STOLAS: THE BOOK OF ANGELS, VOL. 12 (MASADA QUINTET FEAT. JOE LOVANO)

Usually I wait every new Masada's release because you never know, what version of klezmer - jazz will you find on each. Happily, often every such release is pleasant surprise. Don't want to say "Stolas" is unpleasant - great usually piano-less Masada's quartet plays there with pianist and additional sax player (in fact - not additional, but just another, because Zorn himself plays on one song only).

But - I wasn't pleasantly surprised this time at all. Usual klezmer based jazz, but in form of quite conservative bop/cool jazz/post-bop. With nice acoustic piano, melancholic sax and all other genre's attributes. Pleasant acoustic music, but didn't I hear it hundred times before?

Possibly this release is oriented more to avant-jazz haters, with its openly conservative direction? Maybe yes. But as a result we have average vintage klezmer-based album without sparks at all. Not bad but ... let say a bit boring. Zorn himself,Tzadik label and some more artists released endless amount of klezmer based music during last 20 years. Do we need one more standard album of this genre?

Still nice listening for more conservative fans of early modern jazz though.