@mark winstanley knows what a big Metheny fan I am, so this should come as no surprise that I rank this near the absolute peak of Zorn releases. But I also rank as a top-tier Pat album, as well. @Sordel mentioned earlier how Craig Taborn managed to merge his own sound with Zorn's? Well, Pat does the same, especially in "Albim" where he takes Zorn's leads into that deep, heartfelt Pat ballad territory that only he can deliver in terms of chords, voicing, and feel. And for tunes like "Mastema" and "Tharsis," Pat really stretches out into some areas that casual Pat fans may be taken aback by, but it's some great GREAT playing. It's an easy 9/10 for me too - RECOMMENDED! - but recall that I am speaking as someone with way more Pat-knowledge than Zorn-knowledge.
This is a really interesting thread, because I only know scraps of Zorn's stuff... and when you look at the, seemingly, hundreds of albums he has, it is more than a little overwhelming, and reflects that what I have heard is just a drop in the ocean. He isn't even someone that I could randomly buy, because I know for a fact that some of his stuff appeals to me, and some of it.... I probably wouldn't get passed the first track lol.
10/10 in this house. Just a casual fan of Metheny, I bought this mostly because the collaboration seemed unlikely. Guess I shoulda known better. There is no other entry on the Book of Angels remotely like this one; the interpretation and execution are entirely fresh and inspired. This album can appeal to damn near anyone who enjoys music.
I am in the minority then... I can't stand Metheny's sugar coated layers of sound . There are some BOAs I don't like that seem to be popular, Tap being one, Pruflas another. Call me a Zorn purist but I prefer traditional Zorn ensembles' BOAs like Masada String Trio, Nova Quartet (quintet here) or Friedlander. As a huge Halvorson fan, I also wouldn't rate hers as top (I prefer in this sense her Bagatelles).
I have a number of John Zorn albums and for the life of me still can't figure out where to place his music. If anybody musician needed a guide to book, he does. I appreciate the work that is being put into this thread. My two cents worth are that some of his music, to me, is unlistenable (I just don't get it), while others are incredibly beautiful. A couple of the more easily digestible albums I hope you will get around to covering would be Alhambra Love Songs (a musical tour of the California Coast around San Francisco?) and Pellucidar (lovely pulp story song titles).
I own both albums ... whether I get to them is just a matter of how long it takes to get to them: this thread won't so much “end” as trail off when other activities get in the way of my Zorn listening sessions. I've set a fast pace at the start because I wanted to get enough albums covered that a newbie could get a good sense of the territory just from the first few pages. You say that you find some of Zorn's music unlistenable because you “just don't get it”. I don't think it's a matter of “getting it” ... a lot of Zorn I “get” perfectly well and dislike it but they're all part of the experience. He's the only artist I can think of (maybe Miles Davis?) where you can pick up an album at random and not be sure whether the porridge is going to be too hot, too cool or just right. Naturally not everyone has the time, the money and the enthusiasm to follow Zorn's muse everywhere it goes. What I hope to do is cut down the risk for someone who just wants to be pointed towards the albums that they have the greatest likelihood of enjoying. Because I own more albums by John Zorn that I dislike than any other artist and I also own more albums by John Zorn that I love than any other artist.
Gnostic Trio: Netzach - The Book Beri’ah Volume 7 Genre: Masada Label & Year of Release: Tzadik, 2018 Category: Relaxed/Accessible My Rating: 4/10 Personnel Bill Frisell, Guitar Carol Emanuel, Harp Kenny Wollesen, Vibraphone “Pirke Avoi”. Probably the most harmonically interesting piece on the album, although despite that it's rather anonymous. “Ha-Murgash”. Ostinato in the harp & vibes with guitar improvising over the top. About half way through Frisell starts using an effect pedal that adds interest: maybe a reverse delay with an octaver & a looper? Still, maddeningly repetitive for well over eight minutes. “Atarah”. Faster piece sees vibes & guitar playing the head in unison over a harp riff. Wollesen solos with occasionally harp glissandi. Frisell solos. The comping and soloing is better integrated on this piece. “Shi’ur Koma”. Soporific tango with rather less of the distinctive Masada feel. “Safra”. Wollesen takes the lead on a short track with a rather elaborate & mysterious head. “Re-cha”. A more upbeat piece (by the standards of this group) sees Frisell employing crunch and playing in a style that crosses over from chamber music towards Rock. “Merkaba”. Melody is to the forefront on this piece with Wollesen playing simple lines and Frisell sounding very much like Bar Kokhba Ribot. “Hispashui”. After a sparkling opening the rather ordinary head sound like business as usual. “Olamot”. An interesting, undulating head is repeated several times with accelerando until a breakdown four minutes in when it is heard played slowly & expressively by Frisell. According to the obi strip for their new album, Gnosis, there are now eight official Gnostic Trio albums: the first six are The Gnostic Preludes, The Mysteries, In Lambeth, Testament of Solomon, Transmigration of the Magus & The Mockingbird. This was the seventh. I'm listing them right off for a newcomer because I think that this little sub-genre in Zorn's music is one of the most frustrating in the entire Zorn catalogue: some are very good, some are mediocre, all are at the relaxed/sleepy end of the discography. Part of my personal disquiet about this project is that the sound of vibes, harp & guitar can be magical or kitsch and there's very little leeway between those two points. I rate this as not only one of the worst Gnostic Trio albums but also one of the worst albums from Masada Book 3. I could only recommend it to someone who feels that a couple of abrasive bars on a Zorn album is too many, but even to such a person I'd say wait until we discuss the better albums from this ensemble.
That happens with a lot of artists...the other two I hear a lot are Zappa and Coltrane. Introducing someone at the wrong album can turn them off forever. For a while I thought I had to 'get' everything by an artist, but now I'm content to like what I like and not worry about the other stuff.
The Cracow Klezmer Band: Sanatorium Under The Sign Of The Hourglass Category: Masada Label & Year of Release: 2005, Tzadik Category: Accessible My Rating: 8/10 Personnel Jaroslaw Tyrala, Violin Jaroslaw Bester, Bayan Oleg Dyvack, Bayan, Clarinet, Percussion Wojciech Front, Double Bass Grazyna Auguścik, Vocals (on “Tirzah” & “Meholalot”) “Meshakh”. Dramatic opening into a flamboyant bayan solo over a steady bass riff. Tyrala on violin often plays in the lower register of the instrument having almost a cello feel at times: here he gradually moves higher through his solo. “Galvalim”. The intentionally choppy rhythm of this piece pairs with a harmonically tense head and leads to a bayan passage where the bellows is deliberately starved of air. The violin vocalises in Klezmer fashion. This is the nearest that this album comes to a “dissonant” track but it stops well short of being abrasive. “Tirzah”. Begins with low “breathing” sounds from the bayan. The chords are consonant, almost neoclassical and when Auguścik's vocals come in (for the first time this album) they are incredibly controlled and pure, reminded me of something you'd hear on a Morricone film score. Moments remind me also of Lisa Gerrard. A long bayan solo in the lower register, with an inevitably “French” sound, is another feature of a track that lasts over ten minutes. “Yesod”. The bass riff introduction and violin place us in MST territory before a lively piece accented with manual percussion erupts. The bayan solo, in the instrument's upper register, is virtuosic and exciting, reminding me of Mark Feldman. Then a violin solo starts at the bottom of the instrument's range before soaring up to the top. “Pagiel”. Unaccompanied, striking cadenza from violin with a strong Klezmer feel for over two and a half minutes, then a quite magical little music box theme on high bayan with bass and “dancing feet” percussion. Later, there is a more relaxed chamber feel with a bass drum backbeat that reproduced nicely on my subwoofer. “Adithaim”. Fluttering bayan to begin then a rather delicious, quirky dance theme with shifting bar lengths. Just as you get comfortable there is a static breakdown before the dance takes up again in a carefree 6/8 with bayan solo. Violin takes the second solo with ghostly harmonics. Back to he head with two minutes yet to run. Bayan & violin interplay then head to composed end. “Hamadah”. A hushed start with rather lovely clarinet playing. The bayan solo is free-flowing and probing. “Regalim”. A tango with a rather Bar Kokhba Sextet feel. The high introduction to the bayan solo is witty & playful. The theme reminds me of Ellington's “Caravan”. “Demai”. After a spectral, almost ambient introduction the bayan plays composed melodic lines with a strong Jewish feel. The bass starts up a rather sultry slow dance before becoming breaking down into slow, held chords with a frozen, soundtrack feel. “Meholalot”. Percussion introduction into a lively & familiar Masada head (performed by the MST on The Circle Maker) here played almost in the spirit of a cheerful encore with scatting from Auguścik. The full title of this album is probably a record for Tzadik: Sanatorium Under The Sign Of The Hourglass: A tribute to Bruno Schulz - The Cracow Klezmer Band plays the music of John Zorn. Schulz was an author, a visual artist and a Polish Jew who was murdered by a Gestapo officer in 1942 and the album takes its title from him. The bayan is a chromatic button accordion (originally Russian) so depending on how you feel about accordion you may have strong feelings going into this one. I'll say straight away that I don't much like accordion and I like this album quite a lot! This isn't an album which seems to get much talked about but it has a strongly “arranged” feel that reminds me of some of the Book of Angels volumes. Although the solos are generous in running time they never outstay their welcome and I never felt with this album that a track was treading water until the head came back. It's also quite a long album at over an hour and I'm genuinely delighted to be able to give it a unexpectedly strong recommendation. The Cracow Klezmer Band continue to record on Tzadik but they changed their name in 2007 to the Bester Quartet, under which name I will probably now be investigating them further ... sadly their Book Of Angels set is their only other Zorn album to date.
I’m one of those people who read this thread with great interest. Sadly, I can’t really contribute because Zorn’s catalog is largely unfamiliar. But thank you to those sharing their impressions of this fascinating musician.
I would like to submit a three hour overview of some of Zorn's 21st century works if the OP doesn't mind. These shows were done before Lockdown when I had a Saturday afternoon slot here in Chicago on WZRD fm. I submit this in the spirit of this thread: to help folks navigate Zorn's staggering output. part 1: Mixcloud part 2: Mixcloud part 3: Mixcloud
All resources gratefully received! Since I took the decision not to link individual studio tracks I think probably the weakest part of this thread is the lack of musical examples.
Insurrection: Insurrection Genre: Jazz-Rock?/Lounge Label & Year of Release: Tzadik, 2018 Category: Scares The Horses/Relaxed My Rating: 6/10 Personnel Julian Lage, Guitar Matt Hollenberg, Guitar Trevor Dunn, Bass Kenny Grohowski, Drums “The Recognitions”. Edgy, Bagatelle-style atonal head interspersed with fast, aggressive playing and an abrupt stop. This track is enough to clear out most casual listeners. “Pulsations”. Slow, Dreamers-style lounge introduction comes to the point deep into the third minute when the slow, 6/8 head is heard. It's difficult to tell Lage from Hollenberg; Lage usually has the more lyrical lines but you can't just assume! “A Void”. The title comes from a novel by Perec that doesn't contain the letter e ... so, you might guess that there would be no E's in the music. Nope, if anything E is a tonal centre here on another prickly little Bagatelle-style track. False-ending-style pauses are also a feature of this one. “Mason and Dixon”. Another lounge piece, played with considerable tenderness by both guitarists. “Progeny”. Game-style with another angular head and passages of chaos. “The Journal of Albion Moonlight”. This piece has a very laid-back feel and, with its rippling arpeggios, is musically close to the Alhambra feel. A highlight. “The Atrocity Exhibition”. Dunn's (here rather funky) bass guitar is featured on a track that, while edgy, is perhaps not quite as scary as its title suggests. The guitar solos have more of a Rock feel than Metal. “The Unnameable”. Quiet piece with mysterious, atonal lines “Cat's Cradle”. Exciting, driving piece that shows off Grohowski's drumming to great effect. “Nostromo”. Pure, limpid melody in 6/8. A bit too sugary for me. Oh how I want to love this album! Featuring Grohowski & Lage - both tremendous live performers - on paper this should be the perfect point of unity between Zorn's Metal, Classical and Relaxed albums. The introduction of Bagatelle-style music, which becomes more prominent in Zorn's work going forward as he concentrates on these very demanding heads, should be a good thing. But (as you will already have seen) no, this doesn't quite do it for it. The noisy pieces lack the sheer lizard brain impact of Simulacrum or Moonchild at their best, while the quieter pieces (especially “Pulsations”) suck a lot of the energy out of the album. A lot of people seem to rate this album highly but for me it is middling overall.
I'm one who rates Insurrection highly. It's one of my favorite Zorn records. I'm not as into, say, Moonchild, so I guess this has the requisite amount of noise for my taste.
I reluctantly agree with the 6/10. Based on the brief samples online anyway. I keep resisting this one. Spectacular lineup as noted. I believe it's the same as on Salem 1692. Now there's your hard-azz avant band. Grohowski is a world-beater, literally and figuratively.
Grohowski is awesome live, as is the band, but I heard them after they had already recorded Salem so it may be that they had bedded in the material. Zorn bands are generally better live, preferably in the presence of the composer because I've got to think that no one wants to mess up in front of the boss!
That's a really good point. I also think Zorn hears improvised things he likes and will encourage the artists to expand on it. I saw him sit on the floor with the Masada String Trio and almost fall over laughing at times.
Naked City: Radio Genre: Hardcore/Pastiche Label & Year of Release: Avant, 1993 Category: Accessible/Scares The Horses My Rating: 8/10 Personnel John Zorn, Alto Sax Bill Frisell, Guitars Wayne Horvitz, Keyboards Fred Frith, Bass Joey Baron, Vocals Yamataka Eye, Vocals (on the second half of the album beginning with “The Vault”) “Asylum”. Moderately hectic curtain-raiser with noisy sax and guitars. Only two minutes but feels longer. “Sunset Surfer”. Fairly straightforward surf/lounge piece. “Party Girl”. Double-time skiffle piece with several stop-start moments. “The Outsider”. ‘Tec TV theme with a shifting metre: brief screaming on sax at the end. “Triggerfingers”. Noir TV theme with prominent piano. “Torment Teepee”. Montage-style piece. Stylish surf rock cuts to Eastern to Reggae Jazz to a neat crunch guitar solo to Middle Eastern to cool film cue and back to surf rock. “Sex Fiend”. Cool Blaxploitation Funk with a really nice sax solo. “Razorwire”. A noisy start sets up a fast, hot Jazz piece where the instrumentalists cut loose somewhat. Falls still just past the 3’30” point and Zorn takes a wild solo accompanied by Horvitz on Fender Rhodes. “The Bitter and The Sweet”. Sounds like a cue for a sex scene from a ‘70s thriller : ambiguous piano, distant sax, sleazy guitar. “Krazy Kat”. Jump-cut hardcore miniature with (as its title suggests) a cartoon feel. A quintessential Naked City track. “The Vault”. The slow, distorted guitar opening reminds me of some Morricone cues. Eye makes his first appearance on the album, screaming occasionally. “Metal Tov”. After a minute of introduction we hear, just once, the fantastic Jewish Metal theme later associated with Electric Masada. Those later versions are preferable. “Poisonhead”. Full-tilt grindcore. “Bone Orchard”. Slow, momentous Metal gives Baron more rein to go ham on the drums. A quiet phase for organ marks this out as the precursor so some of the later Simulacrum style. “I Die Screaming”. Relaxed, melodic ... no I'm just kidding, although in fact this hardcore miniature is less aggressive in places than you might expect from the title. “Pistol Whipping”. Blast beats, fury from Eye for about a minute. “Skatekey”. Another hardcore miniature. “Shock Corridor”. More grindcore aggression. “American Psycho”. A file-card style montage named after the Bret Easton Ellis novel that had been published in 1991. At six minutes the longest track on the album and a great “taster” for Naked City. Radio is Naked City with a lot of the venom drawn out of it: an exuberant journey from genre to genre that is often (comparatively) easy on the ear. Zorn's sax screaming seems to serve a structural purpose in the early part of the album, replicating the blasts of white noise as the radio “retunes”. For me this a big improvement on the first NC album, giving me more of what I like about that album with less about what I find grating about it. At close to an hour it is also a generous measure of this band's crazy virtuosity. The album begins more or less accessible and becomes progressively more noisy as it goes on, making this a perfect first album for anyone wondering what the fuss is about. Had this appeared on a mainstream label it would likely have been a big critical & commercial success but by 1992 Zorn's early success was in the rearview mirror and I don't think it found a wide enough audience. If you were surprised by my low rating for the Naked City debut and haven't heard this album, be sure to check it out.
When Zorn approached Avant with Grand Guignol and its gruesome cover he insisted that it be released as is, they agreed. As a 'thank you' to the label, he presented them with this album of 'radio hits.' Zorn later admitted that it was an insane idea that any of these songs would get played on the radio, 'but what do I know about radio?'
Zorn did two afternoons on WKCR in August 1993 prior to his 40th Birthday shows. One was 'Jazz' oriented and one was more...'other.' I taped both days. He played a lot of music that hadn't been released yet and some that was never released, including a VERY early Masada gig with a different lineup. He also told tons of stories surrounding each of his varied projects. Way back in the beginning of the interwebs I was running off copies of the tapes for people. If I dig around for a while I should be able to find them. Maybe I'll work on transcribing the interview sections as there's lots of good information in there.
There's a story on Wikipedia that Radio was literally intended for College radio; I didn't mention it because it didn't sound very likely. I'm not sure that it's very likely that JZ would create an album as a thank you to his label, either, - I think that he would regard the thank you as allowing them to release his music at all! - but it does sound like exactly the sort of story that he would tell later. Of course, Zorn actually started Avant (as an imprint of DIW) so he does have a special relationship with it ... all the more reason to be sceptical of the tale. I don't think that he goes out of the way to mislead but on the other hand I don't think that he feels that he owes interviewers the truth.
