John Zorn
 

I searched, but didn't find another thread about him. So, anyone else that likes him and his projects? It's a jungle with Zorn albums out there, and it's always hard to know which album to try out next. Far from everything is good, but sometimes you find some really great stuff by him. I feel that I've only begun to scratch a little on the surface myself.

Anyway, I really like The Big Gundown. Ennio Morricone covers, but really good. I like most albums by Naked City, the S/T is great, Grand Guignol is great, Absinthe is great. I like Magick and The Gift. Spy Vs. Spy is good when I'm in the right mood. The last album I listened to was Masada Live In Sevilla 2000, which I liked a lot.

Now it's your turn!

Personally, while I think he's pretty much indispensable as a label-head, musician, totemic figure of NYC 'avant-garde' and 'ideas guy', I very rarely like his music. Masada I can tolerate and some of his filmworks I like, but he's one of those people for whose massive output doesn't really stretch beyond two or three albums-worth of material I, personally, like.

I would say though, I'd never slag Zorn off, unlike that fat useless prick Patton.

This is thread 12 of 12 with 'Zorn' in the subject. I don't want to be that cunt that says, "Oh, we've had millions of these threads". And we haven't had a Zorn thread for a while. I just want to say that it's worth checking the case when you're searching.

Glice: Yes, but none of those threads (except the favorite Zorn poll, which I missed) seems to be about everything he's done but rather different live performances and stuff. I don't know, I figured it could be nice with a thread about him in general.

Yeah, cool, I apologise for being a dick. I'm a dick.

I think his strongest work is the Masada stuff (in all guises) and the Filmworks. I have tons of these, and can listen to them quite frequently.

the best thing about Zorn is that (aside from his weird infatuation w/ Patton) he attracts some REALLY FUCKING GOOD players. i love hearing Ribot play w/ him, and of course the quartet of him/Baron/Cohen/Freidlander is above reproach. Baptista, eYe, Dunn, Mori, Wolleson, etc...all excellent players.

i love Mr Zorn work
he's a great musician and composer
naked city and masada are my favourite projects...but i'm more with naked city...my fav. albuns:
-Grand Guignol
-Heretic
-Radio
-Absinthe
-The Complete Studio Recordings
about his films and books i don't know nothing.

I remember chatting to someone (who's remaining nameless) who'd played with Zorn a handful of time who said he was a total bastard, playing over everything. I think Zorn reacts very well to a certain sort of improviser, but he takes a very bandstanding approach to improv, which is fine for a lot of Americans/ jazz guys, but I think, because he's at the forefront of a lot of people's perceptions of improv, he tends to distort a lot of people's impressions of what improv actually is. It's not Zorn's fault that, in the improv context he's a massive celebrity. I just get really, really hacked off when people assume I'm into Patton because I like improv.

i know a girl who had a fling with zorn, she said he's a real crybaby, as in he would lie with his head in her lap and weep about people who had offended him that day

I sort of hope that he's quoting that post to his new fling this evening.

Highly recommend the Electric Masada group - its kind of a large ensemble Naked City meets Bitches Brew era Miles playing the Masada songbook. The album At The Mountains of Madness is off the hook.

It's good to have some Zorn records, he's brilliant, I don't put him on very often though. Torture Garden is one of the first records to blow my mind, though, back when I was a teen. Tzadik is a great label.

Torture Garden is great, but basically it's only the trash jazz songs from Grand Guignol and without the prelude songs on that album, and I like those. So I gotta say I prefer Grand Guignol.

My favorite by Naked City (if counting the album Naked City as a Zorn solo) has to be Absinthe, I think. Nice ambient music, with a great atmosphere.

He also deserves mega props for running the Stone, which is an amazing venue.

I have a fairly generous handful of Zorn CDs, to which I rarely, if ever, listen. If he announced a live show in London on the day of my wedding, though, I would cancel the wedding to go see him play*. He is a fantastic live performer.



*I don't actually mean this. I'm speaking metaphorically

BUMP.

One of my favourite musicans here..

I own a lot of his releases and I could just contribute in this thread with some fine recomendations, heres 15 albums you MUST check out if you don't know where to begin, based on my personal taste.

1. The Bribe - This one is both soft and insane. a very experimental album by mr. Zorn. I think this one describes most of his sides in music.
2. Spillane - one of his most classic albums. Basically a musical masterpiece
3. Filmworks XIII - some well-written and soft stuff my Zorn here..
4. Love, Madness & Mysticism - really nice piano and violin. Sometimes smooth and sometimes just flipped out!
5. O'o - some really nice bossa-nova from "The Dreamers". You just gotta hear this.
6. Spy vs. Spy - a tribute album to Ornette coleman. Crazy freejazz with two drummers, two saxofonists and a bassplayer..it's the insanity
7. Locus Solus - really experimental/avant-garde stuff here. Just sounds, done in a such intense way that you just can't stop digging it!
8. Buried Secrets - some really good stuff by PainKiller here. Doomy grindcore with crazy screaming saxophone.
9. The Big Gundown - John zorn plays the music of Ennio Morricone. This is one os his most classic albums. Just check it out.
10. Xu Feng - Heres some of John Zorns gamepieces, wich are more than crazy. Musically, this is his most flipped out avantgarde stuff.
11. Cobra - while talking about Gamepieces, check this one out aswell. better than Xu Feng.
12. Execution Ground - another crazy PainKiller session. grind and freejazz is probably the most insane combination ever made. In this album, youll get to hear why.
13. Naked City - You can't talk about zorn without mentioning Naked City. One of his most known and crazy acts. Actually, I'd put all NC albums on this place. It's probably the most enjoyable thing to listen to, ever.
14. 50th Birthday vol 2 - crazy crazy freejazz with Zorn and Milford Graves. For the people who enjoy his jazzy stuff, but still with the Zorn-atmosphere of insanity.
15. At The Mountain Of Madness - This is electric masada live in europe. This album is just fucking crazy. One of Zorns absolutely best acts ever! You will not regret listening to this one.

:cool:

if anyone is on demonoid (or maybe they have it where everyone can get their torrents again without signing up, who knows), you can download every JOHN ZORN cd ever made over there.

Oh really? I have an account there..
Ill check that out :)
Theres alot of stuff i dont have and cant find on the internet :)

EDIT: FUCK, I was thinking about dimeadozen.Argh-..

I only have his 2004 album Magick, and I love it. It's contemporary classical (think the stereotypical pizzicato string quartet stuff that nature programs play for spiders and other creepy crawlies, only weirder). Where should I go from there?

Oh yeah Magick is such a great album! What are you out for?

If you'd like to hear something similiar then check out "String quartets Nos. 1-4"
Ill give ya a spotifylink: John Zorn – String Quartets Nos. 1 - 4