John Zorn is an American
avant-gardeAvant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
composerA composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
,
arrangerOrchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium...
,
record producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist. Zorn is a prolific artist: he has hundreds of album credits as performer, composer, or producer. He's had experience with a variety of genres including
jazzAvant-garde jazz is a style of music and improvisation that combines avant-garde art music and composition with jazz. Avant-jazz often sounds very similar to free jazz, but differs in that, despite its distinct departure from traditional harmony, it has a predetermined structure over which ...
, rock, hardcore punk, classical, extreme metal, klezmer, film, cartoon, popular, and improvised music. Zorn brings these styles to his work, which he refers to with the label
avant-gardeAvant-garde music is a term used to characterize music which is thought to be ahead of its time, i.e. containing innovative elements or fusing different genres....
/
experimentalExperimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
.
Zorn has stated that, "All the various styles are organically connected to one another. I'm an additive person - the entire storehouse of my knowledge informs everything I do. People are so obsessed with the surface that they can't see the connections, but they are there."
Zorn has led the
punk jazzPunk jazz describes the amalgamation of elements of the jazz tradition with the instrumentation or conceptual heritage of punk rock...
band
Naked CityNaked City was an avant-garde music group led by saxophonist and composer John Zorn. Active primarily in New York City from 1988 to 1993, Naked City was initiated by Zorn as a "composition workshop" to test the limits of composition in a traditional rock band lineup...
, led the
klezmerKlezmer is a musical tradition of the Ashkenazic Jews of Eastern Europe. Played by professional musicians called klezmorim, the genre originally consisted largely of dance tunes and instrumental display pieces for weddings and other celebrations...
-influenced quartet
MasadaMasada is a musical group with rotating personnel led by American saxophonist and composer John Zorn since the early 1990s.Masada is as much a "songbook" as a group, comprising more than 500 relatively brief compositions...
and composed 'Masada Songbooks' (written concert music for classical ensembles), and has produced music for film and documentary.
Zorn established himself within the New York City
downtown musicDowntown music is a subdivision of American music, closely related to experimental music. The scene the term describes began in 1960, when Yoko Ono—one of the Fluxus artists, at that time still seven years away from meeting John Lennon—opened her loft at 112 Chambers Street to be used...
movement in the mid 1970s and has since composed and performed with a wide range of musicians working in diverse musical areas. By the early 1990s Zorn was working extensively in Japan, attracted by that culture's openness about borrowing and remixing ingredients from elsewhere, where he performed and recorded under the name
Dekoboko Hajime, before returning to New York as a permanent base in the mid-1990s. Zorn has undertaken many tours of Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, often performing at festivals with varying ensembles to display his diverse output.
After releasing albums on several
independentAn independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
US and European labels, Zorn signed with
Elektra NonesuchNonesuch Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Bros. Records.-Company history:Nonesuch was founded in 1964 by Jac Holzman to produce "fine records at the same price as a trade paperback", which would be half the price of a normal LP...
and attracted wide acclaim in 1985 when he released
The Big GundownThe Big Gundown is an album by American composer and saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist John Zorn. It comprises radically reworked covers of tracks by the Italian film composer Ennio Morricone....
, a cover of music composed by
Ennio MorriconeEnnio Morricone, Grand Officer OMRI, , is an Italian composer and conductor, who wrote music to more than 500 motion pictures and television series, in a career lasting over 50 years. His scores have been included in over 20 award-winning films as well as several symphonic and choral pieces...
. He attracted further attention when worldwide by following this with the release of
SpillaneSpillane is an album by American composer and saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist John Zorn, composed of three file-card pieces, as well as a work for voice, string quartet and turntables...
in 1987, and
Naked CityNaked City is an album released on Nonesuch Records in 1990 by John Zorn, featuring the band of the same name. The album was also released as part of Naked City: The Complete Studio Recordings on Tzadik Records in 2005....
by
Naked CityNaked City was an avant-garde music group led by saxophonist and composer John Zorn. Active primarily in New York City from 1988 to 1993, Naked City was initiated by Zorn as a "composition workshop" to test the limits of composition in a traditional rock band lineup...
in 1989. Zorn then recorded on the Japanese
DIWDIW Records is a Japanese record label. It is a subsidiary label of Disc Union and specializes in jazz and avant garde music. Kazunori Sugiyama was an executive producer for the label before starting Tzadik Records with John Zorn.-Discography:...
label and curated the
AvantAvant Records was a record label based in Japan specializing in avant-garde and experimental music. The label was started by composer and saxophonist John Zorn in 1992, as an offshoot of the DIW label...
subsidiary label before forming
TzadikTzadik Records is a record label based in New York City specialising in avant-garde and experimental music. The label was established by the eclectic composer and saxophonist John Zorn in 1995; Zorn is the executive producer of all Tzadik releases...
in 1995, where he was then prolific in issuing several new recordings each year as well as releasing the work of many other musicians.
Early life
John Zorn was born in New York City and learned
pianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
,
guitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and
fluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
as a child. He grew up in a household full of a broad spectrum of sound: his mother listened to
classicalClassical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
and
world musicWorld music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
, his father to
jazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, French chansons, and
country musicCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, and his older brother to
doo-wopThe name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
, and 1950s
rock and rollRock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
. Zorn recalled an episode of his life, after buying a record by
Mauricio KagelMauricio Kagel was a German-Argentine composer. He was notable for his interest in developing the theatrical side of musical performance .-Biography:...
in 1968 at the age of fifteen, that influenced his subsequent taste for
experimentalExperimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
and
avant-garde musicAvant-garde music is a term used to characterize music which is thought to be ahead of its time, i.e. containing innovative elements or fusing different genres....
:
Here we are: Kagel, "Improvisation Ajoutée." I bought this when I was about 15. Still marked: got it at Sam Goody in September, for 98 cents. And it's a really crazy piece, with the guys screaming and hooting, something that attracted me. I was over at my friend's house, and he really liked the Rolling Stones. And I just got this record, and I put it on and he looked at me like... who the hell are you? Are you out of your mind? And his mother was there, and she was like [puts palm on cheek] my God, take this off... and right then and there, I decided: this was the music.
Zorn spent time in his teenage years listening to classical music, film music, and, "listening to the Doors and playing bass in a
surf bandSurf music is a genre of popular music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Orange County and other areas of Southern California. It was particularly popular between 1961 and 1965, has subsequently been revived and was highly influential on subsequent rock music...
." He taught himself about
orchestrationOrchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium...
and
counterpointIn music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
, by transcribing scores and using in his own compositions, a procedure of "plagiarizing, stealing, quoting, or whatever you can call it", of collage and transposition into his own world, that he has been using throughout his career. He also studied music under
Leonardo BaladaLeonardo Balada , is a Catalan American composer, now teaching and composing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.-Life:...
.
Zorn picked up the saxophone after discovering
Anthony BraxtonAnthony Braxton is an American composer, saxophonist, clarinettist, flautist, pianist, and philosopher. Braxton has released well over 100 albums since the 1960s...
's album
For AltoFor Alto is a jazz double-LP by composer/multi-reedist Anthony Braxton. Delmark Records released the double-album in 1970. The tracks on this album are performed by Braxton on alto saxophone, with no additional instrumentation or musicians and no overdubbing.The Penguin Guide to Jazz gives For...
(1969) while studying composition at Webster College (now
Webster UniversityWebster University is an American non-profit private university with its main campus in Webster Groves, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. Webster University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools...
) in
St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, where he attended classes taught by
Oliver LakeOliver Lake is an American jazz saxophonist, flutist, composer and poet. He is known mainly on alto saxophone but also performs on soprano saxophone and flute....
. While still at
WebsterWebster University is an American non-profit private university with its main campus in Webster Groves, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. Webster University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools...
, Zorn incorporated elements of
free jazzFree jazz is an approach to jazz music that was first developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the music produced by free jazz pioneers varied widely, the common feature was a dissatisfaction with the limitations of bebop, hard bop, and modal jazz, which had developed in the 1940s and 1950s...
,
avant-gardeAvant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
and
experimental musicExperimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
, film scores,
performance artIn art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
and the
cartoonA cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
scores of
Carl StallingCarl W. Stalling was an American composer and arranger for music in animated films. He is most closely associated with the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts produced by Warner Bros., where he averaged one complete score each week, for 22 years.-Biography:Stalling was born to Ernest and...
into his first recordings which were later released as
First Recordings 1973-Track listing:# "Mikhail Zoetrope" : Act I - 22:13# "Mikhail Zoetrope" : Act II - 13:30# "Mikhail Zoetrope" : Act III - 11:00# "Conquest of Mexico" : Part 1 Warning Signs - 7:45# "Conquest of Mexico : Part 2 Confession - 3:39...
(1995).
Zorn dropped out of college. Following a stint on the West Coast, Zorn moved to
ManhattanManhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. There he gave concerts in his apartment and other small NY venues, playing saxophone and a variety of reeds,
duck callA Duck call may refer to either the process by which a hunter lures waterfowl, or the actual tool that he uses to do so.-Process:Duck calling is the process in which a hunter uses a tool also known as a "duck call" to emulate the sound of a duck as a means to draw them closer.-Tool:As a tool, a...
s, tapes, and other instruments. He founded a
performance artIn art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
project called Theatre of Musical Optics, in 1975 and became a major participant in the fertile, avant-garde, downtown music scene as a
composerA composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, performer and
producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
of music that challenged the confines of any single musical genre. Zorn later used the term 'Theatre of Musical Optics' for the publishing company of his compositions.
Early composition
Zorn's early major compositions included several "game pieces" or "game theories", which he's described as "complex systems harnessing improvisers in flexible compositional formats," and which "involved strict rules, role playing, prompters with flashcards, all in the name of melding structure and improvisation in a seamless fashion." Game pieces were often named after sports, and include
Baseball (1976),
LacrosseLacrosse is a double live album by John Zorn. It is made up of different takes his early game piece, "Lacrosse". The first disc is from WKCR in June 1978 where Mark Abbott, Polly Bradfield, Eugene Chadbourne, and LaDonna Smith and Zorn recorded 6 different takes. Takes 3, 4 and 6 were originally...
(1976),
Dominoes (1977),
Curling (1977),
Golf (1977),
HockeyHockey is an album by John Zorn featuring his early "game piece" composition of the same name. The album, first released on vinyl on Parachute Records in 1980, , and later re-released on CD on Tzadik Records with additional bonus tracks as part of the The Parachute Years Box Set in 1997 and as a...
(1978),
Cricket (1978),
Fencing (1978),
PoolPool is an album by John Zorn featuring his early "game piece" composition of the same name. The album, first released on vinyl on Parachute Records in 1980, and later released on CD on Tzadik Records with an additional bonus track featuring a test recording of Archery as part of the The Parachute...
(1979), and
ArcheryArchery is an album by John Zorn featuring his early "game piece" composition of the same name. The album was first released on Parachute Records in 1982 and later released on Tzadik Records with additional rehearsal takes, , as a part of the The Parachute Years Box Set in 1997 and as a triple CD...
(1979) which was recorded at
Martin BisiMartin Bisi is an American producer and songwriter.He is known for recording important records by Sonic Youth, Swans, John Zorn, Material, Bill Laswell, Helmet, Unsane, Cop Shoot Cop, White Zombie, Boredoms, Angels of Light and Herbie Hancock's Grammy-winning song Rockit,In 1979, Martin Bisi...
's studio. His most enduring "game piece" is
CobraCobra is an unpublished but recorded and frequently performed musical composition by John Zorn that was conceived as a system with very detailed rules but with no pre-conceived sequence of events, or game piece, for a group of musical improvisors and a prompter. Zorn completed Cobra on October 9,...
(1984) which he first released on album in
1987Cobra is a double album featuring a live and studio performance of John Zorn's improvisational game piece, Cobra recorded in 1985 and 1986 and released on the Hathut label in 1987...
and in subsequent versions in
1992John Zorn's Cobra: Live at the Knitting Factory is a performance of John Zorn's improvisational game piece, Cobra, performed at The Knitting Factory in 1992. The album resembles the missing link between John Zorn's work with Masada and Naked City...
,
1994John Zorn's Cobra: Tokyo Operations '94 is a live performance of John Zorn's improvisational game piece, Cobra recorded in Tokyo in 1994 featuring Japanese musicians and instruments...
and
2002- Track listing :# “Pendet” - 4:49# “Tabana” - 10:47# “Uluwati” - 7:27# “Tamangiri” - 7:50# “Paras” - 6:07# “Sangeh” - 11:26# “Penganggahan” - 10:44# “Raksasa” - 4:44# “Goa Gajah” - 6:50*Recorded at Avatar- Personnel :* Derek Bailey - guitar...
, and has revisited in performance many times. Zorn addresses both his own history and the musical philosophy behind his early works in the book
Talking Music by William Duckworth.
In 1981, Zorn was "blowing duck calls in buckets of water at fringe venues," which included
8BC8BC was a non-profit performance space and art gallery located in the East Village neighborhood of New York, New York, United States. Founded in 1983, the space was closed by 1985.-History:...
, Roulette, Chandelier, and Zorn's own clubhouse, the Saint. Zorn's first solo saxophone (and duck call) recordings were originally released in two volumes as
The Classic Guide to Strategy- Track listing :# "Part 1" aka "Senki " - 19:36# "Part 2 " aka "The Moon In The Cold Stream Like A Mirror" - 19:32# "Aoyanian Michi" - 11:15# "Enoken" - 3:21# "Katsumi Shigeru" - 6:34# "Kondo Toshinori" - 6:04# "Togawa Jun" - 8:54...
in 1983 and 1986 on the Lumina label. Zorn's early small group improvisations are documented on
Locus SolusLocus Solus is an album of improvisations by John Zorn and other musicians. Originally released as a double vinyl album on Rift records in 1983 it was re-released as a CD with additional tracks on Eva/Wave in 1990 and on Zorn's Tzadik Records label in 1997....
(1983) which featured Zorn with various combinations of other improvisers including
Christian MarclayChristian Marclay is a Swiss-American visual artist and composer.Marclay's work explores connections between sound, noise, photography, video, and film...
,
Arto LindsayArthur Morgan Lindsay is an American guitarist, singer, record producer and experimental composer. He is a 1974 graduate of Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida....
,
Wayne HorvitzWayne Horvitz is an American composer, keyboardist and record producer.-Biography:Horvitz, a "defiant cross-breeder of genres", has led the groups The President, Pigpen, Zony Mash, and the Four Plus One Ensemble...
,
Ikue Mori, also known as Ikue Ile, is a drummer, composer, and graphic designer.-Biography:Ikue Mori was born and raised in Japan. She says she had little interest in music before hearing punk rock...
, and
Anton FierAnton Fier, , is an American drummer, composer and bandleader. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio.Fier was an early member of The Lounge Lizards and The Feelies. He was in The Lodge , worked with Pere Ubu, was briefly in the Voidoids and founded The Golden Palominos...
.
Ganryu IslandGanryu Island is an album by John Zorn featuring improvisations with Sato Michihiro. The album was first released on vinyl LP on Yukon Records in 1984 and later re-released on Tzadik Records as a CD with five additional tracks in 1998....
featured a series of duets by Zorn with Satoh Michihiro on
shamisenThe , also called is a three-stringed, Japanese musical instrument played with a plectrum called a bachi. The Japanese pronunciation is usually "shamisen" but sometimes "jamisen" when used as a suffix . -Construction:The shamisen is a plucked stringed instrument...
, which received limited release on the Yukon label in 1984. Zorn has subsequently released these recordings as CDs on Tzadik making them more widely available than the original vinyl pressings.
Breakthrough recordings
Zorn's breakthrough recording was 1985's
The Big GundownThe Big Gundown is an album by American composer and saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist John Zorn. It comprises radically reworked covers of tracks by the Italian film composer Ennio Morricone....
: John Zorn Plays the Music of Ennio MorriconeEnnio Morricone, Grand Officer OMRI, , is an Italian composer and conductor, who wrote music to more than 500 motion pictures and television series, in a career lasting over 50 years. His scores have been included in over 20 award-winning films as well as several symphonic and choral pieces...
, where Zorn offered radical
arrangementOrchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium...
s of the Roman composer's themes from
movieA film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s including
The Big GundownThe Big Gundown is a 1966 spaghetti western directed by Sergio Sollima and starring Lee Van Cleef and Tomas Milian...
(1966),
Once Upon a Time in the WestOnce Upon a Time in the West is a 1968 Italian epic spaghetti western film directed by Sergio Leone for Paramount Pictures. It stars Henry Fonda cast against type as the villain, Charles Bronson as his nemesis, Jason Robards as a bandit, and Claudia Cardinale as a newly widowed homesteader with a...
(1968),
A Fistful of DynamiteDuck, You Sucker! , also known as A Fistful of Dynamite and Once Upon a Time… the Revolution, is a 1971 Zapata Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Rod Steiger and James Coburn....
(1971), and
Once Upon a Time in AmericaOnce Upon a Time in America is a 1984 Italian epic crime film co-written and directed by Sergio Leone and starring Robert De Niro and James Woods. The story chronicles the lives of Jewish ghetto youths who rise to prominence in New York City's world of organized crime...
(1984).
The Big Gundown was endorsed by Morricone who is quoted as saying "This is a record that has fresh, good and intelligent ideas. It is realization on a high level, a work done by a maestro with great science-fantasy and creativity... Many people have done versions of my pieces, but no one has done them like this". Zorn's versions of Morricone's compositions incorporated elements of traditional Japanese music,
soul jazzSoul jazz is a development of jazz incorporating strong influences from blues, soul, gospel and rhythm and blues in music for small groups, often an organ trio featuring a Hammond organ.- Overview :Soul jazz is often associated with hard bop. Mark C...
, and other diverse musical genres. Zorn's 15th Anniversary re-release of the album featured additional explorations of Morricone's work.
He first released the composition 'Godard', a tribute to French film-maker
Jean-Luc GodardJean-Luc Godard is a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter and film critic. He is often identified with the 1960s French film movement, French Nouvelle Vague, or "New Wave"....
whose jump-cut technique inspired Zorn's compositional approach, on the French
tribute albumA tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
The Godard Fans: Godard Ca Vous Chante? in 1986. Zorn followed this with his second major-label release
SpillaneSpillane is an album by American composer and saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist John Zorn, composed of three file-card pieces, as well as a work for voice, string quartet and turntables...
in 1987 composed of three different
tributeA tribute is wealth, often in kind, that one party gives to another as a sign of respect or, as was often the case in historical contexts, of submission or allegiance. Various ancient states, which could be called suzerains, exacted tribute from areas they had conquered or threatened to conquer...
compositions. The title track featured text by Arto Lindsay set to an array of sonic
film noirFilm noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
references, 'Two-Lane Highway' a blues-based form to highlight the guitar of
Albert CollinsAlbert Collins was an American electric blues guitarist and singer whose recording career began in the 1960s in Houston and whose fame eventually took him to stages across the US, Europe, Japan and Australia...
and 'Forbidden Fruit', Zorn's tribute to a Japanese film star, performed by the
Kronos QuartetKronos Quartet is a string quartet founded by violinist David Harrington in 1973 in Seattle, Washington. Since 1978, the quartet has been based in San Francisco, California. The longest-running combination of performers had Harrington and John Sherba on violin, Hank Dutt on viola, and Joan...
. Further exploration of
film noirFilm noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
themes were recorded for radio plays and released by Zorn as
The BribeThe Bribe: variations and extensions on Spillane is an album by American composer and saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist John Zorn, consisting of music created for three half-hour radio plays produced by Mabou Mines theater company in 1986...
: variations and extensions on Spillane (1998). 'Godard' and 'Spillane' were re-released as a single CD,
Godard/SpillaneGodard/Spillane is a compilation album by American composer and saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist John Zorn consisting of music created through Zorn's file-card compositional process...
, on
TzadikTzadik Records is a record label based in New York City specialising in avant-garde and experimental music. The label was established by the eclectic composer and saxophonist John Zorn in 1995; Zorn is the executive producer of all Tzadik releases...
in 1999.
These pieces are described by Zorn as "file-card compositions", a method of combining composition and improvisation in which Zorn would write down a description of what he wanted on file-cards and arrange them to form the piece. Zorn described the process in 2003. "I write in moments, in disparate sound blocks, so I find it convenient to store these events on filing cards so they can be sorted and ordered with minimum effort. Pacing is essential. If you move too fast, people tend to stop hearing the individual moments as complete in themselves and more as elements of a sort of cloud effect... I worked 10 to 12 hours a day for a week, just orchestrating these file cards. It was an intense process - one I don't want to go through again."
Zorn's "file-card" method of organizing sound blocks into an overall structure largely depended on the musicians he chose, the way they interpreted what was written on the file cards, and their relationship with Zorn. "I'm not going to sit in some ivory tower and pass my scores down to the players." said Zorn, "I have to be there with them, and that's why I started playing saxophone, so that I could meet musicians. I still feel that I have to earn a player's trust before they can play my music. At the end of the day, I want players to say: this was fun - it was a lot of fucking work, and it's one of the hardest things I've ever done, but it was worth the effort."
Jazz interpreter
Beginning in 1986 Zorn participated in several projects focused on modern
jazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
composers which highlighted his saxophone style. These included
Voodoo-Track listing:# "Cool Struttin'" - 5:27# "Minor Meeting" - 4:36# "Nicely" - 5:34# "Something Special" - 4:45# "Voodoo" - 10:57# "Sonia" - 4:02# "Sonny's Crib" - 7:40*Recorded at Classic Sound, New York on November 25 and 26, 1985-Personnel:...
(1986) by The
Sonny ClarkConrad Yeatis "Sonny" Clark was an American jazz pianist who mainly worked in the hard bop idiom.-Biography:...
Memorial Quartet, with
Wayne HorvitzWayne Horvitz is an American composer, keyboardist and record producer.-Biography:Horvitz, a "defiant cross-breeder of genres", has led the groups The President, Pigpen, Zony Mash, and the Four Plus One Ensemble...
,
Ray DrummondRay Drummond is a jazz bassist and teacher. He also has an MBA from Stanford University, hence his linkage to the Stanford Jazz Workshop...
and
Bobby PreviteRobert "Bobby" Previte is a drummer, composer and bandleader. Previte earned a B.A. in Economics at the University at Buffalo, where he also studied percussion. He moved to New York City in 1979, and became active in the city's thriving jazz and experimental music scenes...
and
Spy vs SpySpy vs Spy: The Music of Ornette Coleman is a 1989 album by American composer and saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist John Zorn, featuring the compositions of Ornette Coleman performed in the brief intense style of Zorn's hardcore miniatures....
(1989) featuring
hardcore punkHardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
-informed interpretations of
Ornette ColemanOrnette Coleman is an American saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter and composer. He was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1960s....
's music performed by Zorn and
Tim BerneTim Berne is an American jazz saxophone player and composer.Described by critic Thom Jurek as commanding "considerable power as a composer and ... frighteningly deft ability as a soloist," Berne has composed and performed prolifically since the 1980s...
on saxophones,
Mark DresserMark Dresser is an American double bass player and composer.-Biography:He has performed and recorded with many of the luminaries of "new" jazz composition and improvisation. For ten years he performed with the Anthony Braxton Quartet, as well as diverse groups led by Ray Anderson, Tim Berne,...
on bass and
Joey BaronJoey Baron is an American avant-garde jazz drummer probably best known for his work with Bill Frisell, Stan Getz, Steve Kuhn, and John Zorn...
and Michael Vatcher on drums.
News for LuluNews for Lulu is an album of hard bop compositions performed by John Zorn, George Lewis and Bill Frisell. The album features tunes by Kenny Dorham, Hank Mobley, Freddie Redd and Sonny Clark recorded in the studio and live at the Willislau Jazz Festival. The original cover photograph features the...
(1988) and
More News for LuluMore News for Lulu is the second album of hard bop compositions performed by John Zorn, George Lewis and Bill Frisell. Like the previous News for Lulu it features tunes by Kenny Dorham, Hank Mobley, Freddie Redd and Sonny Clark but also contains with one tune each by Misha Mengelberg and Big John...
(1992) featured Zorn,
Bill FrisellWilliam Richard "Bill" Frisell is an American guitarist and composer.One of the leading guitarists in jazz since the late 1980s, Frisell's eclectic music touches on progressive folk, classical music, country music, noise and more...
and
George LewisGeorge E. Lewis is a trombone player, composer, and scholar in the fields of jazz and experimental music. He has been a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians since 1971, and is a pioneer of computer music.- Biography :Lewis graduated from Yale University with a...
performing compositions by
Kenny DorhamMcKinley Howard Dorham was an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and composer born in Fairfield, Texas. Dorham's talent is frequently lauded by critics and other musicians, but he never received the kind of attention from the jazz establishment that many of his peers did...
,
Sonny ClarkConrad Yeatis "Sonny" Clark was an American jazz pianist who mainly worked in the hard bop idiom.-Biography:...
,
Freddie ReddFreddie Redd is an American hard bop pianist and composer.His greatest success came in the late 1950s in the play and movie The Connection, in which he both played and acted in New York City, London, and Paris. He also played on the soundtrack album...
, and
Hank MobleyHenry Mobley was an American hard bop and soul jazz tenor saxophonist and composer. Mobley was described by Leonard Feather as the "middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone", a metaphor used to describe his tone that was neither as aggressive as John Coltrane nor as mellow as Stan Getz...
. He performed on two recordings by organist
Big John PattonJohn Patton , sometimes nicknamed Big John Patton, was a hard bop and soul jazz organist....
-
Blue Planet ManBlue Planet Man is a 1993 album by organist Big John Patton which features John Zorn. It was originally released on King Records/Paddle Wheel Records in Japan in 1993 and subsequently released in the USA on Evidence Records in 1997.-Reception:...
(1993) and
Minor Swing (1995) and contributed to the
Sax Legends series (later re-released as
The Colossal Saxophone Sessions) in 1993 with a version of
Wayne ShorterWayne Shorter is an American jazz saxophonist and composer.He is generally acknowledged to be jazz's greatest living composer, and many of his compositions have become standards...
's composition "Devil's Island" alongside
Lee KonitzLee Konitz is an American jazz composer and alto saxophonist born in Chicago, Illinois.Generally considered one of the driving forces of Cool Jazz, Konitz has also performed successfully in bebop and avant-garde settings...
, who Zorn has described as "one of my all-time heroes".
While Zorn is often considered a jazz musician his schema is considerably broader. He stated "The term 'jazz', per se, is meaningless to me in a certain way. Musicians don’t think in terms of boxes. I know what jazz music is. I studied it. I love it. But when I sit down and make music, a lot of things come together. And sometimes it falls a little bit toward the classical side, sometimes it falls a little bit towards the jazz, sometimes it falls toward rock, sometimes it doesn’t fall anywhere, it's just floating in limbo. But no matter which way it falls, it's always a little bit of a freak. It doesn’t really belong anywhere. It's something unique, it's something different, it's something out of my heart. It's not connected with those traditions." "But the music is not jazz music, it’s not classical music, it’s not rock music. It’s a new kind of music... So I feel like that created a deep misunderstanding in what this music is. People started judging this new music with the standards of jazz, with the definitions of what jazz is and isn’t, because stories about it appeared in jazz magazines. And now I’ll do a gig at the Marciac Jazz Festival and I’ll get offstage and
Wynton MarsalisWynton Learson Marsalis is a trumpeter, composer, bandleader, music educator, and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Marsalis has promoted the appreciation of classical and jazz music often to young audiences...
will say, “That’s not jazz.” And I’ll say, “You’re right! But this is the only gig I’ve got, man. Give me another festival and I’ll play there.”"
Film music
Zorn has written music for
documentariesA documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
,
underground filmAn underground film is a film that is out of the mainstream either in its style, genre, or financing.-Definition and history:The first use of the term "underground film" occurs in a 1957 essay by American film critic Manny Farber, "Underground Films." Farber uses it to refer to the work of...
s,
television advertisementA television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
s and
cartoonsAn animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
which are documented in the
Filmworks albums on the
TzadikTzadik Records is a record label based in New York City specialising in avant-garde and experimental music. The label was established by the eclectic composer and saxophonist John Zorn in 1995; Zorn is the executive producer of all Tzadik releases...
label. Some of these
film scoreA film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
s are jazz-influenced, others classical, and most feature ensembles consisting of rotating combinations of
downtown musicDowntown music is a subdivision of American music, closely related to experimental music. The scene the term describes began in 1960, when Yoko Ono—one of the Fluxus artists, at that time still seven years away from meeting John Lennon—opened her loft at 112 Chambers Street to be used...
ians. Zorn has often used his cinematic and television commissions to experiment with line-ups and forms that would become more established parts of his musical canon.
Zorn stated that "After my record
The Big Gundown came out I was convinced that a lot of soundtrack work was going to be coming my way". While Hollywood acclaim was not forthcoming he attracted the attention of many
independent filmAn independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
makers. The first director to commission him was Rob Schwebber for the 1986 short
White and Lazy followed by his work for Sheila McLaughlin's film,
She Must Be Seeing Things (1986). In 1990, he composed the soundtrack for the Raul Ruiz film
The Golden Boat. All these soundtracks appeared on
Filmworks 1986-1990Filmworks 1986–1990 features the first released film scores of John Zorn. The album was originally released on the Japanese Wave label in 1991, on the Nonesuch Records label in 1992, and subsequently re-released on Zorn's own label, Tzadik Records, in 1997 after being out of print for several...
along with a sixty-four second interpretation of the theme from
The Good, the Bad and the UglyThe Good, the Bad and the Ugly is a 1966 Italian epic spaghetti western film directed by Sergio Leone, starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach in the title roles. The screenplay was written by Age & Scarpelli, Luciano Vincenzoni and Leone, based on a story by Vincenzoni and Leone...
which featured future members of
Naked CityNaked City was an avant-garde music group led by saxophonist and composer John Zorn. Active primarily in New York City from 1988 to 1993, Naked City was initiated by Zorn as a "composition workshop" to test the limits of composition in a traditional rock band lineup...
.
Zorn's second Filmworks release documented his
Music for an Untitled Film by-Track listing:# "Intro" - 3:07# "I Stole From Jesus Christ" - 0:49# "Gold" - 0:48# "Main Title" - 1:55# "The Building" - 0:56# "Meatlocker" - 0:55# "Pigeons" - 0:52# "Scuffle" - 0:19# "Exploring" - 0:58# "Rattlesnakes " - 1:43...
Walter Hill (1996) which was composed for the film
Trespass (1992) but replaced by a score by
Ry CooderRyland Peter "Ry" Cooder is an American guitarist, singer and composer. He is known for his slide guitar work, his interest in roots music from the United States, and, more recently, his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries.His solo work has been eclectic, encompassing...
.
Filmworks III: 1990-1995-Track listing:Thieves Quartet , directed by Joe Chappelle01/ Main Title - 1:0002/ The Caper - 0:57...
(1997) featured the first recordings by the
MasadaMasada is a musical group with rotating personnel led by American saxophonist and composer John Zorn since the early 1990s.Masada is as much a "songbook" as a group, comprising more than 500 relatively brief compositions...
lineup for Joe Chappelle's
Thieves Quartet (1993) along with early drafts for the
Cynical Hysterie HourFilmworks VII: Cynical Hysterie Hour is a 1989 album by John Zorn featuring music written for a series of Japanese animated shorts that were created by Kiriko Kubo. It features Zorn's first music for cartoons and was originally released on the Japanese Sony label in limited numbers...
project, duets with
Marc RibotMarc Ribot born May 21, 1954) is an American guitarist and composer.His own work has touched on many styles, including no wave, free jazz, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notably Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, and composer John Zorn.-Biography:Ribot was...
which featured in Mei-Juin Chen's
Hollywood Hotel (1994), and a series of
commercialA television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
soundtracks for the advertising firm Weiden and Kennedy, including one directed by
Jean-Luc GodardJean-Luc Godard is a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter and film critic. He is often identified with the 1960s French film movement, French Nouvelle Vague, or "New Wave"....
- a long-term Zorn inspiration.
Filmworks IV: S&M + More-Track listing:# "Pueblo" - 9:04# "Elegant Spanking" - 14:22# "Credits Included" a.Politics, b.Asylum - 9:38# "Maogai" - 6:19# "A Lot of Fun for the Evil One" - 17:48...
(1997) and
Filmworks V: Tears of EcstasyFilmworks V: Tears of Ecstasy is a film score by John Zorn. The album was released on Zorn's own label, Tzadik Records, in 1997. It features the music that Zorn wrote and recorded for the movie "Tears Of Ecstasy" by director Oki Hiroyuki.-Reception:...
(1996) both included music written for films dealing with
BDSMBDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
.
Filmworks VI: 1996-Track listing:Anton, Mailman :1/ Opening Credits/Hawaiian Postcard - 2:572/ Work-A-Day World - 3:31...
contains the soundtracks to three underground films produced in 1996; Dina Waxman's
Anton, Mailman, Henry Hills'
Mechanics of the Brain, and
Maria BeattyMaria Beatty is a New York filmmaker who directs, acts, and produces. Her films are often made in black and white and cover various aspects of female sexuality including BDSM and fetishism...
's
The Black Glove.
Filmworks VII: Cynical Hysterie HourFilmworks VII: Cynical Hysterie Hour is a 1989 album by John Zorn featuring music written for a series of Japanese animated shorts that were created by Kiriko Kubo. It features Zorn's first music for cartoons and was originally released on the Japanese Sony label in limited numbers...
re-released the themes that Zorn produced for a Japanese cartoon which had only been previously available in limited release in Japan. Zorn regained the rights to these recordings by trading a booking at The Knitting Factory to
Sony, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
executives.
Filmworks VIII: 1997-Track listing:*The Port Of Last Resort directed by Joan Grossman and Paul Rosdy.1/ "Teqiah" - 3:072/ "Shanghai" - 2:353/ "Emunim" - 3:324/ "Ruan " - 4:375/ "Ebionim" - 3:006/ "Ahavah" - 3:427/ "Ruan " - 3:37...
features music for the documentary
Port Of Last Resort (1998), which detailed the experiences of Jewish refugees who fled to Shanghai during the years preceding
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and the soundtrack to the underground film
Latin Boys Go to Hell (1997).
Zorn's next soundtrack work did not appear until 2000 with
Filmworks IX:-Track listing:# "Trembling Before G-D 1" - 2:25# "Mahshav" - 5:01# "Tashlikh 1" - 4:26...
Trembling Before G-dTrembling Before G-d is an 2001 American documentary film about gay and lesbian Orthodox Jews trying to reconcile their sexuality with their faith. It was directed by Sandi Simcha DuBowski, an American who wanted to compare orthodox attitudes to homosexuality with his own upbringing as a gay...
featuring music for an award winning documentary about gay and lesbian Orthodox Jews trying to reconcile their sexuality with their faith directed by
Sandi Simcha DuBowskiSandi Simcha DuBowski is an American director and producer. Best known for his work on homosexuality and religion, DuBowski directed the 2001 documentary Trembling Before G-d and is the producer of Parvez Sharma's documentary A Jihad for Love .-Personal life:DuBowski was born in Brooklyn in 1970...
. The following year
Filmworks X:-Track listing:# "Drifting 1" - 2:13 # "Dancing" - 5:12 # "Kiev 1" - 3:57 # "Teiji's Time" - 2:16 # "Nostalgia 1" - 3:41 # "Filming" - 5:51 # "Mirror Worlds" - 1:50 # "Nightscape" - 2:27 # "Nostalgia 2" - 4:21...
In the Mirror of Maya DerenThe documentary In the Mirror of Maya Deren is a film about avant garde filmmaker Maya Deren by Austrian film maker Martina Kudlacek. It is based on the biography The Legend of Maya Deren....
(2001) featured music for a documentary on the life and work of
underground filmAn underground film is a film that is out of the mainstream either in its style, genre, or financing.-Definition and history:The first use of the term "underground film" occurs in a 1957 essay by American film critic Manny Farber, "Underground Films." Farber uses it to refer to the work of...
aker
Maya DerenMaya Deren , born Eleanora Derenkowsky, was an American avant-garde filmmaker and film theorist of the 1940s and 1950s...
.
The year 2002 was a very productive one for Zorn's cinematic scores.
Filmworks XI: Secret Lives-Track listing:# "Yesoma" - 3:07# "Shabbes Noir" - 3:37# "Tension" - 0:56# "Hatzalah" - 4:44# "Brachas" - 3:16# "Chazal" - 1:03# "Ba'adinot" - 1:22# "Drama" - 3:02# "Yesoma" - 3:26# "Darkly" - 1:40# "Kavana" - 4:01...
(2002) featured the Masada String Trio performing music for
Aviva SlesinAviva Slesin is a documentary film-maker.Slesin was awarded the Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary for her film The Ten Year Lunch: The Wit and Legend of the Algonquin Round Table in 1987. She is member of the Directors Guild of America and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
's documentary film on Jewish children hidden from the Nazis.
Filmworks XII-Track listing:# "Vocal Phase" - 3:49# "The Lips At Sway" - 5:07# "The Well Tuned Harmonica" - 1:35# "Dance Piece" - 2:10# "Midnight Flight" - 2:12# "Chippy Charm" - 1:35# "Shaolin Spirit" - 3:01...
(2002) features music for three documentaries;
Homecoming: Celebrating Twenty Years of Dance at PS 122Performance Space 122, generally known as P.S. 122, is a not-for-profit arts organization and one of the longest standing venues dedicated to contemporary performance art in New York City. Founded in 1979 in the abandoned Public School 122 building at 150 First Avenue at East 9th Street in the East...
,
Shaolin Ulysses, a film about Shaolin Monks in America, and variations on the theme for
Family Found, a documentary on outsider artist
Morton BartlettMorton Bartlett was an American photographer.-Life:Bartlett was an orphan, he never married, and he lived alone for all his life. After attending Harvard University for two years he struggled to earn a living...
. Zorn released his third soundtrack collection of 2002 with
Filmworks XIII: Invitation to a Suicide-Track listing:# "Invitation To A Suicide" - 4:38# "Musette Waltz" - 4:21# "Shifting Sands" - 4:12...
, written for a
black comedyA black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
about a man selling tickets to his own suicide to save his father's life.
Zorns next two Filmworks releases featured in documentaries examining Jewish identity and antisemitism.
Filmworks XIV:Filmworks XIV: Hiding and Seeking features a score for film by John Zorn. The album was released on Zorn's own label, Tzadik Records, in 2003 and contains music that Zorn wrote and recorded for, Hiding and Seeking , a documentary directed by Menachem Daum and Oren Rudavsky.-Reception:The Allmusic...
Hiding and SeekingHiding and Seeking: Faith and Tolerance After the Holocaust is 2004 documentary film about Menachem Daum, an Orthodox Jew and son of German Nazi Holocaust survivors who has spent his life interviewing survivors about the impact of the Holocaust on their lives...
(2003) provided the soundtrack a documentary about an Orthodox Jewish father attempting to alert his sons of the dangers of creating barriers between themselves and those outside their faith.
Filmworks XV:Filmworks XV: Protocols of Zion features a score by John Zorn for a documentary film by Marc Levin. The album was released on Zorn's own label, Tzadik Records, in 2005 and contains music that Zorn wrote and recorded for, Protocols of Zion , a documentary detailing the rise of anti-semitism...
Protocols of ZionThe Protocols of Zion is a 2005 documentary film by Jewish filmmaker Marc Levin about a resurgence of antisemitism in the United States in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks...
(2005) featured music for a documentary about a resurgence of antisemitism in the United States in the wake of the September 11 attacks.
Filmworks XVI: Workingman's DeathFilmworks XVI: Workingman's Death features a score by John Zorn for a documentary film by Michael Glawogger. The album was released on Zorn's own label, Tzadik Records, in 2005 and contains music that Zorn wrote and recorded for, Workingman's Death , a documentary detailing hazardous employment...
(2005) presented themes for a documentary portraying hazardous employment undertaken in the Ukraine, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and China.
Filmworks XVII-Track listing:# "Menken" - 5:26# "Skull I" - 4:04# "Glimpses" - 6:37# "Mood Mondrian" - 4:31# "Skull II" - 3:31# "Gogogo" - 8:14# "Moonplay" - 4:42# "Skull III" - 3:02# "Tango Exotique" -5:04# "Zenscapes" - 1:09# "Skull IV" - 1:41# "Arabesque" - 5:10...
(2006) featured music for Martina Kudlacek's documentary
Notes on Marie MenkenMarie Menkevicius was an American experimental filmmaker and socialite.-Early life:The daughter of Catholic-Lithuanian immigrants, she grew up in Brooklyn.-Personal life:...
intertwined with Zorn's percussive score for Beth Cataldo's portrait
Ray BandarRay Bandar is a scientist, researcher, teacher, naturalist, and artist living in the San Francisco, California area. He has collected more than 7,000 bone specimens, primarily skulls, from animals across the world...
: A Life with Skulls.
Filmworks XVIII: The Treatment-Track listing:# "The Treatment" - 3:34# "Romance" - 5:10# "Why Me?" - 3:56# "Family" - 2:15# "Marking Time" - 4:53# "Anxieties" - 5:00# "Freud's Rondo" - 4:26# "Totem and Taboo" - 6:55# "Rush Hour" - 3:47# "Bad Dreams" - 1:20# "Uncertainty" - 6:24...
(2006) featured music for
Oren RudavskyOren Rudavsky is an award-winning documentary filmmaker specializing in work on religion outside the mainstream. He graduated from Oberlin College in 1979.- As director :* At the Crossroads: Jewish Life in Eastern Europe Today...
's
romantic comedyRomantic Comedy can refer to* Romantic Comedy , a 1979 play written by Bernard Slade* Romantic Comedy , a 1983 film adapted from the play and starring Dudley Moore and Mary Steenburgen...
based on the
tango musicTango is a style of ballroom dance music in 2/4 or 4/4 time that originated among European immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay . It is traditionally played by a sextet, known as the orquesta típica, which includes two violins, piano, double bass, and two bandoneons...
of Astor Piazolla.
Filmworks XIX: The Rain Horse-Track listing:# "Tears of Morning" - 4:32# "The Stallion" - 2:42# "Tree of Life" - 3:01# "Wedding of Wild Horses" - 4:21# "Forests in the Mist" - 6:09# "Dance Exotique" - 2:59# "Bird in the Mist" - 4:01# "Parable of Job" - 4:17# "Encounter" - 2:10...
(2008) was written for an animated children's short film by Russian director Dimitri Gellar. Also released in 2008 were
Filmworks XX: Sholem Aleichem-Track listing:# "Shalom, Sholem!" - 2:11# "Luminous Visions" - 4:12# "Mamme Loshen" - 3:18# "Beyond the Pale" - 2:25# "Mekubolim" - 4:36# "Portable Homeland" - 4:06# "Wandering Star" - 3:19# "Jewish Revolutionaries" - 4:59# "Shtetls" - 3:02...
containing music for a documentary on the Jewish writer Sholem Aleichem,
Filmworks XXI: Belle de Nature/The New Rijksmuseum-Track listing:# "Masque en Sole" - 5:09# "Un Rose" - 2:05# "L 'Air et les Songes" - 2:39# "Fouet d'Épines" - 5:08# "Elle Vient" - 3:52# "Orties Cuisantes" - 4:31# "Belle de Nature" - 4:52# "Storage" - 2:08# "Conservation" - 3:57# "Rendering" - 4:20...
featuring soundtracks for another of Maria Beatty's films and a documentary on the restoration of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, and
Filmworks XXII: The Last Supper Filmworks XXII: The Last Supper is a score by John Zorn for Arno Bouchard's 2009 short science fiction/art film The Last Supper.-Track listing:# "Somnambulisme" - 2:12# "Opening Invocation" - 2:13# "Virgin Sacrifice" - 3:25# "Vespers" - 3:37...
.
Hardcore
Zorn established
Naked CityNaked City was an avant-garde music group led by saxophonist and composer John Zorn. Active primarily in New York City from 1988 to 1993, Naked City was initiated by Zorn as a "composition workshop" to test the limits of composition in a traditional rock band lineup...
in 1988 as a 'compositional workshop' to test the limitations of a
rock bandRock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
format. Featuring Zorn on saxophone,
Bill FrisellWilliam Richard "Bill" Frisell is an American guitarist and composer.One of the leading guitarists in jazz since the late 1980s, Frisell's eclectic music touches on progressive folk, classical music, country music, noise and more...
(guitars),
Fred FrithFred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...
(bass),
Wayne HorvitzWayne Horvitz is an American composer, keyboardist and record producer.-Biography:Horvitz, a "defiant cross-breeder of genres", has led the groups The President, Pigpen, Zony Mash, and the Four Plus One Ensemble...
(keyboards),
Joey BaronJoey Baron is an American avant-garde jazz drummer probably best known for his work with Bill Frisell, Stan Getz, Steve Kuhn, and John Zorn...
(drums), and occasional vocals from Yamatsuka Eye,
Bob DoroughBob Dorough is an American bebop and cool jazz pianist, composer and vocalese singer.He worked with Miles Davis and Allen Ginsberg, and his adventurous style was an influence on Mose Allison, among other singers...
, and later
Mike PattonMichael Allan "Mike" Patton is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and actor, best known as the lead singer of the metal/experimental rock band Faith No More. He has also sung for Mr...
,
Naked CityNaked City was an avant-garde music group led by saxophonist and composer John Zorn. Active primarily in New York City from 1988 to 1993, Naked City was initiated by Zorn as a "composition workshop" to test the limits of composition in a traditional rock band lineup...
incorporated Zorn's appreciation of hardcore bands like
Agnostic FrontAgnostic Front is an American hardcore band. The band began playing hardcore similar to their contemporaries, and were thrust to the forefront of the burgeoning New York hardcore scene in the mid-1980s with their widely regarded 1984 classic Victim in Pain before evolving to incorporate thrash...
and grindcore bands like
Napalm DeathNapalm Death are a death metal band formed in Birmingham, England in 1981. While none of its original members remain in the group, the lineup of vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway, bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Harris and drummer Danny Herrera has remained consistent for most of the band's ...
with his other influences and experimented with compositional form and
cover versionIn popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s.
Named after a 1945 book of graphic black and white photographs by
WeegeeWeegee was the pseudonym of Arthur Fellig , a photographer and photojournalist, known for his stark black and white street photography....
the band performed an aggressive mix of "
soundtrackA soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
themes,
bluesBlues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
y
hard bopHard bop is a style of jazz that is an extension of bebop music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz which incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospel music, and blues, especially in the saxophone and piano...
, speedy
hardcoreHardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
rockRock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, squealing
free jazzFree jazz is an approach to jazz music that was first developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the music produced by free jazz pioneers varied widely, the common feature was a dissatisfaction with the limitations of bebop, hard bop, and modal jazz, which had developed in the 1940s and 1950s...
[and]
metallicHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
funkFunk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
". Zorn has stated that "Naked City started with rhythm and blues/
Spillane type things then went into this hard-core thing... because I was living in Japan and experiencing a lot of alienation and rejection... My interest in hard-core also spurred the urge to write shorter and shorter pieces."
Naked City followed the release of their
self-titled albumNaked City is an album released on Nonesuch Records in 1990 by John Zorn, featuring the band of the same name. The album was also released as part of Naked City: The Complete Studio Recordings on Tzadik Records in 2005....
with
Torture GardenTorture Garden is an album by John Zorn's band Naked City featuring Yamatsuka Eye on vocals. The album is a compilation of the "hardcore miniatures" that were also released on Naked City and Grand Guignol. Unlike other Naked City albums, there are no breaks between the screaming, the seemingly...
a collection of 42 'hardcore miniatures'; intense brief compositions often lasting less than a minute, in 1989. Some of these tracks had featured on
Naked CityNaked City is an album released on Nonesuch Records in 1990 by John Zorn, featuring the band of the same name. The album was also released as part of Naked City: The Complete Studio Recordings on Tzadik Records in 2005....
and others would resurface on the bands next full-length release,
Grand GuignolGrand Guignol is the second full-length studio album released by John Zorn's band Naked City in 1992 on the Japanese Avant label. The album followed Torture Garden, which was a compilation of "hardcore miniatures" from Naked City and Grand Guignol...
(1992), which also included performances of works by
Claude DebussyClaude-Achille Debussy was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was one of the most prominent figures working within the field of impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions...
,
Alexander ScriabinAlexander Nikolayevich Scriabin was a Russian composer and pianist who initially developed a lyrical and idiosyncratic tonal language inspired by the music of Frédéric Chopin. Quite independent of the innovations of Arnold Schoenberg, Scriabin developed an increasingly atonal musical system,...
,
Orlande de LassusOrlande de Lassus was a Franco-Flemish composer of the late Renaissance...
,
Charles IvesCharles Edward Ives was an American modernist composer. He is one of the first American composers of international renown, though Ives' music was largely ignored during his life, and many of his works went unperformed for many years. Over time, Ives came to be regarded as an "American Original"...
, and
Olivier MessiaenOlivier Messiaen was a French composer, organist and ornithologist, one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex ; harmonically and melodically it is based on modes of limited transposition, which he abstracted from his early compositions and improvisations...
. The band's third album,
HereticHeretic is the third studio album by the band Naked City, used as a soundtrack for the underground S/M film Jeux des Dames Cruelles. The album utilises different combinations of band members in duos and trios with the entire band performing together on only one track "Fire and Ice".According to...
(1992), featured more of these short improvisations produced for the soundtrack of an
undergroundAn underground film is a film that is out of the mainstream either in its style, genre, or financing.-Definition and history:The first use of the term "underground film" occurs in a 1957 essay by American film critic Manny Farber, "Underground Films." Farber uses it to refer to the work of...
S/MSadomasochism broadly refers to the receiving of pleasure—often sexual—from acts involving the infliction or reception of pain or humiliation. The name originates from two authors on the subject, Marquis de Sade and Leopold von Sacher-Masoch...
film
Jeux des Dames Cruelles. The band released a second
EPAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
,
Leng Tch'eLeng Tch'e is the fourth release from John Zorn's band Naked City. It consists of a single track, running at just over half an hour. It was first released on the Japanese Toys Factory label in 1992...
, in 1992 featuring a single composition which lasted just over half an hour.
RadioRadio is the fourth studio album by the band Naked City, and their first to be composed entirely by bandleader John Zorn. The album was also released as part of Naked City: The Complete Studio Recordings on Tzadik Records in 2005....
, released in 1993, was the first Naked City album composed solely by Zorn, and featured tracks drawing on a wide range of musical influences including
Charles MingusCharles Mingus Jr. was an American jazz musician, composer, bandleader, and civil rights activist.Mingus's compositions retained the hot and soulful feel of hard bop and drew heavily from black gospel music while sometimes drawing on elements of Third stream, free jazz, and classical music...
,
Little FeatLittle Feat is an American rock band formed by singer-songwriter, lead vocalist and guitarist Lowell George and keyboardist Bill Payne in 1969 in Los Angeles....
, Ruins, Booker T. and the M.G.'s,
Colin WilsonColin Henry Wilson is a prolific English writer who first came to prominence as a philosopher and novelist. Wilson has since written widely on true crime, mysticism and other topics. He prefers calling his philosophy new existentialism or phenomenological existentialism.- Early biography:Born and...
,
Albert KingAlbert King was an American blues guitarist and singer, and a major influence in the world of blues guitar playing.-Career:...
,
Chuck BrownChuck Brown is a guitarist and singer who is affectionately called "The Godfather of Go-go". Go-go is a subgenre of funk music developed in and around Washington, D.C. in the mid- and late 1970s...
, Orchestra Baobab,
the AccüsedThe Accüsed is a crossover thrash band from Seattle, WA, founded in 1981. They are considered to be an important progenitor of the crossover style that bridged the gap between thrashcore and thrash metal, later influencing grindcore and some crust punk bands; as well as an influential band in the...
,
the MetersThe Meters are an American funk band based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Meters performed and recorded their own music from the late 1960s until 1977...
,
Tony Williams' LifetimeThe Tony Williams Lifetime was a jazz-rock fusion group led by jazz drummer Tony Williams.-Original line-up:The Tony Williams Lifetime was founded in 1969 as a power trio with John McLaughlin on electric guitar, and Larry Young on organ. The band was possibly named for Williams' debut album as a...
,
Anton WebernAnton Webern was an Austrian composer and conductor. He was a member of the Second Viennese School. As a student and significant follower of Arnold Schoenberg, he became one of the best-known exponents of the twelve-tone technique; in addition, his innovations regarding schematic organization of...
,
Sammy CahnSammy Cahn was an American lyricist, songwriter and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premiered by recording companies in the Greater Los Angeles Area...
,
Frank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
,
Morton FeldmanMorton Feldman was an American composer, born in New York City.A major figure in 20th century music, Feldman was a pioneer of indeterminate music, a development associated with the experimental New York School of composers also including John Cage, Christian Wolff, and Earle Brown...
,
Igor StravinskyIgor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
,
the MelvinsThe Melvins are an American band that formed in 1983. They usually perform as a trio, but in recent years have performed as a four piece with two drummers. Since 1984, singer and guitarist Buzz Osborne and drummer Dale Crover have been the band's constant members...
,
BeatmastersThe Beatmasters are a team of dance music songwriters, musicians and producers who were successful as artists in their own right in the UK in the late 1980s and early 1990s and then went on to produce and remix records for many other groups...
,
Septic DeathSeptic Death was a hardcore punk band fronted by artist Brian "Pushead" Schroeder on vocals. Septic Death's music became a major influence on bands like Integrity, Citizens Arrest, Infest, and many other bands tied to the hardcore punk, thrashcore, crust punk etc. scenes...
,
Abe SchwartzAbe Schwartz was a well-known klezmer musician of the 1920s.Abe was born outside of Bucharest, Romania, and moved to the United States in 1899...
, Ivo Papasov,
Naftule BrandweinNaftule Brandwein, or Naftuli Brandwine, was a Jewish clarinetist and influential klezmer musician.- Early life :Brandwein was born in Przemyslany, Poland-Galicia , into a family of klezmer musicians, part of the Stretiner Hasidic dynasty founded by Rabbi Yehuda Hirsch Brandwein of Stratin...
,
RepulsionRepulsion is an early grindcore / death metal band from Flint, Michigan. They have been called the "most influential grindcore band of all time".-History:...
,
Led ZeppelinLed Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
,
Bernard HerrmannBernard Herrmann was an American composer noted for his work in motion pictures.An Academy Award-winner , Herrmann is particularly known for his collaborations with director Alfred Hitchcock, most famously Psycho, North by Northwest, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Vertigo...
,
SantanaSantana is a rock band based around guitarist Carlos Santana and founded in the late 1960s. It first came to public attention after their performing the song "Soul Sacrifice" at the Woodstock Festival in 1969, when their Latin rock provided a contrast to other acts on the bill...
,
Extreme Noise TerrorExtreme Noise Terror are a British crust punk / grindcore band originally formed in Ipswich, England in 1985. The band are widely considered one of the earliest and most influential European grindcore bands, and particularly the forefathers of the crustgrind subgenre.Notable for one of the...
,
Conway TwittyConway Twitty , born Harold Lloyd Jenkins, was an American country music artist. He also had success in early rock and roll, R&B, and pop music. He held the record for the most number one singles of any act with 55 No. 1 Billboard country hits until George Strait broke the record in 2006...
,
SiegeSiege was an American punk/Thrashcore band from Weymouth, Massachusetts. They were active in the 1980s Boston hardcore scene from 1983 to 1985, and reunited briefly in the early 1990s....
,
Ornette ColemanOrnette Coleman is an American saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter and composer. He was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1960s....
,
Corrosion of ConformityCorrosion of Conformity is an American heavy metal band from Raleigh, North Carolina formed in 1982. For almost the majority of its existence, the band has consisted of guitarist Woody Weatherman, bassist Mike Dean , drummer Reed Mullin and vocalist and rhythm...
, Massacre,
Quincy JonesQuincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
, Sam Fuller,
FunkadelicFunkadelic was an American band most prominent during the 1970s. The band and its sister act Parliament, both led by George Clinton, began the funk music culture of that decade.-History:...
,
CarcassCarcass are an extreme metal band from England, who formed in 1985 and disbanded in 1995. A reunion was enacted in 2008 without one of its original members, drummer Ken Owen, due to health reasons....
,
LiberaceWladziu Valentino Liberace , best known simply as Liberace, was a famous American pianist and vocalist.In a career that spanned four decades of concerts, recordings, motion pictures, television and endorsements, Liberace became world-renowned...
,
Jan HammerJan Hammer is a composer, pianist and keyboardist. He first gained his most visible audience while playing keyboards with the Mahavishnu Orchestra in the early 1970s, as well as his film scores for television and film including "Miami Vice Theme" and "Crockett's Theme", from the popular 1980s...
,
Eddie BlackwellEd Blackwell was an American jazz drummer born in New Orleans, Louisiana, known for his extensive work with Ornette Coleman....
,
Charlie HadenCharles Edward Haden is an American jazz musician. He is a double bassist, probably best known for his long association with saxophonist Ornette Coleman...
,
Mick HarrisMick Harris commonly known and credited both as Mick Harris or occasionally M.J. Harris, is an English musician....
,
Carole KingCarole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
,
Red GarlandWilliam "Red" Garland was an American hard bop jazz pianist whose block chord style, in part originated by Milt Buckner, influenced many forthcoming pianists in the jazz idiom.-Beginnings:...
,
Boredoms,
Jerry ReedJerry Reed Hubbard , known professionally as Jerry Reed, was an American country music singer, innovative guitarist, songwriter, and actor who appeared in more than a dozen films...
,
SPKSPK, formed in 1978 in Sydney, Australia, was a 1980s and early 1990s industrial music and noise music group. One member, Graeme Revell, would later go on to become a successful Hollywood movie composer.-History:...
and
Roger WilliamsRoger Williams was an American popular music pianist. As of 2004, he had released 116 albums.-Biography:...
in addition to Zorn's previously identified
touchstoneA touchstone is a small tablet of dark stone such as fieldstone, slate, or lydite, used for assaying precious metal alloys. It has a finely grained surface on which soft metals leave a visible trace.-History:The touchstone was used in ancient Greece...
s. The final recording from the band
AbsintheAbsinthe is the final recording from the band Naked City. Unlike the band's other genre-mixing releases, the music on Absinthe is consistently in an ambient and noise style....
(1993) featured a blend of
ambientAmbient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
noise styled compositions with tracks titled after the works of
Paul VerlainePaul-Marie Verlaine was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the fin de siècle in international and French poetry.-Early life:...
,
Charles BaudelaireCharles Baudelaire was a French poet who produced notable work as an essayist, art critic, and pioneering translator of Edgar Allan Poe. His most famous work, Les Fleurs du mal expresses the changing nature of beauty in modern, industrializing Paris during the nineteenth century...
and other figures in the
fin de siècleFin de siècle is French for "end of the century". The term sometimes encompasses both the closing and onset of an era, as it was felt to be a period of degeneration, but at the same time a period of hope for a new beginning...
Decadent movementThe Decadent movement was a late 19th century artistic and literary movement of Western Europe. It flourished in France, but also had devotees in England and throughout Europe, as well as in the United States.-Overview:...
, and a dedication to
Olivier MessiaenOlivier Messiaen was a French composer, organist and ornithologist, one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex ; harmonically and melodically it is based on modes of limited transposition, which he abstracted from his early compositions and improvisations...
. Zorn disbanded Naked City after this release but briefly reformed the band for a European tour in 2003.
Zorn also formed
PainkillerPainkiller is a band originally formed in 1991. Their style can be described as a mix of avant-garde jazz and grindcore; later albums also incorporated elements of ambient and dub....
with
Bill LaswellBill Laswell is an American bassist, producer and record label owner....
on bass and
Mick HarrisMick Harris commonly known and credited both as Mick Harris or occasionally M.J. Harris, is an English musician....
on drums in 1991. Painkiller's first two releases
Guts of a VirginGuts of a Virgin is the first EP by Painkiller, a band featuring John Zorn, Bill Laswell and Mick Harris. It contains twelve tracks and was released on the Toy's Factory label in Japan and the Earache label in England in 1991...
(1991) and
Buried SecretsBuried Secrets is the second EP by Painkiller released by Toy's Factory in Japan and Earache in the UK, featuring guest appearances from Justin Broadrick and G.C. Green from Godflesh.-Reception:...
(1992) also featured short
grindcoreGrindcore is an extreme genre of music that started in the early- to mid-1980s. It draws inspiration from some of the most abrasive music genres – including death metal, industrial music, noise and the more extreme varieties of hardcore punk....
and
free jazzFree jazz is an approach to jazz music that was first developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the music produced by free jazz pioneers varied widely, the common feature was a dissatisfaction with the limitations of bebop, hard bop, and modal jazz, which had developed in the 1940s and 1950s...
inspired compositions. They released their first live album,
Rituals: Live in JapanRituals: Live in Japan is a live CD by Painkiller, a band featuring John Zorn, Bill Laswell, and Mick Harris, performing live in Tokyo in 1991 with guest guitar and vocals from Haino Keiji. The album was released on the Japanese label, Toys Factory, in 1993....
on the Japanese Toys Factory label in 1993 followed by the double CD
Execution GroundExecution Ground is a double CD by Painkiller, a band featuring John Zorn, Bill Laswell, and Mick Harris. The second disc contains ambient dub versions of two tracks...
(1994) which featured longer
dubDub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
and
ambientAmbient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
styled pieces. A second live album
Talisman: Live in NagoyaTalisman: Live in Nagoya is a live album by Painkiller, a band featuring John Zorn, Bill Laswell, and Mick Harris, performing live in Nagoya, Japan.-Reception:...
was released in 2002 and the band was featured on Zorn's
50th Birthday Celebration Volume 12-Personnel:*John Zorn – alto saxophone*Bill Laswell – bass*Hamid Drake – drums*Mike Patton – voice...
(2005) with
Hamid DrakeHamid Drake is an American jazz drummer and percussionist. He lives in Chicago, IL but spends much of his time traveling around the world for concerts and studio dates....
replacing Harris on drums and guest vocalist
Mike PattonMichael Allan "Mike" Patton is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and actor, best known as the lead singer of the metal/experimental rock band Faith No More. He has also sung for Mr...
.
Both bands attracted worldwide interest, particularly in Japan, where Zorn had relocated following a three-month residency in Tokyo. Zorn collaborated with, and produced, numerous Japanese 'noise' artists including
Merzbowis the main recording name of the Japanese noise musician , born in 1956. Since 1979 he has released in excess of 350 recordings.The name "Merzbow" comes from German artist Kurt Schwitters' artwork, "Merzbau”. This was chosen to reflect Akita's dada influence and junk art aesthetic...
, Otomo Yoshihide, Melt Banana and frequent collaborator Yamatsuka Eye. Many of these artists have now released albums on Tzadik and some regularly travel to New York to perform.
Releases from both bands were criticized for their graphic album covers. The cover of the eponymous album by
Naked CityNaked City was an avant-garde music group led by saxophonist and composer John Zorn. Active primarily in New York City from 1988 to 1993, Naked City was initiated by Zorn as a "composition workshop" to test the limits of composition in a traditional rock band lineup...
used the
WeegeeWeegee was the pseudonym of Arthur Fellig , a photographer and photojournalist, known for his stark black and white street photography....
photograph 'Corpse with Revolver C.A. 1940' which shows a
gangland killingA gangland killing is a murder carried out by organized criminals. According to FBI Uniform Crime Reports, there were 425 gangland killings from 2000 to 2004, 0.6% of all murders committed in the United States during that time...
as did their later
live albumNaked City Live is the only live album released by Naked City. All of these songs, with the exception of "Erotico", "the Way I Feel" and "Skate Key", were later recorded in the studio for the band's debut album.-Track listing:#"Batman" – 2:07...
. Zorn left
Electra NonesuchNonesuch Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Bros. Records.-Company history:Nonesuch was founded in 1964 by Jac Holzman to produce "fine records at the same price as a trade paperback", which would be half the price of a normal LP...
after the company's response to the artwork for
Naked City'sNaked City was an avant-garde music group led by saxophonist and composer John Zorn. Active primarily in New York City from 1988 to 1993, Naked City was initiated by Zorn as a "composition workshop" to test the limits of composition in a traditional rock band lineup...
Grand GuignolGrand Guignol is the second full-length studio album released by John Zorn's band Naked City in 1992 on the Japanese Avant label. The album followed Torture Garden, which was a compilation of "hardcore miniatures" from Naked City and Grand Guignol...
, releasing the remaining
Naked CityNaked City was an avant-garde music group led by saxophonist and composer John Zorn. Active primarily in New York City from 1988 to 1993, Naked City was initiated by Zorn as a "composition workshop" to test the limits of composition in a traditional rock band lineup...
albums on a Japanese-based label,
AvantAvant Records was a record label based in Japan specializing in avant-garde and experimental music. The label was started by composer and saxophonist John Zorn in 1992, as an offshoot of the DIW label...
. The Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence protested against Zorn because they believed that the images used in the graphic design of Naked City's
Torture GardenTorture Garden is an album by John Zorn's band Naked City featuring Yamatsuka Eye on vocals. The album is a compilation of the "hardcore miniatures" that were also released on Naked City and Grand Guignol. Unlike other Naked City albums, there are no breaks between the screaming, the seemingly...
and
Leng Tch'eLeng Tch'e is the fourth release from John Zorn's band Naked City. It consists of a single track, running at just over half an hour. It was first released on the Japanese Toys Factory label in 1992...
portrayed degrading images of Asian people. To avoid problems, Zorn removed the original albums from retail sale and later replaced the artwork with new packaging titled
Black BoxBlack Box is a compilation album by John Zorn's band Naked City featuring Yamatsuka Eye on vocals. The album is a collection of the "hardcore miniatures" from Naked City and Grand Guignol that were originally released on Torture Garden in 1990 and the extended piece Leng Tch'e which was only...
. Painkiller's
Guts of a VirginGuts of a Virgin is the first EP by Painkiller, a band featuring John Zorn, Bill Laswell and Mick Harris. It contains twelve tracks and was released on the Toy's Factory label in Japan and the Earache label in England in 1991...
EP was banned in the UK after customs seized and destroyed the first shipment for violating the Obscene Publications Act.
Execution GroundExecution Ground is a double CD by Painkiller, a band featuring John Zorn, Bill Laswell, and Mick Harris. The second disc contains ambient dub versions of two tracks...
was also released with the original cover photograph of a
lynchingLynching is an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob, often by hanging, but also by burning at the stake or shooting, in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate, control, or otherwise manipulate a population of people. It is related to other means of social control that...
removed. Zorn later re-released the Naked City and Painkiller albums as box sets with restored artwork after forming his own record label.
Zorn recorded
HemophiliacHemophiliac is a limited edition album of improvised experimental music by John Zorn, Ikue Mori and Mike Patton. The album was released as a limited edition 2 CD set of 2,500 copies, personally autographed by Zorn, Patton and Mori, on Zorn's own label Tzadik Records.-Reception:The Allmusic review...
in 2002 with
Mike PattonMichael Allan "Mike" Patton is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and actor, best known as the lead singer of the metal/experimental rock band Faith No More. He has also sung for Mr...
and
Ikue Mori, also known as Ikue Ile, is a drummer, composer, and graphic designer.-Biography:Ikue Mori was born and raised in Japan. She says she had little interest in music before hearing punk rock...
which continued his interest in hardcore improvisations. The first release from this trio was a double CD set which was signed by the performers. Limited to 2,500 copies this album soon became a highly sought after collectors item. The trio also released a live recording as part of Zorn's 50th Birthday Celebration Series.
In 2006 Zorn formed the hardcore voice/bass/drums trio of
Mike PattonMichael Allan "Mike" Patton is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and actor, best known as the lead singer of the metal/experimental rock band Faith No More. He has also sung for Mr...
,
Trevor DunnTrevor Roy Dunn is an American composer, bass guitarist and double bassist.Dunn came to prominence in the 1990s with the experimental band Mr. Bungle. He has since worked in an array of musical styles, notably with singer and Mr...
, and
Joey BaronJoey Baron is an American avant-garde jazz drummer probably best known for his work with Bill Frisell, Stan Getz, Steve Kuhn, and John Zorn...
which became known as the
Moonchild Trio. That year two albums of Zorn's compositions performed by the trio were released:
Moonchild: Songs Without WordsMoonchild: Songs Without Words is an 2006 album by John Zorn featuring performances by Joey Baron, Mike Patton, and Trevor Dunn . It was inspired in part by Aleister Crowley, Antonin Artaud and Edgard Varèse...
and
AstronomeAstronome is an album by John Zorn featuring the "Moonchild Trio" of Joey Baron, Mike Patton and Trevor Dunn. It is the second album by the trio following Moonchild: Songs Without Words....
. A third album with the trio, but also featuring Zorn,
Ikue Mori, also known as Ikue Ile, is a drummer, composer, and graphic designer.-Biography:Ikue Mori was born and raised in Japan. She says she had little interest in music before hearing punk rock...
,
Jamie SaftJamie Saft is a keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist, composer, sound engineer and producer living in upstate NY. Saft was born in Flushing Queens, New York in 1971 and is a graduate of both Tufts University and the New England Conservatory of Music. He has performed and recorded with John Zorn,...
and chorus,
Six Litanies for HeliogabalusSix Litanies for Heliogabalus is an album by John Zorn. It is the third album to feature the "Moonchild Trio" of Mike Patton, Joey Baron and Trevor Dunn, following Moonchild: Songs Without Words and Astronome and the first to feature additional performers...
, was released in 2007. Their fourth release
The CrucibleThe Crucible is an album by John Zorn. It is the fourth album to feature the "Moonchild Trio" of Mike Patton, Joey Baron and Trevor Dunn, following Moonchild: Songs Without Words , Astronome and Six Litanies for Heliogabalus...
appeared in 2008.
Concert music
John Zorn has established a diverse repertoire of music written for
chamber musicChamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
ians and orchestras. As Zorn's interest in Naked City waned he "started hearing classical music in [his] head again." Zorn began composing the suites
ElegyElegy is an album by John Zorn. It is a contemporary classical chamber music piece dedicated to Jean Genet consisting of four movements titled after colors.-Reception:...
(1992) (dedicated to
Jean GenetJean Genet was a prominent and controversial French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. Early in his life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but later took to writing...
) and
KristallnachtKristallnacht is an album by John Zorn that is based on the events before, during, and following the infamous Night of Broken Glass. Zorn first released the album in 1993 on the Japanese Eva label and subsequently in 1995 on his own Tzadik Records label....
(1993) both of which drew on
chamber musicChamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
arrangements of strings, percussion and electronic instruments.
Zorn was quoted in 1998 as saying "Sometimes I get the feeling that people just don't see me as a composer, but it's what I've always been since I was eight years old... I've always thought of myself as a composer, but the world has had a hard time looking at me as a composer because a lot of what I compose is controversial." The establishment of Tzadik allowed Zorn to release many compositions which he had written, over the previous two decades, for
classicalClassical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
ensembles. Zorn's earliest released 'classical' composition (for five flutes), 'Christabel' was written in 1972 and first appeared on
Angelus NovusAngelus Novus is an album of contemporary classical music by American composer and saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist John Zorn including compositions written in 1972 , and 1983 .-Reception:...
in 1998.
Redbird-Personnel:*Jim Pugliese – bass drums, percussion*Carol Emanuel – harp *Erik Friedlander – cello *Jill Jaffe – viola *John Zorn – conductor...
(containing new compositions for bass drums and a harp/viola/cello/percussion quartet inspired by
Agnes MartinAgnes Bernice Martin was an American abstract painter, often referred to as a minimalist; Martin considered herself an abstract expressionist.She won a National Medal of Arts from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1998....
) and
The Book of Heads (35
etudeAn étude , is an instrumental musical composition, most commonly of considerable difficulty, usually designed to provide practice material for perfecting a particular technical skill. The tradition of writing études emerged in the early 19th century with the rapidly growing popularity of the piano...
s for solo guitar written in 1978 for
Eugene ChadbourneEugene Chadbourne is an American improvisor, guitarist and banjoist. Highly eclectic and unconventional, Chadbourne's most formative influence is free jazz. He has also been a reviewer for Allmusic and a contributor to Maximum RocknRoll.Chadbourne started out playing rock and roll guitar, but...
and realised by
Marc RibotMarc Ribot born May 21, 1954) is an American guitarist and composer.His own work has touched on many styles, including no wave, free jazz, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notably Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, and composer John Zorn.-Biography:Ribot was...
) were released in 1995 as part of
TzadikTzadik Records is a record label based in New York City specialising in avant-garde and experimental music. The label was established by the eclectic composer and saxophonist John Zorn in 1995; Zorn is the executive producer of all Tzadik releases...
's Composer Series. Zorn credits the composition of his 1988 piece for
string quartetA string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
"Cat O' Nine Tails", commissioned and originally released by the
Kronos QuartetKronos Quartet is a string quartet founded by violinist David Harrington in 1973 in Seattle, Washington. Since 1978, the quartet has been based in San Francisco, California. The longest-running combination of performers had Harrington and John Sherba on violin, Hank Dutt on viola, and Joan...
, to awakening him to the possibilities of writing for
classical musicClassical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
ians. This composition was featured on
The String Quartets-Track listing:# "Cat O'Nine Tails" – 13:44# "The Dead Man" – 12: 27# "Memento Mori" – 28:57# "Kol Nidre" – 8:32*Recorded at Avatar in New York City in December 1998, January, April and May, 1999-Personnel:*Mark Feldman – violin*Erik Friedlander – cello...
(1999) and
Cartoon S/M- Track listing :* Disc One:# "Cat O’Nine Tails" - 15:35# "Carny" - 12:35# "For Your Eyes Only" - 15:02# "Kol Nidre" - 7:55* Disc Two:# "The Dead Man" - 12:44# "Music for Children" - 14:29# "Memento Mori" - 26:28...
(2000) along with variations on "Kol Nidre", inspired by the
Jewish prayer of atonementKol Nidre is an Aramaic declaration recited in the synagogue before the beginning of the evening service on every Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement...
which was written at the same time as (but not part of) the first
MasadaMasada is a musical group with rotating personnel led by American saxophonist and composer John Zorn since the early 1990s.Masada is as much a "songbook" as a group, comprising more than 500 relatively brief compositions...
book.
Duras: Duchamp-Track listing:# "Duras: Premiere Livre" - 14:41# "Duras: Deuxième Livre" - 0:51# "Duras: Troisième Livre" - 16:46# "Duras: Epilogue" - 1:46# "Étant Donnés: 69 Paroxyms for Marcel Duchamp" - 13:17...
(1997) consists of two 'tribute' compositions, the first dedicated to
Marguerite DurasMarguerite Donnadieu, better known as Marguerite Duras was a French writer and film director.-Background:...
has four movements lasting roughly thirty-four minutes influenced by the composition of Oliver Messiaen, the second "69 Paroxyms for
Marcel DuchampMarcel Duchamp was a French artist whose work is most often associated with the Dadaist and Surrealist movements. Considered by some to be one of the most important artists of the 20th century, Duchamp's output influenced the development of post-World War I Western art...
" lasts just over thirteen minutes.
Aporias: Requia for Piano and OrchestraAporias: Requia for Piano and Orchestra is an album of contemporary classical music by American composer and saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist John Zorn performed by Stephen Drury, the Hungarian Radio Childrens Choir and the American Composers Orchestra....
(1998) was Zorn's first full-scale
orchestraAn orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
l release featuring pianist
Stephen DruryStephen Drury is an American pianist, conductor and electronic musician.Drury has performed and recorded a range of compositions by classical and contemporary composers including Igor Stravinsky, Charles Ives, John Cage, Frederic Rzewski, and John Zorn...
, the Hungarian Radio Children's Choir and the
American Composers OrchestraThe American Composers Orchestra is an American orchestra based in New York City. It is the only orchestra in the world dedicated solely to the creation, performance, preservation, and promulgation of music by American composers...
conducted by
Dennis Russell DaviesDennis Russell Davies is an American conductor and pianist. He studied piano and conducting at the Juilliard School where he received his doctorate...
.
Songs from the Hermetic Theatre-Track listing:# "American Magus" - 14:10# "In the Very Eye of Night" - 11:21# "The Nerve Key" - 9:36# "BeuysBlock" - 16:14*Recorded in March 2001-Personnel:*Jennifer Choi - violins...
(2001) featured four experimental compositions; "American Magus", was Zorn's first piece of electronic music dedicated to
Harry SmithHarry Everett Smith was an American archivist, ethnomusicologist, student of anthropology, record collector, experimental filmmaker, artist, bohemian and mystic...
; "BeuysBlock", a meditation on the work of
Joseph BeuysJoseph Beuys was a German performance artist, sculptor, installation artist, graphic artist, art theorist and pedagogue of art.His extensive work is grounded in concepts of humanism, social philosophy and anthroposophy; it culminates in his "extended definition of art" and the idea of social...
; "In the Very Eye of Night", a tribute to
Maya DerenMaya Deren , born Eleanora Derenkowsky, was an American avant-garde filmmaker and film theorist of the 1940s and 1950s...
; and "The Nerve Key", Zorn's first piece of computer music.
Madness, Love and MysticismMadness, Love and Mysticism is an album of contemporary classical music by American composer John Zorn released in 2001 on Zorn's Tzadik label.-Reception:...
(2001) featured "Le Mômo", inspired by
Antonin ArtaudAntoine Marie Joseph Artaud, more well-known as Antonin Artaud was a French playwright, poet, actor and theatre director...
, performed by
Stephen DruryStephen Drury is an American pianist, conductor and electronic musician.Drury has performed and recorded a range of compositions by classical and contemporary composers including Igor Stravinsky, Charles Ives, John Cage, Frederic Rzewski, and John Zorn...
(piano) and
Jennifer ChoiJennifer Choi is an American violinist based in New York City. Choi graduated from the Juilliard School and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music....
(violin); "Untitled", dedicated to
Joseph CornellJoseph Cornell was an American artist and sculptor, one of the pioneers and most celebrated exponents of assemblage...
, a cello solo for
Erik FriedlanderErik Friedlander is an American cellist and composer based in New York City.A veteran of NYC's experimental downtown scene, Friedlander has worked in many contexts, but is perhaps best known for his frequent collaborations with saxophonist/composer John Zorn...
; and "Amour Fou" featuring the trio.
ChimerasChimeras is an album of contemporary classical music by American composer John Zorn featuring a 12 part piece inspired by Arnold Schoenberg's atonal composition "Pierrot Lunaire"...
(2001) was inspired by
Arnold SchoenbergArnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School...
's atonal composition "
Pierrot LunaireDreimal sieben Gedichte aus Albert Girauds 'Pierrot lunaire' , commonly known simply as Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21 , is a melodrama by Arnold Schoenberg...
".
Several of Zorn's later concert works drew inspiration from mysticism and the works of
Aleister CrowleyAleister Crowley , born Edward Alexander Crowley, and also known as both Frater Perdurabo and The Great Beast, was an influential English occultist, astrologer, mystic and ceremonial magician, responsible for founding the religious philosophy of Thelema. He was also successful in various other...
in particular.
MagickMagick is an album of contemporary classical music by American avant-garde composer John Zorn.-Reception:The Allmusic review awarded the album 3½ stars.- Track listing :# "Necronomicon: Conjurations" - 2:45# "Necronomicon: The Magus" - 6:24...
(2004) featured the Crowley Quartet on "
NecronomiconThe Necronomicon is a fictional grimoire appearing in the stories by horror writer H. P. Lovecraft and his followers. It was first mentioned in Lovecraft's 1924 short story "The Hound", written in 1922, though its purported author, the "Mad Arab" Abdul Alhazred, had been quoted a year earlier in...
: for string quartet" and "Sortilège" written for two bass clarinets. A 2009 performance of "Necronomicon" was described as "...frenetic vortexes of violent, abrasive motion, separated by eerily becalmed, suspenseful sections with moody, even prayerful melodies. The music is sensational and evocative, but never arbitrary; you always sense a guiding hand behind the mayhem".
Mysterium- Track listing :# "Orphée" - 9:14# "Frammenti del Sappho" - 13:37# "Walpurgisnacht: Part 1" - 2:52# "Walpurgisnacht: Part 2" - 5:11# "Walpurgisnacht: Part 3" - 1:53- Personnel :* Tara O'Connor – flute* Lois Martin – viola* June Han – harp...
released in 2005 featured "Orphée" performed by a sextet of flute, viola, harp, harpsichord and electronics; "Frammenti Del Sappho" for female chorus; and "Wulpurgisnacht" for string trio.
Rituals-Track listing:# "I" - 4:48# "II" - 7:45# "III" - 4:21# "IV" - 5:21# "V" - 4:19-Personnel:*Jennifer Choi – violin*Stephen Drury – piano, harpsichord, celeste, organ*Brad Lubman – conductor*Tara O'Connor – flute, alto flute, piccolo...
(2005) featured Zorn's five movement opera for mezzo soprano and ten instruments composed for the
Bayreuth Opera FestivalThe Bayreuth Festival is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of operas by the 19th century German composer Richard Wagner are presented...
in 1998.
From Silence to SorceryFrom Silence to Sorcery is an album of contemporary classical music by John Zorn which features three instrumental works touching upon themes of magic and mysticism. "Goetia" is a set of variations for solo violin written in 2002...
(2007) features three compositions; "Goetia" consists of eight variations for solo violin performed by
Jennifer ChoiJennifer Choi is an American violinist based in New York City. Choi graduated from the Juilliard School and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music....
; "Gris-Gris" is composition for thirteen tuned drums performed by
William WinantWilliam Winant is an American percussionist.In addition to his work in contemporary classical music -- notably performing Lou Harrison's compositions—Winant has worked in a variety of genres, including noise rock, free improvisation and jazz. Notable collaborators include Glenn Spearman, Thurston...
; and "Shibboleth" is a tribute to
Paul CelanPaul Celan was a poet and translator...
scored for clavichord, strings and percussion.
Zorn's concert works have been performed all over the world and he has received commissions from the
New York PhilharmonicThe New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
and
Brooklyn PhilharmonicThe Brooklyn Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, commonly known as the Brooklyn Philharmonic, is an American orchestra based in the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City...
. When the piece for the Brooklyn Philharmonic was played at
New Music AmericaNew Music America was an American festival of experimental or Downtown new music.The festival began at The Kitchen in New York City in 1979. In this first year, the festival was actually called New Music New York....
festival, he wrote in the pamphlet with the music:
Less than an actual music festival, New Music America is a one-sided overview that's more about politics, marketing, and sales than about the music it pretends to support... it's no more than a convention for the people in the music business who try to "out-hip" each other in the manipulation of artists. This postmodern yuppie tendency of business people dictating creative policy to artists is a very real danger that I intend to avoid at all costs.
Masada Books
John Zorn recorded
KristallnachtKristallnacht is an album by John Zorn that is based on the events before, during, and following the infamous Night of Broken Glass. Zorn first released the album in 1993 on the Japanese Eva label and subsequently in 1995 on his own Tzadik Records label....
in November 1992, his premiere work of
radicalRadicalization is the process in which an individual changes from passiveness or activism to become more revolutionary, militant or extremist. Radicalization is often associated with youth, adversity, alienation, social exclusion, poverty, or the perception of injustice to self or others.-...
Jewish
cultureCulture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
, featuring a
suiteIn music, a suite is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral pieces normally performed in a concert setting rather than as accompaniment; they may be extracts from an opera, ballet , or incidental music to a play or film , or they may be entirely original movements .In the...
of seven compositions reflecting the infamous Night of Broken Glass in late 1938 where Jews were targets of violence and destruction in Germany and Austria. The experience prompted Zorn to further explore his Jewish heritage and composing using Jewish musical styles. Zorn then set himself the task of writing 100 compositions within a year incorporating
klezmerKlezmer is a musical tradition of the Ashkenazic Jews of Eastern Europe. Played by professional musicians called klezmorim, the genre originally consisted largely of dance tunes and instrumental display pieces for weddings and other celebrations...
styles with his already broad musical palette. Within three years, the number of compositions had grown to 200 and became known as the first
MasadaMasada is a musical group with rotating personnel led by American saxophonist and composer John Zorn since the early 1990s.Masada is as much a "songbook" as a group, comprising more than 500 relatively brief compositions...
book. Zorn explained:
The initial releases featuring this compositional approach were ten albums by
MasadaMasada is a musical group with rotating personnel led by American saxophonist and composer John Zorn since the early 1990s.Masada is as much a "songbook" as a group, comprising more than 500 relatively brief compositions...
appearing on the Japanese
DIWDIW Records is a Japanese record label. It is a subsidiary label of Disc Union and specializes in jazz and avant garde music. Kazunori Sugiyama was an executive producer for the label before starting Tzadik Records with John Zorn.-Discography:...
label from 1994.
MasadaMasada is a musical group with rotating personnel led by American saxophonist and composer John Zorn since the early 1990s.Masada is as much a "songbook" as a group, comprising more than 500 relatively brief compositions...
(later referred to as 'acoustic' Masada) was an
Ornette ColemanOrnette Coleman is an American saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter and composer. He was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1960s....
-inspired quartet with Zorn (alto saxophone),
Joey BaronJoey Baron is an American avant-garde jazz drummer probably best known for his work with Bill Frisell, Stan Getz, Steve Kuhn, and John Zorn...
(drums),
Dave DouglasDave Douglas is an American jazz trumpeter and composer whose music derives from many non-jazz musical styles, including classical music, folk music from European countries and Klezmer. He has been a member of the experimental big band Orange Then Blue...
(trumpet), and
Greg CohenA native of Los Angeles, bassist Greg Cohen has been playing in various acclaimed music groups since the '60s. He is perhaps best known for his work with John Zorn's Masada quartet; more recently he has been touring with Ornette Coleman, and performed on Coleman's much-praised Sound Grammar...
(bass) that performed jazz-styled compositions based on Sephardic scales and rhythms. The original
MasadaMasada is a musical group with rotating personnel led by American saxophonist and composer John Zorn since the early 1990s.Masada is as much a "songbook" as a group, comprising more than 500 relatively brief compositions...
albums were titled after the first ten letters of the
Hebrew AlphabetThe Hebrew alphabet , known variously by scholars as the Jewish script, square script, block script, or more historically, the Assyrian script, is used in the writing of the Hebrew language, as well as other Jewish languages, most notably Yiddish, Ladino, and Judeo-Arabic. There have been two...
–
AlefMasada: Alef, also known as Masada 1, is a 1994 album by American jazz composer and saxophonist John Zorn featuring the Masada Quartet performing compositions inspired by Zorn's examination of Jewish culture...
,
BeitMasada: Beit, also known as Masada 2, is a 1995 album by American jazz composer and saxophonist John Zorn. It is the second album of Masada recordings.-Reception:...
,
GimelMasada: Gimel, also known as Masada 3, is a 1995 album by American composer and saxophonist John Zorn released on the Japanese DIW label....
,
DaletMasada: Dalet, also known as Masada 4, is a 1995 album by American composer and saxophonist John Zorn. It is the fourth album of Masada recordings. The original pressing of this album was never available for retail sale as it was given away by DIW in exchange of the proof of buying the first three...
,
HeiMasada: Hei, also known as Masada 5, is a 1995 album by American composer and saxophonist John Zorn. It is the fifth album of Masada recordings.-Reception:...
,
Vav-Track listing:#"Debir" – 8:02#"Shebuah" – 8:09#"Mikreh" – 3:57#"Tiferet" – 4:05#"Nevalah" – 2:10#"Miktav" – 9:40#"Nashon" – 8:37#"Avelut" – 7:31#"Beer Sheba" – 8:50...
,
Zayin-Track listing:# "Shevet" – 7:58# "Hath-Arob" – 3:24# "Mahshav" – 6:16# "Shamor" – 5:09# "Bacharach" – 1:24# "Otoit" – 3:27# "Nevuah" – 8:22# "Kedem" – 9:55# "Zemer" – 2:14# "Evel" – 5:35# "Tekufah" – 6:59...
,
HetMasada: Het, also known as Masaday 8, is a 1997 album by American composer and saxophonist John Zorn released on the Japanese DIW label...
,
Tet- Track listing :# "Chayah" – 9:33# "Karet" – 1:56# "Moshav" – 6:50# "Leshem" – 4:36# "Kochot" – 5:15# "Meholalot" – 8:50# "Kedushah" – 6:18# "Ner Tamid" – 4:07# "Acharei Mot" – 9:04# "Jachin" – 5:37* Recorded at Avatar, New York City on April 21, 1997...
and
YodMasada: Yod, also known as Masada 10, is a 1998 album by American composer and saxophonist John Zorn released on the Japanese DIW label. It is the tenth album of Masada recordings.-Reception:...
– and contained compositions with Hebrew titles. Further releases by
MasadaMasada is a musical group with rotating personnel led by American saxophonist and composer John Zorn since the early 1990s.Masada is as much a "songbook" as a group, comprising more than 500 relatively brief compositions...
consisted of live performances of the band recorded in
Jerusalem- Track listing :* Disc one# "Piram" - 9:52# "Bith Aneth" - 11:57# "Lachish" - 3:35# "Peliyot" - 7:11# "Hadasha" - 10:53# "Ravayah" - 3:35# "Zebdi" - 1:53# "Tirzah" - 8:07# "Hekhal" - 3:31* Disc two# "Kanah" - 6:12# "Shilhim" - 2:39...
,
TaipeiLive in Taipei is a double live album by John Zorn's Masada recorded at the Crown Theatre in Taiwan's capital city Taipei.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Joclyn Layne awarded the album 3½ stars stating "With so many exceptional recordings available of the Masada quartet, this one may be...
,
Middleheim-Track listing:# "Nevuah" – 9:48# "Sippur" – 3:20# "Hath-Arob" – 5:20# "Kedushah" – 6:53# "Ne’eman" – 13:05# "Karet" – 2:03# "Kochot" – 4:57# "Piram" – 12:13# "Paran" – 6:00# "Ashnah" – 7:19# "Tahah" – 7:26*Recorded live in Antwerp on August 15, 1999...
,
Seville-Track listing:# "Ne’eman" – 13:00# "Katzatz" – 5:09# "Hadasha" – 11:11# "Beeroth" – 7:30# "Yoreh" – 10:09# "Hazor" – 6:47# "Nashon" – 10:11# "Lakom" – 5:24# "Bith Aneth" – 9:35*Recorded live in Seville, Spain on July 25, 2000-Personnel:...
and in New York at the
Knitting FactoryFirst Live 1993 is a live album by John Zorn's Masada documenting their premier live appearance at the Knitting Factory in September, 1993.-Reception:...
and at
Tonic- Track listing :* Disc one# "Intro" - 1:23# "Karaim" - 17:50# "Ner Tamid" - 5:07# "Acharei Mot" - 11:07# "Kisofim" - 7:12# "Jachin" - 6:30# "Malkhut" - 4:52# "Nashim" - 6:38* Disc two# "Intro" - 0:30# "Lilin" - 14:43# "Khebar" - 5:59...
and as a
DVDMasada Live at Tonic is a DVD of a live performance by John Zorn's Masada filmed at Tonic in the summer of 1999.-Track listing:# "Hath-Arob"# "Sippur"# "Jair"# "Ne'eman"# "Kedushah"# "Beeroth"# "Kochot"# "Shechem"# "Paran"-Personnel:...
, and a double CD of unreleased studio recordings,
Sanhedrin 1994-1997-Track listing:*Disc One# "Piram" – 6:22# "Lebaoth" – 6:08# "Idalah Abal" – 7:38# "Midbar" – 5:06# "Zelah" – 4:27# "Katzatz" – 2:20# "Abidan" – 6:53# "Hekhal" – 3:07# "Tannaim" – 8:34# "Nefesh" – 5:40# "Neshamah" – 7:15# "Lakom" – 3:46...
(2005).
The Masada quartet performed at the
Lincoln Center for the Performing ArtsLincoln Center for the Performing Arts is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of New York City's Upper West Side. Reynold Levy has been its president since 2002.-History and facilities:...
in March 2007 for what were billed as their final concerts. Zorn reformed the band as a sextet with
Uri CaineUri Caine is an American classical and jazz pianist and composer.-Early years:The son of Burton Caine, a professor at Temple Law School, Caine began playing piano at seven and studied with French jazz pianist Bernard Peiffer at 12. He later studied at the University of Pennsylvania where he came...
and
Cyro BaptistaCyro Baptista is a Brazilian musician, teacher, and recording artist specializing in percussion in the genres of jazz and world music....
in 2009 saying:
The Masada Book has been performed by many different ensembles and musicians. The Masada String Trio composed of Greg Cohen (bass),
Mark FeldmanMark Feldman is an American jazz violinist.Feldman worked in Chicago from 1973 to 1980, and in Nashville, Tennessee from 1980 to 1986. He worked in New York City and Western Europe from 1986. Feldman often works with John Zorn, Sylvie Courvoisier, John Abercrombie, The Masada String Trio, Dave...
(violin), and
Erik FriedlanderErik Friedlander is an American cellist and composer based in New York City.A veteran of NYC's experimental downtown scene, Friedlander has worked in many contexts, but is perhaps best known for his frequent collaborations with saxophonist/composer John Zorn...
(cello) regularly performs and records Zorn's Masada pieces. This group, with the addition of
Marc RibotMarc Ribot born May 21, 1954) is an American guitarist and composer.His own work has touched on many styles, including no wave, free jazz, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notably Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, and composer John Zorn.-Biography:Ribot was...
(guitar), Cyro Baptista (percussion), and Joey Baron (drums) also perform as the
Bar Kohkba SextetMasada is a musical group with rotating personnel led by American saxophonist and composer John Zorn since the early 1990s.Masada is as much a "songbook" as a group, comprising more than 500 relatively brief compositions...
. Electric Masada, the most recent regular Masada ensemble usually features Zorn, Baptista, Baron, and Ribot, along with
Trevor DunnTrevor Roy Dunn is an American composer, bass guitarist and double bassist.Dunn came to prominence in the 1990s with the experimental band Mr. Bungle. He has since worked in an array of musical styles, notably with singer and Mr...
(bass),
Ikue Mori, also known as Ikue Ile, is a drummer, composer, and graphic designer.-Biography:Ikue Mori was born and raised in Japan. She says she had little interest in music before hearing punk rock...
(electronics),
Jamie SaftJamie Saft is a keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist, composer, sound engineer and producer living in upstate NY. Saft was born in Flushing Queens, New York in 1971 and is a graduate of both Tufts University and the New England Conservatory of Music. He has performed and recorded with John Zorn,...
(keyboards) and
Kenny WollesenKenny Wollesen is an American drummer and percussionist.Wollesen lives in New York City. He has recorded and toured with many musicians including Tom Waits, Sean Lennon, Ron Sexsmith, Bill Frisell, Norah Jones, Steven Bernstein and John Zorn. He is a founding member of the New Klezmer Trio and a...
(drums). A Tenth Anniversary Series of Masada recordings was released by Zorn beginning in 2003. The series featured five albums of Masada themes including
Masada GuitarsMasada Anniversary Edition Vol. 1: Masada Guitars is the first album in a series of five releases celebrating the 10th anniversary of John Zorn's Masada songbook project.-History:...
by
Marc RibotMarc Ribot born May 21, 1954) is an American guitarist and composer.His own work has touched on many styles, including no wave, free jazz, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notably Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, and composer John Zorn.-Biography:Ribot was...
/
Bill FrisellWilliam Richard "Bill" Frisell is an American guitarist and composer.One of the leading guitarists in jazz since the late 1980s, Frisell's eclectic music touches on progressive folk, classical music, country music, noise and more...
/
Tim SparksTim Sparks is an American acoustic guitar player, singer, arranger and composer.- Biography:Raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, he was given his first guitar when a bout of encephalitis kept him out of school for a year...
,
Masada RecitalMasada Anniversary Edition Vol. 4: Masada Recital is the fourth album in a series of five releases celebrating the 10th anniversary of John Zorn's Masada songbook project. It features 12 Masada songs performed by Sylvie Courvoisier on piano and Mark Feldman on violin...
by
Mark FeldmanMark Feldman is an American jazz violinist.Feldman worked in Chicago from 1973 to 1980, and in Nashville, Tennessee from 1980 to 1986. He worked in New York City and Western Europe from 1986. Feldman often works with John Zorn, Sylvie Courvoisier, John Abercrombie, The Masada String Trio, Dave...
&
Sylvie CourvoisierSylvie Courvoisier is a Swiss composer and pianist.Courvoisier was born and raised in Switzerland. In 1998, she moved to Brooklyn, New York, where she currently resides. She co-leads the Sylvie Courvoisier/Mark Feldman Quartet and leads her own quintet, Lonelyville, and the Trio Abaton...
,
Masada RockMasada Anniversary Edition Vol. 5: Masada Rock is the fifth and final album in a series of five releases celebrating the 10th anniversary of John Zorn's Masada songbook project...
by Rashanim and two albums featuring various artists -
Voices in the WildernessMasada Anniversary Edition Volume 2: Voices in the Wilderness is the second album in a series of five releases celebrating the 10th anniversary of John Zorn's Masada songbook project....
and
The Unknown Masada-Track listing:# "Kinyan" - 4:50# "Olamim" - 3:48# "Vehuel" - 5:32# "Shofetim" - 3:02# "Partzuf" - 4:22# "Zarach" - 6:57...
.
In 2004, Zorn began composing the second Masada Book, 'The Book of Angels', resulting in an additional 300 compositions. Zorn explained:
He has released several albums of Masada Book Two compositions performed by other artists. Recordings by the
Jamie Saft TrioAstaroth: Book of Angels Volume 1 is an album by the Jamie Saft Trio performing compositions from John Zorn's second Masada book, "The Book of Angels".- Track listing :# "Shalmiel" - 5:25# "Ygal" - 3:10# "Astaroth" - 6:11# "Ezeqeel" - 4:22...
,
Masada String TrioAzazel: Book of Angels Volume 2 is an album by the Masada String Trio performing compositions from John Zorn's second Masada book, "The Book of Angels".-Reception:The Allmusic review awarded the album 3½ stars.- Track listing :# "Tufiel" - 6:22...
,
Mark Feldman & Sylvie CourvoisierMalphas: Book of Angels Volume 3 is an album by Sylvie Courvoisier and Mark Feldman performing compositions from John Zorn's second Masada book, "The Book of Angels".-Reception:...
,
Koby Israelite-Track listing:# "Rampel" - 6:31# "Zafiel" - 4:40# "Ezgadi" - 5:16# "Nisroc" - 4:56# "Negef" - 5:54# "Khabiel" - 6:28# "Chayo" - 6:27# "Rachmiel" - 8:08*Recorded in London, UK in November-December 2005-Personnel:...
,
The Cracow Klezmer Band- Track listing :# "Zuriel" - 4:18# "Suria" - 7:56# "Lirael" - 6:07# "Kadosh" - 2:43# "Haniel" - 5:02# "Jehoel" - 5:17# "Asbeel" - 5:05# "Aniel" - 3:48*Recorded at Studio 2002 in Krakow on February 13 and March 1, 2006- Personnel :* Jaroslaw Bester – bayan...
,
Uri Caine- Track listing :# Rimmon - 4:45# Lomiel - 3:56# Kebriel - 4:32# Savliel - 2:25# Tufrial - 4:04# Jerazol - 3:41# Harshiel - 3:34# Lumah - 3:14# Harviel - 5:01# Segef - 1:59# Sabriel - 4:59# Shokad - 2:56# Zophiel - 5:01# Hayyoth - 2:31# Nuriel - 5:51...
,
Marc RibotAsmodeus: Book of Angels Volume 7 is an album by Marc Ribot performing compositions from John Zorn's second Masada book, The Book of Angels.-Track listing:All compositions are by John Zorn.# "Kalmiya" – 4:41# "Yezriel" – 7:26# "Kezef" – 2:32...
,
Erik FriedlanderVolac: Book of Angels Volume 8 is an album by Erik Friedlander performing compositions from John Zorn's second Masada book, "The Book of Angels".-Track listing:# Harhazial - 4:36# Rachsiel - 2:39# Zumiel - 1:40...
,
Secret Chiefs 3-External links:*[ Xaphan: Book of Angels Volume 9] at Allmusic...
,
Bar Kokhba Sextet-Track listing:# Sother - 5:58# Dalquiel - 6:07# Zazel - 3:22# Gediel - 6:12# Rahal - 3:49# Zechriel - 7:54# Azbugah - 3:02# Mehalalel - 9:53# Quelamia - 4:59# Abdiel - 3:24-Personnel:*Cyro Baptista – percussion*Joey Baron – drums*Greg Cohen – bass...
, Medeski, Martin and Wood, and the
Masada QuintetStolas: Book of Angels Volume 12 is an album by the Masada Quintet featuring Joe Lovano performing compositions from John Zorn's Masada Book Two...
have been released in this series. The titles of many Masada Book Two compositions are derived from
demonologyDemonology is the systematic study of demons or beliefs about demons. It is the branch of theology relating to superhuman beings who are not gods. It deals both with benevolent beings that have no circle of worshippers or so limited a circle as to be below the rank of gods, and with malevolent...
and
Judeo-ChristianJudeo-Christian is a term used in the United States since the 1940s to refer to standards of ethics said to be held in common by Judaism and Christianity, for example the Ten Commandments...
mythologyThe term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
.
Tzadik record label
In 1992 John Zorn collaborated with the Japanese Disc Union label to curate the Avant imprint, a subsidiary of the DIW jazz label which released the first
MasadaMasada is a musical group with rotating personnel led by American saxophonist and composer John Zorn since the early 1990s.Masada is as much a "songbook" as a group, comprising more than 500 relatively brief compositions...
albums. Several
Naked CityNaked City was an avant-garde music group led by saxophonist and composer John Zorn. Active primarily in New York City from 1988 to 1993, Naked City was initiated by Zorn as a "composition workshop" to test the limits of composition in a traditional rock band lineup...
recordings were released through the Avant label as well as many others on which Zorn featured
downtownDowntown music is a subdivision of American music, closely related to experimental music. The scene the term describes began in 1960, when Yoko Ono—one of the Fluxus artists, at that time still seven years away from meeting John Lennon—opened her loft at 112 Chambers Street to be used...
musicians including Derek Bailey,
BucketheadBrian Carroll , better known by his stage name Buckethead, is a guitarist and multi instrumentalist who has worked within several genres of music. He has released 34 studio albums, four special releases and one EP. He has performed on over 50 more albums by other artists...
,
Eugene ChadbourneEugene Chadbourne is an American improvisor, guitarist and banjoist. Highly eclectic and unconventional, Chadbourne's most formative influence is free jazz. He has also been a reviewer for Allmusic and a contributor to Maximum RocknRoll.Chadbourne started out playing rock and roll guitar, but...
,
Dave DouglasDave Douglas is an American jazz trumpeter and composer whose music derives from many non-jazz musical styles, including classical music, folk music from European countries and Klezmer. He has been a member of the experimental big band Orange Then Blue...
,
Erik FriedlanderErik Friedlander is an American cellist and composer based in New York City.A veteran of NYC's experimental downtown scene, Friedlander has worked in many contexts, but is perhaps best known for his frequent collaborations with saxophonist/composer John Zorn...
,
Wayne HorvitzWayne Horvitz is an American composer, keyboardist and record producer.-Biography:Horvitz, a "defiant cross-breeder of genres", has led the groups The President, Pigpen, Zony Mash, and the Four Plus One Ensemble...
,
Ikue Mori, also known as Ikue Ile, is a drummer, composer, and graphic designer.-Biography:Ikue Mori was born and raised in Japan. She says she had little interest in music before hearing punk rock...
,
Bobby PreviteRobert "Bobby" Previte is a drummer, composer and bandleader. Previte earned a B.A. in Economics at the University at Buffalo, where he also studied percussion. He moved to New York City in 1979, and became active in the city's thriving jazz and experimental music scenes...
,
Zeena ParkinsZeena Parkins is a harpist active in rock music, free improvisation and jazz. Parkins plays standard harps, as well as several custom-made one-of-a kind electric harps; she also plays piano and accordion...
and
Marc RibotMarc Ribot born May 21, 1954) is an American guitarist and composer.His own work has touched on many styles, including no wave, free jazz, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notably Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, and composer John Zorn.-Biography:Ribot was...
.
In 1995, in co-operation with jazz producer Kazunori Sugiyama, Zorn established the
TzadikTzadik Records is a record label based in New York City specialising in avant-garde and experimental music. The label was established by the eclectic composer and saxophonist John Zorn in 1995; Zorn is the executive producer of all Tzadik releases...
label to ensure availability of his catalogue and promote
experimental musicExperimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
ians. Zorn said that the label is a way to shield from the power of the music industry, with "giant corporations acting like slave masters, like the return of the pharaohs," merging together to get even more powerful like in the
PolygramPolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
-
UniversalUniversal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
acquisition; and to shield from distribution companies like
TowerTower Records was a retail music chain that was based in Sacramento, California. It currently exists as an international franchise and an online music store....
,
HMVHMV is a British global entertainment retail chain and is the largest of its kind in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The company also operates in Hong Kong and Singapore. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE Fledgling Index...
, and Virgin Megastores, that are destroying "the small mom and pop stores—people that love the music and that’s why they have their store," and from the insidious pollution of the tastes of the masses, "with brainwashing and brain-control. These marketing guys who are at the head of all these companies, they’re really the ones that are spoon-feeding everybody shit."
Zorn is inspired by other artists and different musical styles, particularly those working in improvised music. He has a special attraction to underground artists and musical styles that are extremely loud, wild, or creative. Tzadik has established a diverse catalogue reflecting Zorn's range of musical influences and influence. The Tzadik website describes the label as "...dedicated to releasing the best in avant garde and experimental music, presenting a worldwide community of musician-composers who find it difficult or impossible to release their music through conventional channels".
The label's releases are divided into series:
- The Archival Series features Zorn's recordings exclusively, including re-releases of several albums that appeared on other labels, Zorn's film work, and recordings from 1973 onwards;
- The 50th Birthday Celebration Series is 11 live albums recorded in September 2003 at Tonic as part of the month-long concert retrospective of Zorn's work;
- The Composer Series features Zorn's music for 'classical' ensembles along with work by many other contemporary composers;
- The Radical Jewish Culture Series features contemporary Jewish musicians;
- The New Japan Series covers Japanese underground music;
- The Film Music Series features soundtracks by other musicians (Zorn's Filmworks recordings are feartured in the Archival Series);
- The Oracle Series promotes women in experimental music;
- The Key Series presents notable avant-garde musicians and projects;
- The Lunatic Fringe Series releases music and musicians operating outside of the broad categories offered by other series; and
- The Spotlight Series promotes new bands and musical projects of young musicians.
Tzadik also releases special edition CDs, DVDs, books and T-shirts. Since 1998 the designs of Tzadik releases have been created by graphic artist Heung-Heung "Chippy" Chin.
Music romance
Zorn released
Music for ChildrenMusic for Children is the first release in John Zorn's Music Romance Series and features three Naked City compositions performed by Zorn with the band Prelapse; a 20-minute composition for wind machines and controlled feedback systems dedicated to Edgar Varese, and a classical chamber music piece...
in 1998. The album, identified as "Music Romance Volume One" portrayed the broad spectrum of Zorn's compositions.
Music for Children opened with a
polyrhythmPolyrhythm is the simultaneous sounding of two or more independent rhythms.Polyrhythm in general is a nonspecific term for the simultaneous occurrence of two or more conflicting rhythms, of which cross-rhythm is a specific and definable subset.—Novotney Polyrhythms can be distinguished from...
ic
etudeAn étude , is an instrumental musical composition, most commonly of considerable difficulty, usually designed to provide practice material for perfecting a particular technical skill. The tradition of writing études emerged in the early 19th century with the rapidly growing popularity of the piano...
for percussion and
celesteThe celesta or celeste is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. Its appearance is similar to that of an upright piano or of a large wooden music box . The keys are connected to hammers which strike a graduated set of metal plates suspended over wooden resonators...
, featured three short
Naked CityNaked City was an avant-garde music group led by saxophonist and composer John Zorn. Active primarily in New York City from 1988 to 1993, Naked City was initiated by Zorn as a "composition workshop" to test the limits of composition in a traditional rock band lineup...
compositions, written at the time of
Torture GardenTorture Garden is an album by John Zorn's band Naked City featuring Yamatsuka Eye on vocals. The album is a compilation of the "hardcore miniatures" that were also released on Naked City and Grand Guignol. Unlike other Naked City albums, there are no breaks between the screaming, the seemingly...
, performed by Zorn with the Boston-based band
PrelapsePrelapse is an album by the Boston-based band of the same name featuring John Zorn. The album was released on the Japanese Avant label in 1999 and features 10 tracks originally written by Zorn for the band Naked City...
, a composition for wind machines and feedback dedicated to
Edgard VarèseEdgard Victor Achille Charles Varèse, , whose name was also spelled Edgar Varèse , was an innovative French-born composer who spent the greater part of his career in the United States....
, a classical chamber piece for violin, percussion and piano, and ended with a music box-styled
lullabyA lullaby is a soothing song, usually sung to young children before they go to sleep, with the intention of speeding that process. As a result they are often simple and repetitive. Lullabies can be found in every culture and since the ancient period....
. The second "Music Romance" album,
Taboo & ExileTaboo & Exile is an album by John Zorn which synthetizes exotica, hardcore punk, classical, jazz, surf and world narration into a new prodigious genre...
, was released in 1999 and featured a similar spectrum of broad styles. One of Zorn's most popular albums was the third in the series,
The GiftThe Gift is an album by John Zorn released in 2001. It is the third volume of his Music Romance Series and described as an album "for lovers only".-Reception:...
(2001), which surprised many with its relaxed blend of surf, exotica and world music. Zorn released
The Dreamers-Track listing:# "Mow Mow" - 3:03# "Uluwati" - 3:37# "A Ride on Cottonfair" - 4:22# "Anulikwutsayl" - 9:02# "Toys" - 2:46# "Of Wonder and Certainty " - 4:30# "Mystic Circles" - 6:08# "Nekashim" - 3:56# "Exodus" - 7:02# "Forbidden Tears" - 3:07...
in 2008 which is considered to be a sequel to
The Gift although not identified as a volume of "Music Romance". 2009 also saw the release of the album
O'oO'o is an album by John Zorn released in 2009. It is viewed as a sequel to his 2007 album The Dreamers and is the fifth album in his Music Romance series.-Track listing:# "Miller's Crake"# "Akialoa# "Po'o'uli"# "Little Bittern"...
, featuring the same style of music and set of players as the 2008 album.
50th birthday celebration
In September 2003 Zorn celebrated his 50th birthday with a month-long series of performances at Tonic in New York, repeating an event he had begun a decade earlier at the
Knitting FactoryThe Knitting Factory is a music venue and concert house with locations in Brooklyn, Boise, Reno, and Spokane. The club originally specialized in jazz and experimental music and has expanded to showcasing all genres of music, performing arts and comedy....
. He conceptualized the month into several different aspects of his musical output. Zorn's bands performed on the weekends, classical ensembles were featured on Sundays, Zorn performed improvisations with other musicians on Mondays, featured his extended compositions on Tuesdays and a retrospective of game pieces on Wednesdays. Twelve
live albumA live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
s were released on his 50th Birthday Celebration Series which featured performances by the
Masada String Trio- Personnel :*Greg Cohen – bass*Mark Feldman – violin*Erik Friedlander – cello*John Zorn – conductor...
,
Milford Graves & John Zorn,
Locus Solus50th Birthday Celebration Volume 3: Locus Solus is a live album of improvised music by Anton Fier, Arto Lindsay and John Zorn documenting their performance at Tonic in September, 2003 as part of John Zorn's month-long 50th Birthday Celebration concert series.-Track listing:-Personnel:*John...
,
Electric Masada50th Birthday Celebration Volume 4 is a live album by Electric Masada documenting their performance at Tonic in September, 2003 as part of John Zorn's month-long 50th Birthday Celebration.-Track listing:-Personnel:*Cyro Baptista– percussion...
,
Fred Frith & John Zorn-Track listing:*Recorded live at Tonic in New York City on September 15, 2003...
,
Hemophiliac50th Birthday Celebration Volume 6: Hemophiliac is a live album of improvised music by Mike Patton, Ikue Mori and John Zorn documenting their performance at Tonic in September, 2003 as part of John Zorn's month-long 50th Birthday Celebration concert series....
,
Masada- Track listing :*Recorded at Tonic in New York City in September 2003- Personnel :* John Zorn– saxophone* Dave Douglas– trumpet* Greg Cohen– bass* Joey Baron– drums...
,
Susie Ibrarra, Wadada Leo Smith & John Zorn-Personnel:*John Zorn – alto saxophone*Susie Ibarra – drums *Wadada Leo Smith – trumpet...
,
John Zorn solo,
Yamataka Eye & John Zorn50th Birthday Celebration Volume 10 is a live album of improvised music by Yamataka Eye and John Zorn documenting their performance at Tonic in September, 2003 as part of John Zorn's month-long 50th Birthday Celebration concert series.-Track listing:...
,
Bar Kokhba Sextet-Personnel:*Cyro Baptista – percussion*Joey Baron – drums*Greg Cohen – bass*Erik Friedlander – cello*Marc Ribot – guitar*Mark Feldman – violin*John Zorn – conductor...
and
Painkiller-Personnel:*John Zorn – alto saxophone*Bill Laswell – bass*Hamid Drake – drums*Mike Patton – voice...
.
Recent projects
Zorn was the principal force in establishing The Stone in 2005, an avant-garde performance space in New York's
Alphabet CityAlphabet City is a neighborhood located within the Lower East Side and East Village in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is also known as Loisaida, a Spanglish adaptation of 'Lower East Side'. Its name comes from Avenues A, B, C, and D, the only avenues in Manhattan to have single-letter...
which supports itself solely on donations and the sale of limited edition CDs, giving all door revenues directly to the performers. Zorn holds the title of artistic director and regularly performs 'Improvisation Nights'. On Friday April 13, 2007, Zorn played the final night at Tonic, the
Lower East SideThe Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
venue where he played regularly for the previous decade, which closed due to financial pressures. On January 10, 2008, Zorn performed with
Lou ReedLewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
and
Laurie AndersonLaura Phillips "Laurie" Anderson is an American experimental performance artist, composer and musician who plays violin and keyboards and sings in a variety of experimental music and art rock styles. Initially trained as a sculptor, Anderson did her first performance-art piece in the late 1960s...
at a special benefit night at The Stone which was also released on
The Stone: Issue ThreeThe Stone: Issue Three is a limited edition live album of improvised experimental music by John Zorn, Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson recorded at The Stone on January 10, 2008. All proceeds from the sale of this album support The Stone.-Personnel:...
on CD.
On February 4, 2008, Zorn premiered his work for three cellists "777" performed by
Fred SherryFred Sherry is an American cello virtuoso who is particularly admired for his work as a chamber musician and concert soloist. He studied with Leonard Rose at the Juilliard School before winning the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in 1968. In 1971 he co-founded the Speculum Musicae...
,
Erik FriedlanderErik Friedlander is an American cellist and composer based in New York City.A veteran of NYC's experimental downtown scene, Friedlander has worked in many contexts, but is perhaps best known for his frequent collaborations with saxophonist/composer John Zorn...
, and Michael Nicolas at the
Guggenheim MuseumThe Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is a well-known museum located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. It is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art and also features special exhibitions...
. Zorn premiered
The Dreamers-Track listing:# "Mow Mow" - 3:03# "Uluwati" - 3:37# "A Ride on Cottonfair" - 4:22# "Anulikwutsayl" - 9:02# "Toys" - 2:46# "Of Wonder and Certainty " - 4:30# "Mystic Circles" - 6:08# "Nekashim" - 3:56# "Exodus" - 7:02# "Forbidden Tears" - 3:07...
with members of Electric Masada on February 29, 2008 at St Anne's Warehouse in Brooklyn. On March 27, 2008,
Miller TheaterThe Miller Theater is a former movie theater located in Augusta, Georgia. The Miller was built by architect Roy A. Benjamin utilizing the Arte Moderne style of architecture and was owned by Frank Miller. Due to an economic downturn in the 1980s in downtown Augusta, the theater was forced to close...
at
Columbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in New York City, which has been the venue for several premieres of Zorn's concert works, hosted the first performance of a new composition by John Zorn, "The Prophetic Mysteries of Angels, Witches & Demons". Zorn curated the music for the
Aleph-Bet Sound Project, a
sound installationSound installation is an intermedia and time based art form. It is an expansion of an art installation in the sense that it includes the sound element and therefore the time element...
featuring new music by Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, Erik Friedlander, David Greenberger, Chris Brown, Z’EV, Terry Riley, Alvin Curran, Christina Kubisch,
Marina RosenfeldMarina Rosenfeld is an American composer, sound artist and visual artist based in New York.- External links :*http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/art/26736/marina-rosenfeld*http://whitney.org/www/2008biennial/www/?section=artists&page=artist_rosenfeld...
, Raz Mesinai, and Jewlia, at the
Contemporary Jewish MuseumThe Contemporary Jewish Museum was founded in 1984 in San Francisco, California, with the goal of offering contemporary perspectives on Jewish culture, history, art, and ideas...
from June 4, 2008 to January 8, 2009. Zorn's "Shir Ha-Shirim" premiered in February 2008. The piece is inspired by the
Song of SongsSong of Songs, also known as the Song of Solomon, is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament. It may also refer to:In music:* Song of songs , the debut album by David and the Giants* A generic term for medleysPlays...
from the
old testamentThe Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
and is performed by an amplified quintet of female singers with female and male narrators performing the "
Song of SolomonThe Song of Songs of Solomon, commonly referred to as Song of Songs or Song of Solomon, is a book of the Hebrew Bible—one of the megillot —found in the last section of the Tanakh, known as the Ketuvim...
". Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson read the texts in English for the February performances. The group returned to New York for performances at the Guggenheim on November 23 and 24, at which Ayelet Rose Gottlieb and Jeremy Fogel recited in Hebrew. These performances at the
Guggenheim MuseumThe Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is a well-known museum located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. It is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art and also features special exhibitions...
in November 2008 featured choreography for paired dancers from the Khmer Arts Ensemble by
Sophiline Cheam ShapiroSophiline Cheam Shapiro is a Cambodian dancer and choreographer.-Early life:At the age of eight she was forced to live in the countryside of Cambodia after her family was evacuated from the city by the Khmer Rouge...
. The ensemble includes Marc Ribot on guitar, Carol Emanuel on harp, Trevor Dunn bass and the five extraordinary female vocalists. The Daughters of Jerusalem, as they are known for this project are, Lisa Bielawa, Martha Cluver, Abby Fischer, Kathryn Mulvihill and Kirsten Sollek.
Photos of February rehearsals. Shir Ha-Shirim was also performed in Milano, Italy on September 24, 2008 and in Paris, France for the Jazz à la Villette event, on Saturday September 5, 2009.
In 2009, American
playwrightA playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and
avant-garde theatreExperimental theatre is a general term for various movements in Western theatre that began in the late 19th century as a retraction against the dominant vent governing the writing and production of dramatical menstrophy, and age in particular. The term has shifted over time as the mainstream...
pioneer
Richard ForemanRichard Foreman is an American playwright and avant-garde theater pioneer. He is the founder of the Ontological-Hysteric Theater.-Life :...
directed
Astronome: A Night at The Opera based on Zorn's
AstronomeAstronome is an album by John Zorn featuring the "Moonchild Trio" of Joey Baron, Mike Patton and Trevor Dunn. It is the second album by the trio following Moonchild: Songs Without Words....
(2006).
Publications
In 2000 Zorn edited the book
Arcana: Musicians on Music featuring interviews, essays, and commentaries by musicians including
Anthony ColemanAnthony Coleman is an American musician. Coleman is a piano and keys player, trombonist and vocalist mainly working within the free improvised and avant-garde jazz scenes in downtown New York during the late 1970s through to the present day.His greatest impact was during the 80s and 90s when he...
,
Peter GarlandPeter Garland is a composer best known for publishing Soundings Press, one of the few sources of new music scores and articles while in print...
,
David MahlerDavid Mahler is a hammered dulcimer player from Texas, United States.Mahler won first place in the 2004 Walnut Valley National Hammered Dulcimer Championship held in Winfield, Kansas. -External links:...
,
Bill FrisellWilliam Richard "Bill" Frisell is an American guitarist and composer.One of the leading guitarists in jazz since the late 1980s, Frisell's eclectic music touches on progressive folk, classical music, country music, noise and more...
,
Gerry HemingwayGerry Hemingway is an American jazz composer and percussionist.He has performed with Ernst Reijseger, Anthony Davis, Earl Howard, Leo Smith, George Lewis, Anthony Braxton, Ray Anderson, Mark Helias, Reggie Workman, Michael Moore, Oliver Lake, Marilyn Crispell, Christy Doran, John Wolf Brennan, Don...
,
George LewisGeorge E. Lewis is a trombone player, composer, and scholar in the fields of jazz and experimental music. He has been a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians since 1971, and is a pioneer of computer music.- Biography :Lewis graduated from Yale University with a...
,
Fred FrithFred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...
,
Eyvind KangEyvindur Kang , only child of Charles Shin-Chul Kang and Kristjana Gunnars, is an American composer, violinist, tuba, and erhu player...
,
Mike PattonMichael Allan "Mike" Patton is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and actor, best known as the lead singer of the metal/experimental rock band Faith No More. He has also sung for Mr...
and
Elliott SharpElliott Sharp is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, and performer.A central figure in the avant-garde and experimental music scene in New York City since the late 1970s, Sharp has released over eighty-five recordings ranging from blues, jazz, and orchestral music to noise, no wave rock,...
, on the compositional process. Zorn released the second volume of
Arcana: Musicians on Music in the Summer of 2007. According to the preface by Zorn, "This second installment of what will be a continuing series of books presenting radical, cutting-edge ideas about music is made, like the initial volume, out of necessity." The second volume contains essays by more than 30 musicians including
Annie GosfieldAnnie Gosfield is a New York composer who specializes in using detuned or out of tune samples and industrial noises. Her work often contains improvisation and frequently uses extended techniques and/or altered musical instruments...
,
Trey SpruancePreston Lea Spruance III or "Trey Spruance" is an American composer, producer, and musician, perhaps best known as the leader of the multi-genre outfit Secret Chiefs 3 and for his work as guitarist and keyboardist with Mr. Bungle...
,
Zeena ParkinsZeena Parkins is a harpist active in rock music, free improvisation and jazz. Parkins plays standard harps, as well as several custom-made one-of-a kind electric harps; she also plays piano and accordion...
,
Steve ColemanSteve Coleman, born , is an African American saxophone player, spontaneous composer, composer and band leader. His music and concepts have been a heavy influence on contemporary jazz.-Chicago:...
,
Marina RosenfeldMarina Rosenfeld is an American composer, sound artist and visual artist based in New York.- External links :*http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/art/26736/marina-rosenfeld*http://whitney.org/www/2008biennial/www/?section=artists&page=artist_rosenfeld...
,
Carla KihlstedtCarla Kihlstedt is an American violinist, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist from Lancaster, Pennsylvania currently living in Oakland, California....
, David Douglas,
Bill LaswellBill Laswell is an American bassist, producer and record label owner....
,
Trevor DunnTrevor Roy Dunn is an American composer, bass guitarist and double bassist.Dunn came to prominence in the 1990s with the experimental band Mr. Bungle. He has since worked in an array of musical styles, notably with singer and Mr...
, and
Jewlia EisenbergJewlia Eisenberg is an American composer. As founder and bandleader of Charming Hostess she coined the term "Nerdy-Sexy-Commie-Girly" to describe her genre of music which spans an eclectic range of styles....
. In October 2008, a third volume of the Arcana series was released containing essays by
Wadada Leo SmithIshmael Wadada Leo Smith is a trumpeter and composer working primarily in the fields of avant-garde jazz and free improvisation.-Biography:...
,
Frank LondonFrank London is a New York City-based trumpeter, bandleader, and composer active in klezmer and world music. He also plays various other wind instruments and keyboards, and occasionally sings backup vocals. With The Klezmatics, he won a Grammy award in Contemporary World Music for "Wonder Wheel...
,
Greg CohenA native of Los Angeles, bassist Greg Cohen has been playing in various acclaimed music groups since the '60s. He is perhaps best known for his work with John Zorn's Masada quartet; more recently he has been touring with Ornette Coleman, and performed on Coleman's much-praised Sound Grammar...
,
Sean Lennonis an American singer, songwriter, musician, guitarist and actor. He is the only child of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. His godfather is Sir Elton John.-Early life and education:...
and
Jamie SaftJamie Saft is a keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist, composer, sound engineer and producer living in upstate NY. Saft was born in Flushing Queens, New York in 1971 and is a graduate of both Tufts University and the New England Conservatory of Music. He has performed and recorded with John Zorn,...
. In Septermber 2009 Volume IV was released, and Volume V is scheduled to be released on July 2010 with subtitle
Musicians on Music, Magic & Mysticism.
Awards and critical reception
In 2001 John Zorn received the Jewish Cultural Award in Performing Arts from the
National Foundation for Jewish CultureThe Foundation for Jewish Culture is the leading advocate for Jewish cultural life and creativity in the United States....
. In 2006 Zorn was named a MacArthur Fellow. In 2007, he was the recipient of
Columbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
's School of the Arts
William SchumanWilliam Howard Schuman was an American composer and music administrator.-Life:Born in Manhattan in New York City to Samuel and Rachel Schuman, Schuman was named after the twenty-seventh U.S. president, William Howard Taft, although his family preferred to call him Bill...
Award, an honor given "to recognize the lifetime achievement of an American composer whose works have been widely performed and generally acknowledged to be of lasting significance."
[Columbia News (2007) Composer John Zorn Garners William Schuman Award, March 2007] In 2011 Zorn was awarded the Magister Artium Gandensis, an honorary degree from the
University of GhentGhent University is a Dutch-speaking public university located in Ghent, Belgium. It is one of the larger Flemish universities, consisting of 32,000 students and 7,100 staff members. The current rector is Paul Van Cauwenberge.It was established in 1817 by King William I of the Netherlands...
.
Zorn has attracted mixed receptions by critics throughout his career stating that "The press has never done anything but ignore and ridicule and marginalize my music—downtown music, because they don't know what to call it." A 1999
NY Times article by Adam Shatz accused Zorn of "attempt[ing] to recast Jewishness as a defiantly marginalized identity -- to claim victim status -- [which] has an air of calculation about it that overpowers his music." Several letters to the Editor from critics and musicians appeared in the following weeks in support of Zorn's artistic merit. In the opinion of Howard Mandel, who has interviewed Zorn numerous times, Zorn has often expressed a reluctance to grant interviews and has requested that journalists not review his performances.
The character of
Stephen ColbertStephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an...
from the TV show
The Colbert Report mocked the
MacArthur FoundationThe John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the United States. Based in Chicago but supporting non-profit organizations that work in 60 countries, MacArthur has awarded more than US$4 billion since its inception in 1978...
's award of the
Genius GrantThe MacArthur Fellows Program or MacArthur Fellowship is an award given by the John D. and Catherine T...
to Zorn on the September 20, 2006 episode in his segment titled "Who's Not Honoring Me Now". Colbert used a 10-second dissonant excerpt from the 50th Birthday Celebration Series and compared it to his blowing into a saxophone, pleading, "Genius Grant please!" Zorn's comments on the Colbert segment were "It was a hilarious spot."
Filmography
- Put More Blood Into the Music (New York avant garde music), episode 292 of The South Bank Show
The South Bank Show was a television arts magazine show, originally made by London Weekend Television , presented by Melvyn Bragg, broadcast on ITV and seen in over 60 countries worldwide — including Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United States...
, aired Sunday March 12, 1989
- Step Across the Border
Step Across the Border is a 1990 avant-garde documentary film on English guitarist, composer and improviser Fred Frith. It was written and directed by Nicolas Humbert and Werner Penzel and released in Germany and Switzerland...
(1990)
- A Bookshelf on Top of the Sky: 12 Stories About John Zorn
A Bookshelf on Top of the Sky: 12 Stories About John Zorn is a documentary film on avant garde composer and musician John Zorn directed by Claudia Heuermann. It features performances of a range of Zorn's music and includes appearances by Joey Baron, Greg Cohen, Dave Douglas, Fred Frith, Ikue Mori,...
(2004)
- Masada Live at Tonic 1999
Masada Live at Tonic is a DVD of a live performance by John Zorn's Masada filmed at Tonic in the summer of 1999.-Track listing:# "Hath-Arob"# "Sippur"# "Jair"# "Ne'eman"# "Kedushah"# "Beeroth"# "Kochot"# "Shechem"# "Paran"-Personnel:...
(2004)
- Celestial Subway Lines / Salvaging Noise (2005)
- Sabbath in Paradise
Sabbath in Paradise is a documentary film by Claudia Heuermann examining contemporary Jewish musical culture in New York's avant garde Jazz scene in the 1990s. It features concert footage and interviews with Anthony Coleman, Marc Ribot, Andy Statman, David Krakauer, Frank London, John Zorn and...
(2007)
- Astronome: A Night At The Opera (2010)
External links