Live in Jerusalem
M  A  S  A  D  A
Live in Jerusalem 1994
Disc One
Piram 9:51
Bith-Aneth 11:57
Lachish 3:35
Peliyot 7:11
Hadasha 10:53
Ravayah 3:35
Zebdi 1:53
Tirzah 8:07
Hethal 3:29
Disc Two
Kanah 6:11
Shilhim 2:39
Ziphim 9:09
Abidan 6:24
Netivot 4:50
Zelah 4:54
Idalah-Abal 5:44
Jair 5:15
Ashnah 6:16

the wailing wall...teens with AK47's...salt baked fish...stations of the cross...the snake path...lying on the dead sea...the checkpoint at jericho...ancient glass...pistachio pastries...kosher fruitcakes at midnight...masada at dusk...dry heat of the sinai...the arab quarter...jean-claude jones' broken bridge...the old city...dome of the rock...mean shearim...ancient mosiacs...the torah cave...felafel...jazz club jams...the cistern...chassid hangouts

This album records the live dates of Masada's first trip to Israel, and their performance at the Jerusalem Festival there. I have been waiting for Masada's live albums for a long time, and when they finally came out, I must say I was a little dissapointed. Somehow Live in Jerusalem just doesn't capture that insane sound they get live. It sounds a little to polished. Don't get me wrong, this is all great stuff, and it really is incredible to think that they recorded this stuff live, but it doesn't quite have that bit of insanity that has made every Masada show I've seen so good. It sounds like it was recorded in a fairly large space, which may account for this.

However, I must say that Kanah and Ziphim are absolutely incredible. The interplay between these four guys on Kanah is telepathic. The entire band seems to be the work of one mind, switching time signatures without discussion. Ziphim is everything a Masada piece should be: avoids conventional songwriting expectations, beautifully executed, with phenomenal playing from everyone. Peliyot and Bith-Aneth are also excellently done.


John Zorn: alto sax
Dave Douglas: trumpet
Greg Cohen: bass
Joey Baron: drums

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