Psychomagia
Psychomagia | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by Abraxas | ||||
Released | February 2014 | |||
Recorded | December 2 & 3, 2013 at Orange Sound, NJ | |||
Genre | Avant-garde, jazz, rock | |||
Length | 44:06 | |||
Label | Tzadik 8313 | |||
Producer | John Zorn | |||
Abraxas chronology | ||||
| ||||
John Zorn chronology | ||||
|
Psychomagia is the second album by Abraxas, led by Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz, performing compositions written by John Zorn, which was recorded in December 2013 and released on the Tzadik label.[1]
Reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Free Jazz Collective | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Martin Schray stated "these tracks are true Zorn compositions interwoven with Near Eastern melodies, western soundscapes and jazzy wackiness and Abraxas play these pieces with the abrasive, breathtaking energy of a monstrous jam session. The musicians never consider technical skills as ends in themselves, they always serve the compositions. Psychomagia is a High Mass for guitar freaks, fans of the music of Frank Zappa and for those who like the harsher sides of Bill Frisell and Marc Ribot".[2] New York Music Daily stated "On one hand, this album is so tuneful that fans of traditional surf music are going to love it; at the same time, it’s so deliciously evil in places that the most cynical Yo La Tengo diehards might be caught drooling".[3]
Track listing
All compositions by John Zorn
- "Metapsychomagia" - 7:31
- "Sacred Emblems" - 3:02
- "Circe" - 6:03
- "Squaring the Circle" - 5:51
- "Celestial Mechanism" - 2:32
- "Evocation of the Triumphant Beast" - 6:25
- "Four Rivers" - 3:54
- "The Nameless God" - 4:35
- "Anima Mundi" - 4:14
Personnel
- Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz - bass
- Aram Bajakian, Eyal Maoz - guitar
- Kenny Grohowski - drums
References
- ^ Tzadik Catalogue: Abraxas: Psychomagia accessed May 22, 2014
- ^ a b Schray, M. The Free Jazz Collective Review, March 21, 2014
- ^ delaruse, John Zorn’s Abraxas Plunges into the Killer Surf, New York Music Daily, March 29, 2014