Zao
Kawana

I note with some disappointment that on this site there is still no contribution to the work of one of the most interesting and original formations of the European Jazz-Rock scene, Zao. For this reason, I will first provide a brief introduction to this French group with a curious name, and then I will move on to analyzing what can be considered their most significant work (certainly, the one with the greatest success and resonance).

Zao (a name derived from the esoteric texts of the Kabbalah) is the result of the collaboration between wind player Yochk'o "Jeff" Seffer (equally skilled at playing sax, flute, and clarinet) and pianist Francois "Faton" Cahen, a sort of cross-Channel Keith Tippett in terms of stylistic eclecticism and one of the most influential figures in contemporary French Jazz. Both names may sound familiar to fans of certain "extreme" Prog: indeed, both Seffer and Cahen were part of the original Magma core, which, between 1970 and 1972, delivered monumental works such as "Kobaia" and "1001° Centigrades" to history. Moreover, the two are also known for having participated in the side project Univeria Zekt, conceived by Christian Vander with the involvement of almost all the same musicians from the Magma scene, and which in 1972 released a unique (and forgotten) album titled "The Unnamable." From the first listen to the work, one could immediately sense a more malleable music, certainly more easily classifiable compared to the devastating and experimental avant-garde that Magma had produced until then: essentially Jazz-Rock, the kind that was popular at the time, albeit with "ante-litteram" Fusion peaks; a style indicative of what Zao would do shortly thereafter. It is likely that Seffer and Cahen's departure from Magma was precisely due to the fact that both, being jazz-trained musicians, did not entirely share the further intensification of Vander and company's sound: an intensification that would find its definitive expression in highly challenging and complex albums like "Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh" and "Kohntarkosz" (I apologize for omitting the umlaut, as kobaian orthography would require).

The fixed lineup of Zao is completed by drummer Jean-My Truong, comparable to a Walter Calloni or a Furio Chirico for agility and dynamism (a drummer particularly suited to the group's difficult and sustained rhythmic patterns); over the years, the ensemble would remain open to the involvement of various external collaborators. In "Kawana" (the fourth studio album, from 1976), joining them are bassist Gérard Prevost (an expert in "fretless" sounds) and classically trained violinist Didier Lockwood, who, as tradition has it, plays a violin gifted by Jean-Luc Ponty.

Of all Zao's studio works, "Kawana" is certainly the most balanced and measured: the Magma-like Zeuhl influences that still pervaded their early albums ("Z=7L" and "Osiris," in particular) have been somewhat muted, and this is not necessarily a bad thing, as the sound gains in terms of compactness and organicity. Zao's music shifts towards a varied Fusion, complex and never monotonous, with elements of Free Jazz and atonal improvisation brought by Cahen, and evocative Eastern European ethnic atmospheres, the authorship of which should instead be attributed to Seffer, a musician of Hungarian descent. Thus, let there be no suspicion of them being "second-rate Magma," as Zao can be considered stylistically autonomous and pursue an original direction that is certainly interesting for lovers of certain contaminated Jazz-Rock. Sometimes (but rarely, it must be said) those classic and bizarre vocalizations that fans of early Magma have come to recognize pop up here and there, but the similarities do not go much further; if we consider that in the album prior to this one ("Shekina," from 1975) Cahen, moreover a very skilled arranger, overlaid the band's Jazz soundscape against a background of a string quartet, then there will be no more doubts about the artistic merit of our subjects.

"Kawana" begins with a piece, "Natura," where the standout is primarily Cahen's whirling (and somewhat claustrophobic) piano technique, along with Seffer's precise wind interventions: frequent are the changes of rhythm and tone, until halfway through the track when Didier Lockwood's violin is introduced. His solo contribution is (at least in this case) more limited compared to that of the two leaders, but still adequate to the general atmosphere of the album, at times dark and unsettling.

A composition with a very Funky rhythm follows, "Tserouf," where echoes of Weather Report emerge and the warm sounds of Prevost's "fretless" bass take the lead, although the persistent dialogue between keyboards and winds, which more than any other aspect characterizes Zao's sound, remains constant.

After two long tracks predominantly open to improvisation, there is a brief classical interlude ("Fleurs For Faton") dominated by Lockwood's violin, which draws smooth and relaxed patterns over Cahen's light piano accompaniment; a pleasant interlude, just to catch your breath. But it's only a momentary respite, as the album quickly regains momentum with the syncopated rhythms of "Kabal" and the Fusion-like tones reminiscent of Perigeo in "Sadie," two excellent compositions by Cahen.

The album closes with two long segments once again dedicated to collective improvisation, each over ten minutes: the first, "Free Folk," recalls something of Magma in the unusual choral vocalizations that introduce it, but soon tunes into the more congenial sounds of the group, with excellent acoustic bass lines and riffs highlighted by Cahen's distinctive synth sounds; the second, "Salut Robert!," with a faster pace and an even more experimental approach than the previous one, features additional collaborators (specifically, Christian Saint Roch replaces Truong on drums, while Bill Gagnon takes the place of Prevost on bass); adding value to the whole are this time Michel Seguin's exotic percussive contributions, while Seffer's furious solos soar above Cahen's constant electric piano textures.

Four stars of historical value, therefore, and an essential album for anyone wanting to gain a deeper understanding of the alternative French scene of those unrepeatable years.