonic. He also recorded with Greg Osby, Frank Lowe, David Lee Roth and Rodney Whittaker. The following year, Alex recorded At Doctor King's Table with the Julius Hemphill Sextet, a CD with Hamiet Bluiett's Baritone Group, and he made his debut with the Sun Ra Arkestra under Marshall Allen's leadership. In 1998, Alex was part of the Sun Ra All-Star Project that premiered at the North Sea Jazz Festival and the Montreux-Detroit Jazz Festival. More recently Alex has performed with the Roy Hargrove Big Band and with Aretha Franklin.

In the October '97 issue of Jazz Times, the review of Hamiet Bluiett's Baritone Band said that Alex Harding: "...attacked the music with steamroller momentum and uncommon ferocity...it was sheer fireworks."

Alex Harding has recorded several CD's for CIMP label and since 2008 he has performed on Broadway and toured with the (3) Tony Award winning show FELA !!!!

A powerful and innovative saxophonist, Alex Harding has a unique and contemporary baritone sound. The sincerity of his musical _expression and the dynamism of his performance reaches out and touch the human spirit and soul."

-Alex Harding Website (http://www.alexharding.net/html/about.php)
3/13/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Craig Marvin Taborn (/ˈteɪˌbɔːrn/; born February 20, 1970) is an American pianist, organist, keyboardist and composer. He works solo and in bands, mostly playing various forms of jazz. He started playing piano and Moog synthesizer as an adolescent and was influenced at an early stage by a wide range of music, including by the freedom expressed in recordings of free jazz and contemporary classical music.

While at university, Taborn toured and recorded with jazz saxophonist James Carter. Taborn went on to play with numerous other musicians in electronic and acoustic settings, while also building a reputation as a solo pianist. He has a range of styles, and often adapts his playing to the nature of the instrument and the sounds that he can make it produce. His improvising, particularly for solo piano, often adopts a modular approach, in which he begins with small units of melody and rhythm and then develops them into larger forms and structures.

In 2011, Down Beat magazine chose Taborn as winner of the electric keyboard category, as well as rising star in both the piano and organ categories. By May 2016, Taborn had released six albums under his own name and appeared on more than eighty as a sideman."

-Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Taborn)
3/13/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Andrew Barker is a drummer and composer living in Brooklyn, NY. Barker is co-founder of the free jazz and improvised music ensemble Gold Sparkle Band from Atlanta, Georgia from 1994 to present. After moving to Brooklyn, NY in 1998, Andrew became the drummer in William Parker's Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra (appearing on Mayor of Punkville, Raincoat in the River, Spontaneous, and For Percy Heath). Since then he has appeared on many recordings with musicians such as Daniel Carter, Sabir Mateen, Chris Jonas, Rob Brown, Sonny Simmons, Assif Tsahar, Virginia Genta, Ed Ricart, Roy Campbell, and many others. Barker has performed with many musicians in New York City and beyond including Butch Morris, Thurston Moore, Steve Swell, Herb Robertson, John Zorn, Marshall Allen, Sirone, and Paul Dunmall.

Barker leads the psychedelic free jazz unit Acid Birds (with Jaime Fennelly of Mind Over Mirrors and Charles Waters of GSB), and the heavy improv unit, Barker Trio (with Michael Foster and Tim Dahl)."

-Jazz Right Now (https://jazzrightnow.com/artist-page-practice/barker-andrew/)
3/13/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.


Track Listing:



1. Embracing The Void, Pt. 1 - July 1975 7:23

2. Embracing The Void, Pt. 2 - February 1987 5:08

3. Embracing The Void, Pt. 3 - March 1982 5:00

4. Embracing The Void, Pt. 4 - October 1988 4:56

5. Embracing The Void, Pt. 5 - April 1984 8:50

6. Embracing The Void, Pt. 6 - September 1993 4:20

7. Embracing The Void, Pt. 7 - December 1989 4:36

8. Embracing The Void, Pt. 8 - Novermber 2000 6:42

9. Embracing The Void, Pt. 9 - August 2001 5:33

10. Embracing The Void, Pt. 10 - May 1988 3:17

Related Categories of Interest:


Improvised Music
Jazz
NY Downtown & Metropolitan Jazz/Improv
Hopscotch Records

Improvised Music
Jazz
NY Downtown & Metropolitan Jazz/Improv
Hopscotch Records

Search for other titles on the label:
Hopscotch Records.


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