Search and Destroy : John Zorn

but you said previously that a classical music recital would contain Zorn w/ say wagner or Haydyn. i don't know abt their melodic sense but surely cage and stockhausen are on one end of classical, whereas wagner and haydyn are on another. I think if improvisation goes back to classical in a big way then maybe we could see Zorn on a bill but it wouldn't be in either group (hard to see whee exactly he would be at still).

I take note of the other naked city stuff and will try and track it down over the coming months. cheers.

Here's a nice excerpt:
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mg: I don't know about music, but I do know that in the late forties, early fifties, making paintings was a viable revolutionary concept in the sense that one felt that you could change the world. That's what late Modernism was all about, you felt you were doing something important.
jz: You don't feel that anymore?

mg: Well, I think it was Lenin who said that freedom is the recognition of necessity. And I think that we, as artists, have that same kind of thing. We pare down to what's necessary to us.
jz: We've made a lot of sacrifices to live the life that we live.

mg: Exactly.
jz: And people don't appreciate that. They think we're out here balling, you know? It's not that way. It's hard work, and you get isolated. And you get distracted by the normal human need for companionship and love and understanding and appreciation. Those are distractions from doing the work, I feel. That's why I can't read magazines or newspapers, I don't look at TV. I try to focus on what's important, which is really the work itself. Making sure that you do the best possible thing in the purest possible way with the most imagination and technique and honesty that you can pull together.
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Wow...companionship and love and understanding and appreciation are "distractions from doing the work." Strange, but I think I see where he's coming from.

Anyway, I recently bought Xu Feng, a game piece written in 1985 and performed in 2000 - outstanding. Very dynamic and exciting - 2 drummers, 2 guitarists, and 2 electronics guys. In the liner notes, Zorn says that the piece may be performed with 6 drummers (!!). Are his other game piece releases this good? I heard some of the Knitting Factory Cobra disc, and it didn't really grab me.

That was a good interview with Zorn, and probably one of the longer ones available anywhere. He did another great one where he speaks more about his background in a William Duckworth book called Talking Music. That book also features interviews with Philip Glass, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, Laurie Anderson, Pauline Oliveros and John Cage. Look for it!

I don't know if it's still available, but the online shopping cart lets you select it.

That book sounds interesting - sounds like he hooked up with half of the Nonesuch roster.

I've been debating getting the Big Gundown reissue just for the bonus songs - I heard a clip of "The Sicilian Clan" (not the Naked City version), and it sounded great (there's even a little jew's harp in it). Worth buying again?

Ipos: Book of Angels Volume 14 = blowing my shell right now.

The presence of "Volume 14" in the title pretty much sums up why I stopped trying to keep up with Zorn about a decade ago. I mean, I know I'm missing lots of good stuff, but there are only so many hours in the day, days in the year, dollars in the bank ...

for real

i love the Dreamers stuff so much

The Medeski/Wollesen piano/vibraphone work on Dreamachines is incredible, not another Dreamers recording but the 3rd of part his Burroughs series with that band and some of it is very Dreamers like in style.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd4LLjepX2I

The Big Gundown still sounds so rad + essential, can never get bored of it!

with the tzadik catalogue making its way to streaming, what's ya'll's favorites from the filmworks series?

if you like the idea of zorn doing dark percussive "wide open desert music", #16 workingman's death (2006) is pretty neat.

i have other favs in the series, but would like to hear yours.

okay, i can't resist- one more rec: #18 the treatment (also 2006, a very productive era for zorn/tzadik; imo maybe in the midst of his most consistent run). completely devoid of percussion, it relies heavily on vibes + accordion. even at the time, madvillainy was already certified + i heard a lot of the album as full of potentially just as killer accordion beats. not listening with the ears of a copyright troll, it's darn pleasant music with enough soloing to hold attention outside of the film's visuals (which i've never seen, ofc).

(sidebar q: i've never seen any of the actual films from the series. have you?)

Been a while, but I recall lots of primo Quine.

funny i've never heard the treatment but #19 The Rain Horse is probably my fav of the ones i've know, also percussion-free, just piano bass & cello iirc. will def be seeking out #18 today