Finally a release date for Secret Chiefs 3‘s masada record entitled “Xaphan: Book of Angels Volume 9″ which is to be released on Zorn’s label Tzadik. Originally slated for release October 23, 2007, the album was put off until “Spring 08″, but according to the Secret Chiefs’s myspace now has a release date of April 11, 08. Pre-order Xaphan here.
The announcement on their myspace:
“This thing turned pretty colossal.
It was supposed to be simple — quickly recorded, fairly simple tunes, etc.
But Zorn saddled us with some really strong material.
Accordingly, I couldn’t resist milking all the arrangement possibilities for all they were worth.
As happens in the presence of any well written material, new ideas kept occuring to the one keeping the arranger/production chair warm with his sweat. In my experience, when you hear the arranger’s muse you only refuse her when you are ready to stop hearing altogether. Despite the inevitable merits of that kind of Silence, we’re definitely nowhere near good enough for it yet.
…so we ran with the call of the imaginal, hoping not to soil the angelic personages duly represented with anything unbefitting their various (usually somewhat malevolent) dispositions. On the other hand, we sought to do battle with some of them, and battle we did…
For his part, Zorn, who in this case also occupies the seat of the Record Company, gave us a long leash and was very patient when he didn’t AT ALL need to be.
Xaphan is the result of his faith in our often tiresome methodology, a faith that we did not earn; but is more a testimony to the strength of the inspired, direct and non-convoluted musical writing he does for Masada. The convolutions he left entirely to us! The listener will have to be the ultimate judge of the wisdom of that!
We know a lot of you have been waiting a long time for new music from the SC3 –
as a teaser advertisement we’ll post some kind of musical montage of some of the stuff from this album here on myspace in the near future…
We think that this one will definitely appease the anxious and delight the curious.
But yes, the Book of Souls material will start to trickle out in folios thereafter…
Check the mimicry store (www.webofmimicry.com/store) for this and all upcoming releases.”
Info from Tzadik:
“Spectacular arrangements of Masada compositions by mad alchemist Trey Spruance, mastermind of Secret Chiefs 3 and one of the most brilliant musicians around. Drawing upon an astonishing array of musical styles from Exotica and Surf to Ethiopian Funk and Gypsy Swing, Trey ’s colorful orchestral arrangements perfectly compliment the lyricism and dynamic rhythmic complexity of Zorn ’s evocative Book of Angels. Featuring some of the best musicians from the Bay Area, LA and Seattle scenes, this is one of the most compelling installments in the entire Masada series.”
Definition of Xaphan from wikipedia:
“In Collin de Plancy’s book, Dictionnaire Infernal, Xaphan was one of the fallen angels. He rebelled with Satan, and is a demon of the 2nd rank. He is said to have an inventive mind and came up with the idea to set fire to heaven before he and the other fallen were cast out. He has a bellows as an emblem, but must fan the flames of the abyss with his mouth and hands.”
More info:
“. Due out March 31 2008, the album features Trevor Dunn on bass along with a host of other familiar faces:
and the next in John Zorn’s 
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trio 
