John Zorn Appreciation Thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Mirror Image, Aug 6, 2019.

  1. Mirror Image

    Mirror Image 200 Years Of Anton Bruckner Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    I wasn’t quite taken with many of the performances on this recording, especially compared to that Warsaw Summer Jazz Days 2013 concert (that’s on YouTube). Now, those performances were magical. This said, I did like the Sonia Rey performances on this recording and I did like the Jesse Harris performances as well. Mike Patton has performed better elsewhere.
     
  2. jaxpads

    jaxpads Friendly Listener

    Location:
    Baltimore
    Listened to Forro yesterday. Great reimaginings of some familiar Zorn. Like their approach to “Novato”.
     
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  3. Mirror Image

    Mirror Image 200 Years Of Anton Bruckner Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    That’s hilarious! :D Of course, you can buy the Tzadik recording all day long on the Tzadik website, but, also, through Amazon US (or any of its’ European counterparts). I normally don’t buy from Amazon Japan unless it’s an actual Japan-only release. I see you’re in New Zealand, so I can understand how things can get expensive really fast, especially when you factor in shipping costs.
     
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  4. liv3evil

    liv3evil Forum Resident

    Location:
    Upstate NY USA
    Some of my favorites in chrono order:

    Naked City: Torture Garden 1990
    Painkiller: Execution Ground 2CD 1994
    Masada: Hei 1995
    Bar Kokhba: Masada Chamber Ensembles 2CD 1996
    FilmWorks VIII: 1997 1998
    Music for Children: Music Romance, Vol. 1 1998
    Xu Feng: John Zorn's Game Pieces, Vol. 1 2000
    Magick 2004
    The Cracow Klezmer Band: Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass: A Tribute to Bruno Schultz 2005
    FilmWorks XVI: Workingman's Death 2005
    Masada: Sanhedrin: Unreleased Studio Recordings 1994—1997 2CD 2005
    Uri Caine: Moloch: Book of Angels, Vol. 6 2006
    The Dreamers 2008
    Secret Chiefs 3: Xaphan: Book of Anges, Vol. 9 2008
    The Dreamers: Ipos: Book of Angels, Vol. 14 2010
    Enigmata 2011
    Nosferatu 2012
    Dreamachines 2013
    In the Hall of Mirrors 2014
    Commedia Dell'arte 2016
    Midsummer Moons 2017
    Nove Cantici per Francesco d'Assisi 2019
     
  5. liv3evil

    liv3evil Forum Resident

    Location:
    Upstate NY USA
    Out of all the 800+ TZ albums, I received a handful that had either the wrong OBI attributed (similar to the "Revolver" incident herein only that the actual CD was a TZ release; I think one of the FilmWorks albums), and two (!) of the sealed DVD's I received had issues. One had no disc (!), and the other (I think one of the Heuermann releases) had an Ikue Mori DVD instead.

    That said, I think quality control has generally been pretty good spanning 2+ decades and so many releases. I think all pressings of the "FilmWorks Anthology: 20 Years of Soundtrack Music 1986—2005" CD have a misprinted book (missing pages; almost nothing makes sense as they are out-of-sequence if memory serves), and maybe a dozen CDs were defective due to scratches, glue, markings, etc. A few have also been pressed w/the wrong catalog number(s).

    Oh, and in communication w/Marc Urselli and w/a JZ-fact check, I identified an audio problem w/my pressing of "Sacred Visions" circa 2016 that has since been corrected in future pressings. I think it was a manufacturing error as I highly doubt it got past both Urselli & Scott Hull (and, JZ). If anyone has an original copy, it happens in 'The Holy Visions' at 15:33.
     
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  6. 93curr

    93curr Senior Member

    The only one I had a problem with was 'Aguares' - it had what sounded similar to PDO disc rot right out of the shrink wrap. Just on the last couple of tracks. Never had that with a new US-pressed disc before. I assume it was a disc manufcturing flaw and not a mastering error. Or that it was intentional.
     
  7. Sordel

    Sordel Forum Resident

    Location:
    Switzerland
    FWIW I've never noticed a problem with my copy of that disc.
     
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  8. rodrigosanche55

    rodrigosanche55 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Madrid, Spain
    I had the same problem, in fact I bought that cd at a Village Vanguard concert and had it signed by Roberto Rodriguez. I didn't have a proof of sale but Tzadik (Kaz) send me a replacement instantly. The replacement had the same issue so I had to be sent another replacement. All ok with that one :) Great cd btw :):):)
     
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  9. Collapsed Lung

    Collapsed Lung Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York, NY
    ...just a friendly reminder to frequent your local flea markets. I went to mine this morning and scored this stack for $20. Not all Zorn CDs I would have taken a chance on for full-price, but for $2 a disk, well worth the risk.

    [​IMG]
     
  10. xybert

    xybert Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Zealand
    Yeah the beauty of Amazon Japan for me is the shipping.

    It's a complete no brainer for me to use Amazon Japan. The international option to New Zealand is couriered by default, and without doing the math right now it costs me less to get a CD couriered (arriving at my door 2 days after shipping) to me from Amazon Japan, than it does to go with the cheapest option from Amazon US which can take like 4-6 weeks and creates all sorts of "has it been lost in the post?" anxiety. Forget getting something couriered from Amazon US unless I feel like selling a kidney or something.

    Anecdotally, stuff tends to arrive from Amazon Japan in better condition than from Amazon US etc. Aside from the obviously freshly-minted Japanese reissues, older stock is less likely to be unsealed/beat up/CDR etc.

    So yeah, when i discovered Amazon Japan i couldn't believe my luck, the only bad thing is i think it increased my purchasing by quite a bit due to the relatively instant gratification.

    EDIT: and yeah the 'Revolver' thing was hilarious. I had to laugh. Of all the albums it could've been... actually it could have been much worse, i just wish it had been something i didn't own, a bonus/nice surprise if it was something that i actually wanted.
     
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  11. xybert

    xybert Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Zealand
    One of the amazing things about Tzadik/Zorn is that it can be found in the wild. Obviously good distribution... similar to ECM in that regard. Like for jazz over here, in the brick and mortar good old days the jazz section was basically the usual suspects/well worn classics, some OJCs, Blue Notes, some mainstream new releases if you were lucky, ECM... and Zorn.
     
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  12. Collapsed Lung

    Collapsed Lung Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York, NY
    That's a great point: Considering how "difficult" a lot of the Tzadik music is/was, you could always find it at Tower, Borders, and some Barnes & Nobles, in addition to hipper indie outfits. They did a good job of getting stuff out there -- and not just Zorn's output, but release by folks like Misha Mengelberg, Derek Bailey, Bobby Previte, and their various artist comps. It's incredibly impressive, and testament to the tenacity of Zorn (and longtime co-producer Kazunori Sugiyama).
     
  13. ytserush

    ytserush Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northeast US
    That's to be expected from a New York Flea Market. There's nothing even close to being that interesting in Jersey anymore.
     
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  14. Collapsed Lung

    Collapsed Lung Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York, NY
    ...it's just a quick train ride away!

    To be fair, I've had good luck at flea markets in every state I've lived in -- Georgia, Tennessee, Rhode Island, Boston, North Carolina, South Carolina, etc...but it does very by geography. I didn't see a lot of Zorn down south, but I did see great hillbilly, jazz, and R&B...
     
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  15. Mirror Image

    Mirror Image 200 Years Of Anton Bruckner Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    Sweet deal! I wouldn’t have passed that up either. :righton:
     
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  16. sleepjar

    sleepjar Underachiever

    Location:
    NJ
    Love this one. One of my favorites.
     
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  17. Mirror Image

    Mirror Image 200 Years Of Anton Bruckner Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    Very nice. Can’t wait to hear it.
     
  18. Mirror Image

    Mirror Image 200 Years Of Anton Bruckner Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    What does everyone think of Elegy? I think this is one of Zorn’s more haunting works.

    [​IMG]
     
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  19. xybert

    xybert Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Zealand
    I just listened to it for the first time via Youtube. I think it's excellent, will have to add it to the collection at some point.

    I've seen the cover a lot and never realised it was from 1992. Considering the personnel, i would have died for this back in my Mr Bungle obsessed hey day if i had known about it.
     
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  20. mr.datsun

    mr.datsun Incompletist

    Location:
    London
    Coincidentally, I started listening to it just this week after having previously ignored it. I got curious as to why I had not investigated it. Another card-based composition. It's definitely an interesting one although I've not had time to fully absorb it. A good line up and coming from 1992 was made at the same time as Naked City were in full swing - although of course totally different! I'm enjoying it.

    Yes – of course 'Scummy' is playing guitar, with Patton on vocals. I never knew Bungle at that time.
     
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  21. rodrigosanche55

    rodrigosanche55 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Madrid, Spain
    not much guitar or vocals from what I recall. not one of my favourites.
     
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  22. liv3evil

    liv3evil Forum Resident

    Location:
    Upstate NY USA
    I haven't listened to it in 20+ years, and I don't think I ever spun the 20th anniversary edition. I did listen to it maybe a dozen time between 1992—1997. It's an obvious connection, but it reminds me a lot of both David Lynch and his film "Blue Velvet", which I was watching repeatedly at the time as I was studying Badalamenti's score.

    The end of 'Pink', which I think (spoiler alert) is Patton imitating a ferocious dog growl/bark, freaked me out the 1st time I heard it. It sounds lifelike and is jarring, especially amidst many minutes or low volume/high dynamic range soundscapes (for lack of a better moniker).

    2nd time I played it for friends at Berklee in my dorm room and one feller ran out of the room right after the dog growl. In less than 5 seconds after the growl, he was out the door, and didn't come back. Safe to say it haunted him...
     
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  23. mr.datsun

    mr.datsun Incompletist

    Location:
    London
    You're right - but they are quite abstract soundscape works. Four pieces. Different musicians on each. Also David Shea is playing record-based samples, so some vocals and sounds may be from vinyl.
     
  24. rodrigosanche55

    rodrigosanche55 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Madrid, Spain
    I always thought the lion was a sample of an actual lion, not Patton.
     
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  25. liv3evil

    liv3evil Forum Resident

    Location:
    Upstate NY USA
    It didn't sound like a lion to me (it's not a longer stereotypical snarly roar, e.g., the MGM lion), but in all my years of critical listening, sounds of the proverbial "animal kingdom" have not been recurring. Heh.
     
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