50th Birthday Celebration Volume 10 is a live album of improvised music by Yamataka Eye and John Zorn documenting their performance at Tonic in September 2003 as part of John Zorn's month-long 50th Birthday Celebration concert series.[4] Guitarist Fred Frith also appears on one track.
| 50th Birthday Celebration Volume 10 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Live album by | ||||
| Released | January 25, 2005 | |||
| Recorded | September 15, 2003 | |||
| Genre | Downtown music Avant-garde jazz | |||
| Length | 44:21 | |||
| Label | Tzadik TZ 5010 | |||
| Producer | John Zorn | |||
| John Zorn chronology | ||||
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| John Zorn and Yamataka Eye chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
| Pitchfork Media | 7.1/10 [2] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | [3] |
Reception
The Allmusic listing rated the album 3½ stars.[5] Pitchfork reviewer Cameron Macdonald gave the album 7.1 out of 10 stating "Listening to their new work was masochistic for me. High-pitched tones disturb me, and Zorn cleared my sinuses with one of the more horrific squeals caught live on tape in the 50th Birthday closer."[6]
The authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz called the album "mysterious", and wrote: "credit should be given to technician Sawai Taeji, who does quite extraordinary things with Eye's electronics: we have never heard a performance quite like it, and it is nothing like the screamfest which might have been expected."[3]
Track listing
All tracks are written by John Zorn/Yamataka Eye
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Postiviva" | 9:30 |
| 2. | "M.S.T.G.L. (Moneysextripgodlove)" | 6:44 |
| 3. | "Big Muff Dive" | 8:28 |
| 4. | "Microwaveable Empty Highway" | 5:13 |
| 5. | "Sun See Soon" | 9:21 |
| 6. | "Choronzone" | 7:36 |
Personnel
- John Zorn – alto saxophone
- Yamataka Eye – voice, electronics
- Fred Frith – guitar (track 5)
- Sawai Taeji – technician