John Zorn

[7/4]

If he's practicing it, he's probably alone when he is. 

[Mirror Image]

Thought I would revive this thread and mention my love for Zorn's music, but I'm not a fan of his noisy, structureless recordings, but prefer the more Jewish and 'mystical' side of his musical persona with various ventures into dissonance which never looses sight of the lyrical content. Like anyone prolific, he's put out some really questionable material, but, hey, I'm not Zorn. My largest criticism of his music really comes down to releasing so much music. I mean I know the hardcore devotees of his music will probably have everything of his under the sun, but, for me, I prefer to pick and choose what I believe would show his music in the best possible light.

[Mirror Image]

I'm actually quite excited that The Song Project will finally see the light of day and will be released next month. This is Zorn at his lyrical best.

[Daverz]

I have one Zorn CD, Spillane/Godard.  Anything more representative?

[San Antone]

I have one Zorn CD, Spillane/Godard.  Anything more representative?

The ten recordings he did as the group Masada (Zorn + Dave Douglas, Joey Baron and Gregg Cohen): Alef, Bet, Gimel, etc. (the titles are numbers 1-10 in Hebrew).

But, If I had to pick one from this band, Live in Jerusalem is as good an introduction to this side of Zorn as any. A side I consider his best.

[asin]B00000IITS[/asin]

[Mirror Image]

I have one Zorn CD, Spillane/Godard.  Anything more representative?

'More representative' are scary words when trying to recommend a Zorn recording. I would say give The Big Gundown: John Zorn Plays the Music of Ennio Morricone a listen. It's a solid album IMHO. Of course, I could recommend something like Naked City's Radio (one of their less noisy outings), which is perhaps my favorite album from this group. Again, it's difficult to recommend just one recording.

[chadfeldheimer]

I like Zorn more for his noisier, more radical works and my favorite period of him is roughly from the Mid-80s to the Mid-90s, especially "Kristallnacht", "The Bribe", the soundtrack "Hex "Cynical History Hour", everything he did with with his bands Naked City and Painkiller and the Hat-Art-release of "Cobra".  "Locus Solus" also is good, though particularly weird - I think of it as kind of a logical end-point of the No-Wave-movement. Have not yet listened to the SQ, but what I read in this threat sounds very interesting. Also I like the Elliott Sharp SQs quite a lot.

[NJ Joe]

'More representative' are scary words when trying to recommend a Zorn recording. I would say give The Big Gundown: John Zorn Plays the Music of Ennio Morricone a listen. It's a solid album IMHO. Of course, I could recommend something like Naked City's Radio (one of their less noisy outings), which is perhaps my favorite album from this group. Again, it's difficult to recommend just one recording.

Yes! Radio, the eponymous Naked City, and Naked City Live at The Knitting Factory are my three top NC choices. Don't listen to the others much although I have the complete recordings box set.

I also like Masada Live at Tonic and Live in Sevilla, as well as Electric Masada At the Mountains of Madness and 50th Birthday Celebration, and finally, Bar Kokhba, which takes pieces from the Masada songbook and rearranges them for various ensembles.

I haven't heard any of the Book of Angels series, but hope to check some of these out someday.

[Mirror Image]

Yes! Radio, the eponymous Naked City, and Naked City Live at The Knitting Factory are my three top NC choices. Don't listen to the others much although I have the complete recordings box set.

I also like Masada Live at Tonic and Live in Sevilla, as well as Electric Masada At the Mountains of Madness and 50th Birthday Celebration, and finally, Bar Kokhba, which takes pieces from the Masada songbook and rearranges them for various ensembles.

I haven't heard any of the Book of Angels series, but hope to check some of these out someday.

I, too, own that Naked City box set and there are parts on Grand Guigol that were particularly impressive. Like, for example, when they played some classical music from Satie and Debussy. The other half of the album sounds like leftovers from their self-titled debut. The only time I could get into this cut-up, collage style of writing was on Spillane where these seems to be more cohesion and a stronger musical narrative happening. Need to give The Bribe a spin as it received it in the mail not too long ago. I really like The Dreamers and the Gnostic Trio, so these remain my two favorite Zorn groups.

I listened to Nosferatu the other night and quite enjoyed it. Have you heard this one, Joe?

[NJ Joe]

I, too, own that Naked City box set and there are parts on Grand Guigol that were particularly impressive. Like, for example, when they played some classical music from Satie and Debussy. The other half of the album sounds like leftovers from their self-titled debut. The only time I could get into this cut-up, collage style of writing was on Spillane where these seems to be more cohesion and a stronger musical narrative happening. Need to give The Bribe a spin as it received it in the mail not too long ago. I really like The Dreams and the Gnostic Trio, so these remain my two favorite Zorn groups.

I listened to Nosferatu the other night and quite enjoyed it. Have you heard this one, Joe?

You're right, I forgot about the Satie and Debussy on Grand Guignol; I enjoy that a lot.  I own Spillane as well, but don't enjoy that quite as much as the other recordings I listed.  I have not heard Nosferatu, nor have I heard any of the other recordings or groups you mention. Maybe someday, who knows?

[Mirror Image]

You're right, I forgot about the Satie and Debussy on Grand Guignol; I enjoy that a lot.  I own Spillane as well, but don't enjoy that quite as much as the other recordings I listed.  I have not heard Nosferatu, nor have I heard any of the other recordings or groups you mention. Maybe someday, who knows?

If anything, you should definitely checkout the album The Goddess: Music for the Ancient of Days. This is one of Zorn's more impressive outings. Features some blistering guitar work from Marc Ribot.

[San Antone]

John Zorn : happy birthday



I first came to know John Zorn's music from his band Masada, a jazz quartet recalling Ornette Coleman, at least to my ears.  He made a series of ten recordings, all named using the first ten letters/numbers of the Hebrew alef-bet (Alef, Bet, Gimel, etc.).  He also released several live dates with this same line-up: Zorn (alto saxophone), Dave Douglas (trumpet),Greg Cohen (double bass), and Joey Baron (drum set). On occasion, different drummers filled in for Baron – most regularly Kenny Wollesen.  These recordings were all released on Zorn's record label Tzadik.

Zorn's breakthrough recording was 1985's widely acclaimed The Big Gundown: John Zorn Plays the Music of Ennio Morricone, where Zorn offered radical arrangements of themes from The Big Gundown (1966), Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), A Fistful of Dynamite (1971), and Once Upon a Time in America (1984), that incorporated elements of traditional Japanese music, soul jazz, and other diverse musical genres.

[snyprrr]

I need to bump this thread because I've been a fan of Zorn fir a long while and have quite a lot to say from the portion of his catalogue I've heard   

Just listened to some 'Solus Locus' Tracks....mm....not for me, thank you. And then 'The Big Gundown',...mm... maybe in my Zappa phase... used to have the first Naked City, raucous one-note metal ruined by the screamer...

The String Quartets stand apart for me.


Haven't tried Masada or other bands.



The anal/fecal sex drawing in the SQ insert telegraphs much...again I say. mmmm...

[nathanb]

I need to bump this thread because I've been a fan of Zorn fir a long while and have quite a lot to say from the portion of his catalogue I've heard   

Are you primarily a fan of his classical works or of Zorn in general? I will admit to being relatively inexperienced with jazz, and, in Zorn's case, while I'm already a big fan of his classical oeuvre, I've only listened to a couple of Masada discs and the Naked City disc, as far as the other stuff goes.

[nathanb]

Another thread I've barely started to let loose on 


I love his classical works, the "What Thy Wilt" CD, the (Pierrot Lunaire influenced) "Chimeras", "Rituals" "Christabel", (Angelus Novus CD), "The Alchemist" "Memento Mori" are my favorite of his classical output. All of which should be performed often alongside any other contemporary composers.

I love Naked City, Painkiller, Masada, The Moonchild Project, file card pieces like "Elegy" and "Spillane", Simulacrum.

Despite all of this, that is about 1/4 of his catalog 

Well I've heard most of the classical ones you mentioned, at least. Can't remember "Christabel".

Have you heard The Hermetic Organ? Those discs are incredible.

[nathanb]

I've been listening to Zorn all day.

Is it even possible that he wasn't influenced by Xenakis?

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

I heard a bit of this recently and liked it a great deal. Confusingly, there are two different discs available--which differ at least in cover art--with the same info and same track listing. I assume they are identical except for the cover art.

[Mirror Image]

I heard a bit of this recently and liked it a great deal. Confusingly, there are two different discs available--which differ at least in cover art--with the same info and same track listing. I assume they are identical except for the cover art.

Yes, it's rather strange. This recording was released on two labels: Nonesuch and Tzadik Records. I bought the Tzadik release of course because I'm a cool kid.

[nathanb]

Xenakiboy, I need ~3-5 top recs for Zorn discs. I am too intimidated by his oeuvre. I have many hours of his music already, but only because I've felt safe within the confines of the Tzadik "Composer Series", but eventually, one has to listen to jazz.

You may safely neglect (because I have them):
- All Tzadik "Composer Series" discs
- All "Hermetic Organ" discs
- "The Parachute Years"

I am not particularly interested in anything with a lot of heavy fusion/metal kind of stuff. I prefer my metal to just go ahead and be Incantation and Mayhem and Immortal type of stuff, tbh. I mean, I'll get there, but I'd prefer to hear pianos and synthesizers and violins and trombones and whatnot right now.

[nathanb]

Funny I only hear a little influence on some of his piano pieces (777).
I hear a lot more Webern, Varese, Carter, Cage, Kagel and Stockhausen in his music(as well as Carl Stalling). 

I guess I hear it primarily in his violin stuff. That extremely calculated yet bold and aggressive playing is something very few composers can convey.