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Remember Jean-Michel Jarre, hawker of New-Agey, synth-drenched, nineties mush-music? Well, what if he linked up with some outish, NY downtown dudes (and dudette)?
You'd get The Free Zen Society.
After trying my best to struggle through the syrupy soundscape purveyed by Peter Gordon (I thought his music worked better as Peter and Gordon, part of the sixties British Invasion), I finally came to the conclusion that said Mr. Gordon, founder of Thirsty Ear and executive producer of the Blue Series, must be largely responsible for the debacle that's descended on this once-fine enterprise.
Apparently, the musical mush contained herein sat in the vaults for two years, sadly achieving no mystical maturation, as will a fine Belgian beer.
It should have been left there.
But the ever-intrepid Mr. Gordon saw fit to exhume the fitful ruminations contained herein and overlay them, albeit ineptly, with his own fevered synth washes and other electronic exotica.
Me, I've just about given up on Thirsty Ear, what with the string of sad recordings recently released, such as the clunker by Scotty Hard. I'll give 'em one more chance, but they'd better get their act together soon and stop fleecing consumers with musical refuse, or they'll lose whatever creds they've garnered over the last half-decade or so.
By the way. I seem to have encountered a hiccup in my once-sunny dispositioned reviewing approach: more negative reviews than positive in my last handful. But, hopefully, all that will change and I'll return to my more typical slavishly cheerful mien in the next batch.
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Reviews with images
Give it a "deep listen" ...
The enemy of all real music is expectation. By "real music" I mean created music, not re-created music, written by someone other than the performer(s). This CD is a true surprise, even for those accustomed to "deep listening." This is because those who are familiar with the past works of these musicians would naturally expect something quite different (listen to Matthew Shipp's new "Piano Vortex" for example). "The Free Zen Society" is comprised of pianist Matthew Shipp, harpist Zeena Parkins, bassist William Parker, and producer Peter Gordon, who edited and reworked the tracks electronically. Their music attests to the broad, unrestrained creativity of these artists and their keen ability to listen to one another. "The Free Zen Society" is mellow and perhaps meandering, exploring territories rather than stating facts, and this may bother those who want something familiar to grab hold of. Perhaps the music will not stick on first listen, because one could listen to it almost the way one hears Brian Eno's "wallpaper" music ("Ambient 3: Day of Radiance") or some of Harold Budd's piano works ("The Pavilion of Dreams"). Nonetheless, I suggest giving it a "deep listen" for the certain rewards that follow.Here's what one reviewer (blog critic Mark Saleski) had to say about his CD:"Not all "Free Zen Society" compositions are shared affairs (though all do have some level of added electronics). Shipp's piano stands alone on "Dream Escapes" while Parker builds a fine and introspective bowed bass suite during "Surrender." Parkins is given the spotlight on "Glistening," which is full of arpeggios and single notes allowed to ring out to infinity."Some might think that Peter Gordon's "construction" of this music is somehow invalid, since the process wasn't completely organic. But if you give a listen to the recent "We All Love Ennio Morricone," you'll discover that Morricone actually composed music linking together versions of his own music from artists as disparate as Bruce Springsteen and Andrea Bocelli. The point is that music is often quietly telling its own story, one that will avail itself to those willing to listen. So just maybe Peter Gordon is just such a person. I'm glad that Shipp, Parkins, and Parker were there to begin that story."
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Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2008
The enemy of all real music is expectation. By "real music" I mean created music, not re-created music, written by someone other than the performer(s). This CD is a true surprise, even for those accustomed to "deep listening." This is because those who are familiar with the past works of these musicians would naturally expect something quite different (listen to Matthew Shipp's new "[[ASIN:B000TP5SQ2 Piano Vortex]]" for example). "The Free Zen Society" is comprised of pianist Matthew Shipp, harpist Zeena Parkins, bassist William Parker, and producer Peter Gordon, who edited and reworked the tracks electronically. Their music attests to the broad, unrestrained creativity of these artists and their keen ability to listen to one another. "The Free Zen Society" is mellow and perhaps meandering, exploring territories rather than stating facts, and this may bother those who want something familiar to grab hold of. Perhaps the music will not stick on first listen, because one could listen to it almost the way one hears Brian Eno's "wallpaper" music ("[[ASIN:B000003S2N Ambient 3: Day of Radiance]]") or some of Harold Budd's piano works ("[[ASIN:B000003S2T The Pavilion of Dreams]]"). Nonetheless, I suggest giving it a "deep listen" for the certain rewards that follow.
Here's what one reviewer (blog critic Mark Saleski) had to say about his CD:
"Not all "Free Zen Society" compositions are shared affairs (though all do have some level of added electronics). Shipp's piano stands alone on "Dream Escapes" while Parker builds a fine and introspective bowed bass suite during "Surrender." Parkins is given the spotlight on "Glistening," which is full of arpeggios and single notes allowed to ring out to infinity.
"Some might think that Peter Gordon's "construction" of this music is somehow invalid, since the process wasn't completely organic. But if you give a listen to the recent "[[ASIN:B000MM0L2S We All Love Ennio Morricone]]," you'll discover that Morricone actually composed music linking together versions of his own music from artists as disparate as Bruce Springsteen and Andrea Bocelli. The point is that music is often quietly telling its own story, one that will avail itself to those willing to listen. So just maybe Peter Gordon is just such a person. I'm glad that Shipp, Parkins, and Parker were there to begin that story."
Here's what one reviewer (blog critic Mark Saleski) had to say about his CD:
"Not all "Free Zen Society" compositions are shared affairs (though all do have some level of added electronics). Shipp's piano stands alone on "Dream Escapes" while Parker builds a fine and introspective bowed bass suite during "Surrender." Parkins is given the spotlight on "Glistening," which is full of arpeggios and single notes allowed to ring out to infinity.
"Some might think that Peter Gordon's "construction" of this music is somehow invalid, since the process wasn't completely organic. But if you give a listen to the recent "[[ASIN:B000MM0L2S We All Love Ennio Morricone]]," you'll discover that Morricone actually composed music linking together versions of his own music from artists as disparate as Bruce Springsteen and Andrea Bocelli. The point is that music is often quietly telling its own story, one that will avail itself to those willing to listen. So just maybe Peter Gordon is just such a person. I'm glad that Shipp, Parkins, and Parker were there to begin that story."
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