Zao Family - Zao Family

Zao Family could be considered as new studio material from Zao on this decade. This album features both Yochk'o Seffer and Francois Cahen as the founding members and the creative nucleus behind the band, along with percussionist Francois Causse. What is more, some of the compositions here have been included to Zao's setlists. Of course, it doesn't feature the entire Zao lineup, but rather, a septet of Seffer, Cahen, Causse (and another percussionist Minu Cinelu when Causse is not present) plus a string quartet. The music on this record downplays the jazz-fusion tendencies of Zao and instead combines avant-garde jazz, ethnic music and modern classicism. Seffer plays more tenor sax here as well, plus tarogato, a Hungarian woodwind instrument similar to clarinet and soprano saxophone, an instrument Seffer started to play at some point during the current decade. "Koborlo", on stage a vehicle for Seffer's tarogato improvisation and indeed Seffer has also recorded a solo tarogato version of the piece, is here played on tenor saxophone. Compositions like "Attila" and "Sandor" combine and contrast reed improvisations with atonal string quartet arrangements and complex rhythms, while "Gingko" is a nod to Hungarian folk music, sporting another memorable Seffer theme along the lines of "Dag". Those challenging pieces are contrasted by some lighter music as well, as heard from the pastoral "Soulefuji" as well as the album closer "Hathor", that is the closest thing on this album to traditional jazz, once again showcasing Seffer's formidable tenor sax work. An outstanding work from Seffer and Cahen which confirms that in their sixties, these two musicians and composers are still creative and pushing boundaries.

Zao - In Tokyo

Zao, French prog-jazz legends from Seventies, reformed in 2004 with original core members Yochk'o Seffer (sax) and Francois "Faton" Cahen (keyboards) along with Gerard Prevost (bass) who was a member of Zao from 1975-77, drummer Francois Causse, who had played with Faton and Seffer before and last, but not least, the new female vocalist Cynthia Saint-Ville. Her addition to the fold will doubtless attract Zeuhl enthusiasts, as her voice is pretty similar to Mauricia Platon, but softer and more sensual, while equally powerful. In Tokyo is a live album recorded during the Japan tour in 2004 and it adds a violinist Akihisa Tsuboy to round out the classic Zao sound which, while more acoustic sounding thanks to Faton largely playing grand piano and only occasionally comping on Fender Rhodes, nonetheless stays true to the classic tone colors of Zao. Versions of pieces like "Isis", "Shardaz", "Zohar" as well as material from Kawana benefit a lot from the addition of female vocals. The only disappointing piece is "Ronach" which doesn't have the same verve and fluid edginess that the original version had (not to mention, Causse sounds a bit stiff here compared to the militantly exuberant hammering of Jean-My Truong on the original version). It was probably a bit too complex piece for the band to pull off. Elsewhere, they deliver. Guest violinist Tsuboy dishes out fiery electric violin solos, at times reminiscent of Lockwood, even though he tends to be obscured during the written sections by sax and voice. Nonetheless, Zao in its current configuration sounds like a tight live act, a bit jazzier than the seventies editions, but nonetheless very enjoyable. Recommended live album for fans of jazzier end of Zeuhl.

Zao - Akhenaton

In 1994 Zao, after having disbanded for more than 15 years, save for a one-off reunion gig in 1986, reunited for one album. Akhenaton features original members Yochk'o Seffer (sax), Faton Cahen (keyboards) and Jean-My Truong (drums), plus bassist Dominique Bertram and violinist Patrick Tilleman. Musically the album is closer to the virtuoso jazz-fusion that characterized the band's mid-career work, although those expecting Zeuhl elements may be disappointed, as there are none. Akhenaton features competent, well played if a bit sterile jazz-rock compositions from both Cahen and Seffer, the latter still on soprano sax that plays unison with violin, just like the old days. While musically the album is not a carbon copy of mainstream American jazz-fusion a la Weather Report like Typhareth was and compositions like "Elioth" clearly point to Seffer's own style, occasionally reminiscent of Ghilgoul era Neffesh Music, one gets the impression that Seffer and Cahen were merely content writing jazz-rock compositions in their own standard style, instead of trying to do something different. Worse still, Cahen's keyboard timbre is really grating, as he used a digital synth-piano called Wersi on this album. As a result, Akhenaton sounds like a dated nineties jazz-rock record. Clearly, Seffer and Cahen could have done better. And they would, as shown by their subsequent collaborations, including a further reunion of Zao. Still, it is impossible to deny how finely suited Seffer and Cahen are for each other as musicians, as the final soprano sax and acoustic piano duet "Les Fleurs Pour Nefertiti", easily the best piece here, indicates.

Zao - Typhareth

On Typhareth, none of the original members of Zao are left, except keyboardist Francois "Faton" Cahen. Musically, all traces of Zeuhl have also vanished and the album is competent, if a bit dull and sterile jazz-fusion record. Yochk'o Seffer had left and went on with Neffesh Music project. In his place there's a two-member brass section with trombone and saxophone/flute. Oddly enough, the drummer for this project is Manu Katche, who played on Seffer's Ima, even though his drumming is a bit obscured by a percussionist whose congas are quite high in the mix.

The opening track "Mercy Jacky" (dedicated to Jacky Barbier apparently) does feature some of the complex writing that had informed Cahen's previous compositions for Zao and it features some nice brass work. On the other hand, the other two upbeat pieces like "Troupeau de Bisons Sous un Crane" and "Les Temps Changent" are just average run-of-the-mill jazz-funk pieces. Even though there's no soprano saxophone this time around, there's no getting away from realizing just how important Seffer was for Zao.

Typhareth is not a complete failure as it features two slower and more tranquil compositions that confirm how good Cahen was at composing ballads ("Zita" on Shekina is another example). Nicely arranged, with some lovely flute parts to boot, these compositions suggest a more introverted direction Faton was to take on his solo albums like Great Winds. The title track of "Typhareth" is 12 minutes long and features a cute melody that is interspersed with solos on trombone, synth and flute, whereas a shorter piece "Binah" is more haunting and mysterious.

This remained the last Zao studio album in the seventies as the group eventually called it a day in 1978. Cahen and Seffer would work again later, forming Ethnic Duo in 1980, but also reuniting Zao several times later.

Zao - Live (1976)

After saxophonist Yochk'o Seffer quit Zao in 1976, the lineup that was left from the band that recorded Kawana soldiered on for a while, until violinist Didier Lockwood and drummer Jean-My Truong left the band and Zao recorded their last studio album with an entirely different lineup with little ties to the band's past except original member Francois "Faton" Cahen (keyboards). This archival live album documents a show from this transitional quartet (with Gerard Prevost on bass) recorded in December, 1976. The recording of this gig was released on CD in 2004.

Live! compares to Kawana the same way British Tour '75 from Soft Machine compares to Bundles or Softs, as both bands' live albums from the period contrasted the polish of studio albums with rougher edges, a more warts'n'all feeling and more energy and thus have aged better than the studio work from the same period. Even though occasionally the sound quality may be considered lacking by some audiophiles, there is a sense of urgency and improvisational fury that makes this live set worthwhile, as far removed from the early Zeuhl manifestation as it may be. And certainly, the set ignores the material from Z=7L entirely. But it provides a nice overview of the middle period material. Zao at this point even continued to play pieces by recently withdrawn Seffer. His vast compositional input for the band is here represented by "Shardaz", "Zohar" and "Tserouf". The latter composition certainly becomes more alive in the live setting and the absence of soprano saxophone might be a relief for the listener averse to that instrument. With no sax in sight, it's easier to value Seffer's importance as a composer for Zao. "Zohar" is a faster rendition than the studio version and the string quartet orchestration on the studio version is replaced with a nice violin led jam. Apparently the band skips a few sections from both "Shardaz" and "Isis" as the former is without its intro and the latter skips a post-solo unison section with particularly fast notes. Like "Tserouf", Faton's "Kabal" and "Sadie" also have more verve to them in the live setting. The band is certainly firing on all cylinders as far as musicianship goes. And they do improv too. Even if Live! doesn't exactly please purist Zeuhl fanatics who deride anything without vocals as mere "fusion show-off", this album is a fine document how adventurous Zao could be in concert settings during the seventies. One of the pieces here is a 19 minute jam called "Improcol" that starts with the same violin riff that begats the post-theme improv section in "Zohar". Didier Lockwood showcases more of his violin talents on "Jumelles".

Live! is certainly an interesting document of a band in transition, but it also underlines the excellence of Zao in live settings, as their improvisational style could really fire on all cylinders on a fine day. It is safe to say that Zao had reached the beginning of the end though, as this line up would disintegrate a couple of months later, one last studio album would follow with different musicians and Zao would be put to pasture. Still, Live! shows that at this stage, Zao still had plenty of life in it and was capable of delivering a fine live performance.

Zao - Kawana

Kawana from 1976 finds Zao abandoning the string quartet heard on Shekina and enlisting Didier Lockwood - fresh from his stint with Magma - on electric violin. This album also has little of the Zeuhl influence left that informed their previous works. For one, the vocal element is almost gone. Second, the sound is closer to traditional mid seventies jazz-rock, that is well played if also a bit overproduced. Synthesizers appear on this album and while they aren't necessarily unlistenably cheesy, they nonetheless make this album sound slightly dated. Alas, Yochk'o Seffer does not play woodwinds other than soprano and sopranino saxophone, the latter instrument sounding even more shrill than former. While he's definitely a talented sax player, his highest pitched saxophones are truly an acquired taste, particularly whenever he takes a solo. While Didier Lockwood turns in some great solos and helps masking the occasional shrillness of sax during the written unison parts, Lockwood's playing is more bombastic and fusion-ish than the wonderfully understated, yet adventurous violin work of Jean-Yves Rigaud. As such, Kawana is an underwhelming work when put next to previous three Zao albums.

Still, the album has some worthwhile compositions. Francois Cahen's "Natura" opens the album, featuring great piano and keyboard work and excellent progression. It has a tranquil and soothing feel that is only sabotaged by shrill sopranino sax, but otherwise an enjoyable piece. Another highlight is "Free Folk", that opens with backwards harmony vocal parts from Seffer, that were later incorporated into the title track of Seffer's Ima, which might have been a work in progress already at later parts of 1976. This intro is definitely the most Zeuhl-oriented moment on the entire album. The composition itself is another edgy, dark jazz-fusion workout almost reminiscent of early seventies Soft Machine, where Lockwood also delivers a Ponty-esque violin solo. Other compositions aren't necessarily failures as they might grow on the listener after a while. It is simply that Kawana is generally a more traditional jazz-rock record that shares none of the inventiveness of previous albums. Apparently Yochk'o Seffer himself realized this as apparently he wasn't happy with the way other band mates didn't wish to follow the direction established on Shekina. In November 1976 Seffer left Zao and dedicated his attention to his Neffesh Music project where he could compose and execute just what he had in mind. Zao itself lingered on for a while, recorded an album where only Cahen had remained from the original lineup and then disintegrated.

Zao - Shekina

1975 brought more lineup changes for Zao. Violinist Jean-Yves Regaud and bassist Joel Dugrenot quit, to replace them, Zao enlisted Gerard Prevost on bass and last, but not least, an entire string quartet. Zao had decided to combine their jazz-rock style with classical string arrangements and the string ensemble for the job was an all-female quartet led by violinist Michele Margand. The result was Shekina, recorded during the summer of 1975, that stands as the most unique album Zao recorded.

Shekina is also the most Yochk'o Seffer influenced of all Zao albums, as he takes up most compositional credits. Francois Cahen contributes two pieces and the album opener, "Joyl" is the least interesting composition, as it's a standard jazz fusion (think Weather Report or Karl Jenkins era Soft Machine) number, that does feature some fine string arrangements on it. Seffer's compositions on the other hand are always challenging, combining and integrating elements from jazz, progressive, ethnic and classical music, allowing room for open ended improv while balancing them with skillful orchestration. "Yen-Lang" starts out very ambient and free-floating, with a central instrument being the flute that stands as an improvisational counterpoint to cinematic strings, culminating in a mellow but intense solo against a soft laidback groove towards the second half. "Zohar" became a concert staple and its rigid fast-paced saxophone oriented theme with particularly militant drum work from Jean-My Truong would often lead way to exploratory improvisations. The studio version is notable for an orchestral middle section with just unaccompanied strings playing a variation on the main theme. "Metatron" combines Zeuhl and Weather Report styled jazz-rock contrasting soprano sax driven rigid themes with celestial vocal sections where Seffer shines on falsetto vocalize that sounds more refined than his earlier vocal attempts on Osiris. His sax solo on this piece however is an acquired taste with its high shrill tone.

Even so, Shekina stands as a Zao album lightest on the saxophone, as virtually all other Zao albums with Seffer showcased him on soprano sax for most of the time. Only three tracks out of six included saxophone ("Joyl", "Zohar", "Metatron"). "Zita", another Cahen composition features the instrumentation of bass, electric piano, strings and Seffer's yearning falsetto vocal that makes an already gorgeous ballad sound more haunting. "Bakus", the only composition without strings, features just the basic band augmented by Seffer's falsetto voice and a rumbling bass clarinet doubling the rolling bass lines.

Creatively Shekina was Zao's most accomplished studio album, even though the problems with adequate amplification of the extended ensemble in live settings led to the abandonment of the format a year later. Even though no other Zao album sounds like this, Shekina would be an early manifestation of Yochk'o Seffer's ambition in combining jazz improvisation and classical influences regarding composition and arrangements, a direction he would later pursue in solo career context, particularly his post-Zao Neffesh Music project. An essential listening for Zeuhl connoisseurs.



First 90 seconds show Zao in 1975, including an excerpt from "Marochsek" with string arrangements. A brief clip from "Zohar" follows.



Zao, reunited, playing "Zohar" in 2005 with vocalist Cynthia Saint-Ville adding the essential Zeuhl flavor.

Zao - Osiris

In 1974 just before Zao were set to record their second album, vocalist Mauricia Platon quit. After having played some of the newer compositions live with her, the band had to re-orient in terms of vocals. Thus, wherever possible, Yochk'o Seffer (sax) sang the high falsetto parts, while Joel Dugrenot (bass) would provide low voice here and there. Given how formidable the shoes of Platon were to fill, however, Zao's emphasis on voice was lessened. Thus, Osiris sounds less of a jazzy Zeuhl album than a Zeuhl-inspired jazz-fusion album. Compared to the vibrant sound of both the previous album and the one that would follow (Shekina), Osiris sounds a bit duller in comparison. Either due to muddier production or poor CD remastering.

Still, there are worthwhile compositions on this album. "Shardaz", penned by Yochk'o Seffer, shows that even though his high falsetto voice is hardly comparable to the powerful scatting of Platon, it nonetheless has character on its own that would be more pronounced on the next Zao album as well as his subsequent Neffesh Music solo career. It begins with ominous slow theme, before switching into a bouncier groove, that also leaves room for a challenging acoustic piano solo from Cahen, before returning to the opening theme.

Even though Seffer is credited only with saxophone and voice, he does play a couple other woodwinds on this album. Another highlight and a concert staple called "Isis" follows the opening number, starting with a pastoral flute-oriented section. Composed by Francois Cahen, it shows a remarkable Frank Zappa influence. The haunting flute driven section sounds as transcendent in its beauty as the most chamber like moments on the early Mothers of Invention albums. Seffer then returns to his usual soprano saxophone whipping out a solo over a 9/4 vamp that is easily among his best soprano sax solos recorded. After his solo concludes, the tempo picks up and more Zappa influence shines through with difficult sax/violin unison melodies that would not feel out of place on Uncle Meat, before violinist Jean-Yves Regaud takes an electric violin solo using a wah-wah pedal (again, pointing to the Zappa influence). The piece is finished with the same flute based pastoral theme it began with.

"Reinna", written by Dugrenot, is not as remarkable as "Satanyia" was on the previous album, though there's a nice uncredited bass clarinet break during the middle section. "Yog" is another Seffer composition and it's the most complex piece with multiple shifting sections, including some interesting vocals from both Seffer and Dugrenot. "La Rhune", by contrast, just focuses on one groove throughout and sounds like an album filler. Not bad or unlistenable, just not as interesting as other pieces.

The original album was even shorter than Z=7L, in just 31 minutes. But where Z=7L was consistently strong throughout, Osiris has three great pieces and two (even if short) lesser compositions. CD version adds a bonus track recorded by Seffer, Cahen and Canadian guest musicians. "Montreal" lasts for more than 11 minutes and is a mesmerizing piece containing fine rhythm section, a nice blend of Cahen's organ playing, haunting female vocals as well as passionate tenor sax from Seffer. Seffer hardly played tenor sax with Zao, sticking to mostly soprano (and occasionally, bass clarinet and flute), but here he shows he's one of the most accomplished tenor player in the French jazz scene. This bonus track is a worthwhile addition for the reissue of this album that is otherwise pretty good, but lacking a bit when compared to the album before and the album to follow.





Two-part video of the 2004 reunion lineup playing "Isis". The arrangement is different from the studio version as there is no flute, just soprano sax throughout and there's a female vocalist Cynthia St-Ville, who is formidable enough to fill the shoes of Platon.

Zao - Z=7L

Zao was formed after two members of Magma felt that their creativity was inhibited by drummer Christian Vander taking total artistic control, by curbing improvisations and disallowing compositional input from other members. The duo, reedman Jeff (born Yochk'o) Seffer and pianist Francois Cahen wanted to do precisely that: play their own pieces and improvise more. They wasted no time getting their own group together, adding Jean My Truong (drummer from Seffer's free jazz unit Perception), Joel Dugrenot (bass), but also a violinist (at Seffer's insistence) Jean-Yves Regaud and a vocalist Mauricia Platon. Together the sextet sought to create their own jazzy manifestation of Zeuhl genre.

Z=7L was the band's first album. It was also their only record to feature vocalist Mauricia Platon who quit before the second album. Her forceful and operatic scatting may seem like an acquired taste, but it is inescapable to conclude that her voice has a lot of personality and it fits in well with the band's sound that combines nimble, odd metered rhythms with repetitive keyboard backing and the combined textures of violin and soprano sax. The latter two instruments blend well with each other and Platon's powerful vocalize adds another layer. Most of the compositions come from the pens of Seffer and Cahen. The former contributes "Marochsek", a dark foreboding number that makes excellent use of space and dynamics, his other pieces like "Ronach" and "La Soupe" blend modern jazz and Eastern European folk sensibilities well, contrasting complex syncopated writing with open ended exploratory solo space. Cahen's contributions sound lighter and bouncier, "Ataturc" being a fine showcase for his keyboard work, whereas "Atart" is a highlight with its addictive 9/8 modal groove so reminiscent of early Soft Machine, particularly "Hibou Anemone and Bear" that particularly stands out with its middle section with multiple interlocking saxophone overdubs that sound intense, orgasmic and mesmerizing. That whole track is a masterpiece of sensual Zeuhl-inspired jazz-fusion.

Another highlight is the last track, "Satanyia". Written by bass guitarist Dugrenot, it's probably the closest thing to the classic Magma sound. Seffer switches to bass clarinet for this number that contrasts spacey drones and open ended improv with a fast syncopated odd meter and then some spine tingling mysterious slow chords and melodies. The most atmospheric and transcendent track on the entire album and a fine way to close this excellent, if a bit short album in a little less than 36 minutes. But apparently the oil crisis back in the day didn't allow for pressings of longer vinyl records. Still, it's interesting that there were no outtakes from the sessions, whereas a couple other Zao CD remasters have bonus tracks. But since the entire record is so remarkably and consistently accomplished work, the brevity is not really an issue. Z=7L is certainly a Zeuhl masterpiece and well recommended for those into jazzier end of the genre.