John Zorn
At The Gates Of Paradise

The Divine Comedy of John Zorn: Paradise

In the previous review, I mentioned how, in an ideal solo Zornian Divine Comedy, "IAO" was hell. Here. If we were to find its paradisiacal counterpart, it would surely be "At The Gates Of Paradise".
An album that immediately proposes, in a sonic key, the valleys of Eden, with rivers of milk, blooming gardens, and rainbows replacing bridges. An album that, regarding the depiction of relaxation and beauty, brings to mind another ideal Zornian paradisiacal piece: the beautiful "The Goddess: Music For The Ancient Days").

An extremely pleasant album, well played and arranged. Far from the crazy peaks for which Zorn is universally known: no grindcore, no bursts of sick jazz inside, or ear-splitting noise battles. But there isn't even the tendency, also a crazy one, to engage in jazz vignettes from a waiting room (the album "The Dreamers" is an example). 

We are talking about a homogeneous, meticulous, academic work, that refuses eclecticism or changes in mood, where the heart of the album is a calm, soothing, romantic jazz (not surprisingly, we are talking about a work inspired by the figure of William Blake, a key poet and painter of romanticism).

Among the lulling and caressing piano notes (by John Medeski) that accompany the album, there is a radical rejection of all forms of violence (which for many Naked City fans might seem unacceptable) in favor of an obsessive pursuit of redemption, hope, serenity. An ideal calm after the storm, capable of delivering once again worthy tracks: the opener "The Eternals", an emotional crescendo that also manages to move and the pure innocence of "Song Of Innocence" are just two examples.

Balanced and meticulous, "At The Gates Of Paradise" is yet another excellent brick that constitutes the enormous four-hundred-story castle that is Zorn's boundless discography. Recommended for those who have not yet found the courage to approach his extreme masterpieces and would like to get to know this genius through his more traditional states.

For everyone else: dreamy journeys (but remember: caressing, romantic, reassuring) guaranteed.