1994 Live At CBGB
DooBeeDoo, 2024
9/10
The moniker of Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi, who is a New York resident Swiss-born Iranian-American saxophonist, vocalist, composer, and music activist, as SoSaLa he meshes free jazz, noise, No-Wave, electronics, and traditional Persian influences into this set captured at CBGB’s way back in 1994.
“Yurei” starts with Toshimaru Nakamura’s dense guitar amid SoSaLa’s animated and howling vocals and rich sax for the noisey climate, and “Death” follows with shouted vocals alongside Masaki Shimizu’s thick bass in the jagged delivery.
Deeper into the set, “Life Drunk” is dedicated to UK’s Gallon Drunk, where a bluesy bass line is met with acrobatic jazz bursts, while “Positive Ja” blends punk, blues and psychedelic nods into a diatribe about those who complain, where Ryo Kato’s thumping drums won’t go unnoticed.
Further yet, “35 Cents Puppy Sandwich” tips its hat to Fugazi’s ethics with animated sax and a driving rhythm section that suits the loud singing, and “65” exits with a wandering melody that complements the squealing sax, scrappy drums, dissonant bass and feedback soaked guitar.
An extremely creative listen that might seem like jazz one minute but pretty soon points towards No Wave, SoSaLa’s adaptable pipes sing, yelp and communicate firmly via an iconoclastic vision that sure has aged well.
Travels well with: SoSaLa- 1983- Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival and the Rathausplatz Bern; SoSaLa- 1987- Hajime