John Zorn

Zorn is the man! The most important living musician IMO.

I was lucky enough to see his Electric Masada band in London earlier in the year and it was one of the most amazing gigs I've ever been to. By turns furious, funky, and funny as f*ck, the man is a stone-cold genius. I saw Naked City live in around 1989 and Electric Masada are even better.

Tzadik (http://www.tzadik.com/) are releasing a series of CDs, recorded live at Tonic in NYC, of Zorn's 50th birthday concerts. The first one, Masada String Trio, is brilliant. The one I'm looking forward to the most is the Electric Masada release, which will be the first time the group have released anything officially.

Other favourites: Naked City, any of the Masada Quartet live albums (Taipei and Tonic especially), Naked City's Torture Garden/Leng Tch'e box, Spy vs. Spy (an album of classic Ornette tunes played super-fast), Spillane, The Big Gundown, The Circle Maker, Bar Kokhba, The Art of Memory (duet improv with Fred Frith), The Gift. Too many more to name, really. Can't get enough of him, and I've still got many more of his records to get.

Quite a good fansite here:

http://www.omnology.com/zorn01.html

-- Ian

Hi S.S.bob
good to connect: too many Clapton fans here for it to really feel like home.

So: Arthur Russell.Zorn. What else rings your bell? (Listening to Big Gundown on the computer phones as I type)

I've not got Bar Kokhba yet. Is it essential?

Hugely jealous of you seeing Electric Masada. I've been to NYC twice, bnoth times hoped to catch Zorn at Tonic, both times he's played in London . What can you do? Did see Dave Douglas at a tiny hall in Oxford: some of the most amazing live music I've heard. First set was Tiny Bell trio, second the Charms of the Night Sky outfit. All Zorn players and quite, quite wonderful.

Zorn. Let's spread the word.Yo La Tengo seem to be catching on!

Kevin

Bar Kokhba's great, well worth having since you like The Circle Maker (and it adds Dave Douglas on trumpet, how can you say no?)

As for what else rings my bell, loads of stuff, from Trane, Mingus, Ornette, Sun Ra, Monk, Evan Parker, AMM, Cecil Taylor, through to Faust, John Fahey, The Fall, Captain Beefheart, you name it. Anything good, really...

I keep wanting to call you Kenny (after Kenny Burrell), must remember not to!

-- Ian

After tryinga lot of his music and seeing him live several times I think Zorn is a fake. The Masada is ok especially as it's where Dave Douglas shines but otherwise....The best stuff on Tzadik is Wadada Leo Smith's Golden Quartet.

John

Burn him, he's a witch!

"Fake" seems strong to me, although NY improv politics is so viperous that some people have described him that way. I think they're jealous, frankly, as they should be; Zorn is much smarter than his detractors. When I first heard Naked City, it sounded to me exactly like the music I heard in my head when I thought about how great music should sound. And I have no doubt that the Masada project, which has now taken on its own life, will put Zorn in the pantheon of great composers in years to come. So there.

-- Ian

I don't actually have any of his records, and had hardly heard of him when dragged along to a JZ & Masada gig at the Edinburgh Festival a few years ago.

I'm not a big Free Jazz fan either, but that gig is one of the best I have ever been to, and was the first time I completely got a Free Jazz performance. It was awesome, I was completely tuned in from the first note to the last. I don't think a "fake" would be capable of that sort of thing.

Pete.

quote:

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Originally posted by johnh:
I'm with Bob on this

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Hello John, how the hell are you? Long time no see.

-- Ian

Thought that might set the cat among the pigeons. This is the jazz equivalent of the Glenn Gould Bach thread. It is true to say I quite like some of his music, but after trying a lot all I can see and hear is a self indulgent show off with intellectual pretensions (but no intellectual worth). The freer bits of Masada sound like noisy art rock to me. His music sometimes reminds me of British jazz prog rock rubbish of the early seventies. As for composition Anthony Braxton is a genius, Zorn is a soundtrack composer.

John

<splutter>

I don't see any pretension at all, TBH. But then again, I like Gould, especially his Solitude trilogy (sound poems made for Canadian radio).

Braxton is the intellectual compared to Zorn, surely? And, For Alto and a couple of other things notwithstanding, somewhat arid and self-relexive to my ears. Zorn has a sense of humour and never seems to take himself over-seriously. For sure he's self-indulgent at times, but I like his musical intelligence enough to not worry about that. And there's nothing wrong with a bit of noisy art rock, especially if it's combined with duck calls, cartoon music, funk, klezmer, and jazz.

I might have to call you outside for a duel.

-- Ian