Jazz Articles about John Zorn

About John Zorn

Live Review

John Zorn and Bill Laswell at The Stone

by Tyran Grillo
October 8, 2015

John Zorn/Bill Laswell The Stone New York, NY June 25, 2015 Associations between composer John Zorn and bassist Bill Laswell go back at least to the formation of their band Painkiller (with drummer Mick Harris) in 1991, and it was trailing the shadows of that potent abyss that they reconvened for a rare duo performance during a week-long Laswell residency at Zorn's curatorial sound space, The Stone. Both musicians are, of course, towering figures in ...

Album Review

John Zorn: Nosferatu

Read "Nosferatu" reviewed by Thomas Carroll

by Thomas Carroll
May 14, 2012

The idea of saxophonist/composer John Zorn writing music to accompany a production about vampires has exciting implications. After all, it would seem logical that a man who has, over the past 40 years, helped expand the scope of sounds that can be considered music should be able to craft something truly mind-bending when dealing with such a spooky subject. Surprisingly, however, Zorn has produced a relatively tame score that translates into an accessible album when confronted with the task of ...

Extended Analysis

John Zorn: Gnostic Preludes

by Nenad Georgievski
April 20, 2012

John ZornGnostic PreludesTzadik2012 Composer John Zorn is a man of many projects, genres and styles. When once asked about styles, in Option, he replied “I'm not afraid of styles; I like them all." He also has a short attention span and because of that his music is a unique aural crosscut of styles--be it avant jazz, classical, cartoon cutups, free improv, computer music--continuously plunging himself into less expected musical territories. Being ...

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Extended Analysis

John Zorn: In Search of the Miraculous

by Warren Allen
January 19, 2011

John ZornIn Search of the MiraculousTzadik2010 John Zorn's compositions revel in a rare blend of allusion and mystery. His albums often exist both on a self-contained level as individual works of art, yet are simultaneously layered with tokens and tributes to the many artists who have shaped his unusually eclectic aesthetic. While the first album of his Alhambra Legacy compositional project consisted of a collection of light and airy melodies for piano ...

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Extended Analysis

John Zorn: Dictee / Liber Novus

by Warren Allen
January 14, 2011

John ZornDictée / Liber NovusTzadik2010 If the ever-productive multi-instrumentalist John Zorn's compositional oeuvre yields one simple theme, it is the sheer variety of his interests and vision. Perhaps none of his personal oeuvres better encapsulate this than his file card compositions. These are usually extended pieces that consist of a vast number of diverse musical ideas, written down on file cards, which Zorn then cuts between in the studio, often at a ...

Album Review

John Zorn - George Lewis - Bill Frisell: More News for Lulu

by AAJ Italy Staff
July 19, 2010

Nella gigantesca discografia di John Zorn, il progetto News For Lulu occupa un posto di assoluto rilievo, in primis per l'esito musicale, ma anche perché il trio del musicista newyorkese perviene a questo esito attraverso una sintesi linguistica tanto lucida quanto irruenta [e non sempre nei progetti zorniani queste due caratteristiche sono compresenti]. La rilettura, con George Lewis al trombone e Bill Frisell alla chitarra, di alcune gemme del songbook di hardboppers talvolta sottovalutati come Sonny Clark, Hank Mobley, Kenny ...

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Album Review

John Zorn: Femina

Read "Femina" reviewed by Martin Longley

by Martin Longley
March 8, 2010

There are two notable elements to this album, before even listening to its contents. One is that composer John Zorn has created a work that pays tribute to female creators (his name checks include Yoko Ono, Agatha Christie and Joan Of Arc). The other is that he's making a return to his fabled file-card system of composition. The Cobra piece was the most notorious, notable and potent manifestation of this technique, where Zorn would prepare musical strategies to be spontaneously ...