Naked City - 2002 - Live Volume 1 - Knitting Factory 1989

Naked City 

2002

Live Volume 1 - Knitting Factory 1989

01. Batman (2:07)

02. Latin Quarter (4:05)

03. You Will Be Shot (1:23)

04. Shot in the Dark (3:31)

05. Skatekey (1:05)

06. Erotico (5:24)

07. Snagglepuss (2:11)

08. I Want to Live (1:58)

09. N.Y. Flat Top Box (0:43)

10. Inside Straight (8:13)

11. Chinatown (6:04)

12. Igneous Ejaculation (0:22)

13. Ujaku (0:30)

14. Blood Duster (0:17)

15. Hammerhead (0:11)

16. Speedball (0:44)

17. Obeah Man (0:18)

18. Den of Sins (1:19)

19. Demon Sanctuary (0:55)

20. The Way I Feel (10:37)

Bill Frisell / guitars

Joey Baron / drums

Wayne Korvitz / keyboards

John Zorn / alto saxophone

Fred Frith / bass

Recorded live at the Knitting Factory in 1989.

It's almost inconceivable to believe that Naked City, the vanguard supergroup comprised of John Zorn, ill Frisell, Fred Frith, Wayne Horvitz, and Joey Baron, never recorded a live album during their tenure. This wonderfully recorded document from the dawn of the Knitting Factory provides ample evidence that Naked City was even more astonishing live than on their albums. The material comes mainly from the band's debut -- which was recorded some months later -- and has all the punch and sheer adrenaline-gushing verve that a new project brings out of its participants. From the stomping psychedelic lounge of "Batman" to the strolling, edgy R&B in "Latin Quarter," to the hardcore punk and roll of "You Will Be Shot" and the freewheeling improvisation that gives way to Addams Family-style surf music at the heart of "Shot in the Dark," in these first four selections, Naked City lays out a territorial map of the ground that they will stake as their own. But it's not enough to be wide-ranging and experimental and humorous: You have to be able to pull it off in style, and Naked City reveals beyond doubt that inside the grain of their collective voice as a unit, the sense of swing and movement is paramount -- check "Blood Duster," "Chinatown," "Den of Sins," etc., over 20 selections. The other magnificent thing about this live date juxtaposed with the band's studio outings is how different the solo impulses are. No two are the same from any member, and none of them made their way onto tape later. The stop- and start-on-a-dime histrionics of their hardcore attitude and Ornette Coleman-inspired improvisation is an open field against the tighter arrangements of the shimmering jazz noir and warped, blues-laden post-bop. This is not only essential for fans, but proves to be an accessible and wondrous introduction to a truly awesome, if short-lived, band.

One of the most funnies live albums I've ever hear. A masterpiece of jazz, fucking dancing, happy and mad.

The moments that offer the most deviation - an 8 minute work out of "Inside Straight" or a particularly fierce run through of 8 Torture Garden pieces - are the ones that offer the most joy. The rest is about as good as you'd expect Naked City to be at this point, even without Eye on hand to scream his head off over it (Zorn's sax always did this just fine so he's not missed.)