Jazz Articles about John Zorn

John Zorn: From Silence To Sorcery

by Troy Collins
July 6, 2007

Once the enfant terrible of New Music, composer John Zorn has finally attained an irrefutable level of respectability in the world of classical composition. In addition to his recent MacArthur Foundation “genius" grant, Zorn's chamber compositions have been performed by many interpreters, including those outside of his Downtown circle. One of his quietest albums to date, the appropriately titled From Silence To Sorcery is his latest installment of nuanced chamber music compositions.

Zorn's recent interest in the occult ...

John Zorn / Masada String Trio: Azazel

by Kurt Gottschalk
October 10, 2006

Of the various ensembles performing the Masada songbook under composer (and sometimes player) John Zorn's leadership, the Masada String Trio may not be the most exciting--it's hard to compete with horns and guitars--but it is the most beautiful. The sheer musicianship of the trio of violinist Mark Feldman, cellist Erik Friedlander and bassist Greg Cohen is hard to beat, and they are among the most frequent interpreters of Zorn's hundreds of themes for the project. Azazel is ...

John Zorn: Filmworks XVIII & 50th Birthday Celebration Vol. 11

by Kurt Gottschalk
October 7, 2006

John Zorn Filmworks XVIIII Tzadik 2006 Bar Kokhba Sextet 50th Birthday Celebration Volume Eleven Tzadik 2006

There can be something nice, relaxing even, about the casual works of a genius. Like Woody Allen's slight comedies or Chopin's preludes, a master in repose can be extraordinarily entertaining. So while ...

John Zorn: Filmworks XV and XVII

by Riel Lazarus
June 3, 2006

John Zorn Filmworks XV Tzadik 2005 John Zorn Filmworks XVII Tzadik 2006

Downtown music legend John Zorn is a hard man to pin down. No matter how much or little you know of him, it's never enough to not be surprised, delighted or simply dizzied by his music. What is constant ...

John Zorn: A Bookshelf On Top Of The Sky

by Jim Santella
June 3, 2006

John Zorn A Bookshelf On Top Of The Sky Tzadik 2004

Who is John Zorn?

Claudia Heuermann answers the question with a revealing biographical documentary. She spent ten years with Zorn--interviewing and watching, listening and asking, following him everywhere in order to discover the essence of his work.

Zorn describes his music through demonstration. He shows us how he puts it all together, and how his various projects ...

John Zorn Painkiller: 50th Birthday Celebration Volume Twelve

by AAJ Italy Staff
March 13, 2006

Se biblicamente il sesto giorno Dio lo impiegò a terminare Cielo e Terra per poi riposarsi il successivo, più bellicose sono state certamente le intenzioni di John Zorn al sesto giorno [ma il baccanale era iniziato già la sera prima] del suo mese di celebrazioni per il cinquantesimo compleanno, nel settembre del 2003, puntualmente riproposte in CD. Sul palco del Tonic ecco la bomba sonora dei Painkiller: se originariamente insieme a Zorn e al basso di Bill Laswell c'era il ...

John Zorn / Mark Feldman / Sylvie Courvoisier: Malphas, Book of Angels Volume 3

by Kurt Gottschalk
February 22, 2006

The second book of Masada tunes--300 compositions John Zorn penned in 2004--is only revelatory for the most diehard of fans. What's more exciting over a decade into the Masada story is that new life has been breathed into the project. Following Book Two releases by Jamie Saft and the Masada String Trio, Malphas is a set of eleven of those compositions interpreted by pianist Sylvie Courvoisier and violinist Mark Feldman, a duo which has been one of the most exciting ...