John Zorn Albums (94)
What The Critics Say
Essentially, John Zorn's O'o (named for an extinct Hawaiian bird) is a sequel to his brilliant and wonderfully breezy Dreamers set issued in March of 2008. The band is exactly the same: guitarist Marc Ribot, keyboardist Jamie Saft, drummer Joey Baron, bassist Trevor Dunn, percussionist Cyro Baptista, and vibraphonist Kenny Wollesen. Given that this is a thematic musical sequel, it holds the same potential trap as a cinematic one: that the constraints of the first chapter become so stultifying that they end up deeming themselves unnecessary as a seamless footnote to the original. A first listen to Zorn's ease with this meld of sounds-from surf to exotica, from cinema cues to grooving soul-jazz and '60s blues and rock themes -- makes this seem to be so, as well. That said, first impressions are completely deceptive. If anything, this is an intricately sequenced, impeccably performed series of tunes that meld together in a cycle that is seamless yet wildly diverse and more detailed than Dreamers. Careful attention reveals a wealth of musics on display. On the aptly titled "Mysterious Starling," the repetitive theme played by Saft offers diminished minors before the shimmering drums of Baron, the understated atmospherics of Ribot's guitar, and lushness of Wollesen's vibes enter. This is a jazz tune recalling both the precision of Bill Evans and the gentle lyricism of Erroll Garner. Its expansive harmonics are combined with lithe melodic cues; the other instruments accent and embellish what's happening rhythmically and texturally. Elsewhere, on "Little Bittern," it's Ribot who guides the band with his knotty solo work, sharp chord voicings, and effortless glide between blues, surf, and garage rock. Saft's Rhodes and the rhythm section begin playing a slow shuffle, then Ribot's out front tearing it up with jagged, distorted blues bleeding into one another. "Archaeopteryx," sounds like a film noir theme. Ribot plays all bluesy atop Baptista's hand drums and gorgeous percussive colorings, with dissonant background touches from Saft, and minimal arco work from Dunn. The vibes become the constant backdrop on which the entire track turns. There are far lighter modes, too: the sprightly exotic flavors of "Laughing Owl," is where samba and South African township music meet and groove in a beach blanket dance number. "The Zapata Rail," though brief, is a B-3 and vibes duel that becomes a travel suite; the key and tempo change, and everything moves up a few notches, creating a groove intensity that is as tough as it is lush. Ribot eventually blows it up in an explosion of guitar heroics. Ultimately, O'o is not only a worthy successor to Dreamers, it also goes deeper. The band has been together longer, and has gelled as a unit in the studio. The compositions may be tighter but they are also more exploratory, requiring more individuality among the various players. They make this sound easy; it's a testament to their strength. It seems obvious that Zorn had this band in mind when he was composing these pieces; the adventure is in the rich detail work like a fine Polynesian tattoo. O'o is every bit as accessible and fun to listen to as Dreamers is, but in many ways, it's even more satisfying because it feels like a work rather than a collection of tunes. In fact, the only thing more pleasing than listening to this album would be hearing it performed live. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'Stolas: The Book of Angels, Vol. 12'
Release Date 6/16/2009
Tracks 9
Label Tzadik
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Stolas is the 12th volume in John Zorn's Book of Angels series of compositions. It's a welcome and compelling idea that he decided to re-form his stellar Masada quintet for the occasion -- sort of. In addition to the rhythm section of Joey Baron and Greg Cohen, trumpeter Dave Douglas, and pianist Uri Caine, Zorn enlisted tenor sax giant Joe Lovano to replace him on all but one cut where he adds his alto, making the group a sextet. According to Aleister Crowley's The Book of the Goetia of Solomon the King, Stolas is the 36th prince of hell, commanding 26 legions of demons. He appears either as an owl or a man who teaches astronomy and the virtues of herbs and precious stones. His zodiac sign is Pisces, and his tarot card is the ten of cups. That may be so, but this music has more to do with angels than demons. Since the early Masada recordings on Avant, the group's individual members have become top-flight players, improvisers, bandleaders, and sidemen in their own right. Lovano was there long before all of them. But something happened to the free-flowing, wildly kinetic group inspired by Ornette Coleman's original quintet, and something has indeed "happened" to John Zorn. They all became outrageously great jazzmen. The rhythm section, both collectively and individually, now consists of some of the most in-demand sidemen on a wildly diverse array of projects; Douglas and Caine have been leading their own groups for decades; and Zorn has become a prolific composer of film scores and string quartets, and he writes for any number of other configurations as one of the most in-demand composers in the world. All of that is born out on Stolas, the single most beautiful album in the Book of Angels series so far -- and, one might argue, in the entirety of the Masada catalog. Here Latin jazz, klezmer, Yiddish folk music, bossa nova, and other Latin jazz all come together in a seamless meld of tunes that accent the symmetry of ensemble play as much as they do an extremely advanced sense of ensemble harmonics, rhythmic invention, and, of course, tautly arranged spaces for individual improvisation -- check out the album's longest cut, "Tagriel," for evidence as Zorn's composition not only travels genres but centuries. The popping showcase for solos that is "Serakel" is nonetheless a grooving post-bop tune with a joyous klezmer lyric line. The sheer shimmering beauty of "Psisya," which moves from jazz ballad to bossa to Hebrew folk song and back again, is stunning. Lovano, being such a master of his instrument, is a wonderful addition to this group because of his ability to meld into any kind of ensemble whether it be a trio or an orchestra. This intimate setting provides a great showcase for his lyric sensibilities and his elegant tone with its big bottom end to shine. And that's just to name two of these nine amazing tracks. While Stolas is not completely "inside," it is far more so than most have a right to expect. For newcomers to Zorn's music, this may not sound typical of his dozens of other records, but it is a great place to start. For the veteran Zorn or Masada listener, or even those following closely the development of the Book of Angels series, you already knew this was possible, but hearing the physical evidence of it is nothing short of thrilling. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
For a change, the descriptor insert included in a Tzadik release isn't all hype. Alhambra Love Songs does indeed contain "some of the most beautiful and soothing music Zorn has ever written." This 11-cut set is an eclectic homage of sorts to the San Francisco Bay area and the musicians who have and continue to make it their home. Written for a piano trio consisting of Rob Burger, bassist Greg Cohen (who alternates between upright and electric), and drummer Ben Perowsky, what's most important to remember when popping this into the deck is that these are indeed "songs." They all have direct melodic themes, lyric harmony, and follow a linear trajectory from one place to another. Zorn puts that in the listener's ears on the very first cut, "Mountain View," dedicated to Vince Guaraldi. It doesn't merely nod to the late pianist and composer of the Charlie Brown television themes, it evokes him directly, utilizing his sense of lithe, lyric theme and simple rhythmic sensibility in a hummable melody. It's delightful. "Pacifica," dedicated to mystic Harry Smith, is more elliptical and mysterious in presentation, but just as melodic and accessible. And that's the point. The Tzadik insert also namechecks Ramsey Lewis and Henry Mancini as well as the words "easy listening mode," but these influences aren't all that pronounced. But this doesn't fall into the category of one of Zorn's challenging series of recordings, either. It is simply a set of gorgeous songs with a variety of jazz, television, cinematic, and landscape themes written into their melodies, all dedicated to various musicians, composers, actors, poets, and other persona whom Zorn holds in high regard. Some may wonder initially if this fits in best with The Gift or Dreamers, and it sounds nothing like either recording. These tunes -- be it the tender "Half Moon Bay" dedicated to poet and translator Lyn Hejinian, or "Moraga," scored for Clint Eastwood, which evokes both his cinematic work as an actor and his work as a composer, or the ever so brief and utterly lovely "Miramar," for Terry Riley, which envelope the listener in pulsing rhythmic repetition before whispering itself out on the individual notes of its chords -- all have the same effect: one of complete listening pleasure. These small tunes will get inside your head and remain there, prompting you to listen to this set over and again. Each track is different from the last in theme, mood, and construction, but follows its thematic strategy almost to a fault. The band is fantastic. Burger's percussive touch on the keys is a plus. He never hits too hard, but he's a very rhythmic player. Add to this the brushwork of Perowsky and the always inventive, sensitive, and often subtle work of Cohen, and you have a unit that can swing when the tune calls for it, let a piece breathe, or playfully get inside it. Alhambra Love Songs is a gem, and will literally bring joy to anyone who gives it an honest listen. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'Film Works, Vol. 23: El General'
Release Date 2/24/2009
Tracks 11
Label Tzadik
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Film Works, Vol. 22: The Last Supper'
Release Date 11/25/2008
Tracks 16
Label Tzadik
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Film Works, Vol. 21: Belle de Nature/Rijksmuseum'
Release Date 10/28/2008
Tracks 17
Label Tzadik
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The year 2008 has been an amazingly busy one for John Zorn. This is the third of four additions to his ever growing Film Works series; he also recorded the utterly beautiful Dreamers this year, and his collection of Masada compositions, Book of Angels, has grown to ten volumes with the release of Lucifer. Film Works, Vol. 21 combines two very different scores for a pair of films that are as different from one another as night and day, and are played by two different ensembles. The first seven cues make up the score to famed fetish film director Maria Beatty's Belle de Nature. Beatty and Zorn have worked together before, on two other erotic films, Elegant Spanking, which was documented on Film Works, Vol. 4, and The Black Glove (considered her finest picture), documented on Film Works, Vol. 6. Beatty's films focus on the edges of desire and lesbian love. The band on this set includes all Zorn veterans: guitarist Marc Ribot, harpist Carol Emanuel, and bassist extraordinaire Shanir Blumenkranz. This small chamber ensemble makes these first seven cues as riveting as they are beautiful. The sheer exotic nature of these strings all played together in woven layers of counterpoint and rhythmic and melodic invention creates a soundscape that sounds much more lush than it actually is. While each cue is a truly expansive small journey in its own right, when taken together they have the capacity to transport the listener to another place. That said, most notable is "Orties Cuisantes," on which Ribot simply cuts loose on the electric guitar with his requisite taste and aggressive bite and timing, made even more powerful by the interlocking grooves played by Emanuel and Blumenkranz in support. The second score in this set belongs to a documentary project by director Oeke Hoogendijk, about the renovation of the famed Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, simply titled The New Rijksmuseum. The ensemble Zorn assembled for this score features percussionist Cyro Baptista, percussionist and vibraphonist Kenny Wollesen, and pianist Uri Caine (who is new to theZorn film music crew), playing not only piano but harpsichord. What is perhaps most perverse when hearing this wonderfully strange score is that the filmmakers originally wanted to license music from one of Zorn's Masada String Trio recordings for the soundtrack. In his perverse way, Zorn sold them on something entirely new instead. The harpsichord evokes Bach -- one of the cues, "Restoration," was even modeled on a Bach composition. Yet, while there are many classical overtones in these pieces -- such as the seeming variation on Scarlatti in "Conservation" -- the fabric created by specially made glass percussion instruments by Baptista and Wollesen's vibes takes the music into completely different realms. Jazz and Latin percussion weave together on "Rendering," where the harpsichord is utilized as a groove instrument to accompany Baptista's rhythms as the vibes become the central focus of the work. The truly strange thing about Vol. 21 is how well these seemingly disparate scores work as a whole. As an album it becomes a wondrous bit of 21st century exotica that is musically savvy and hip. This is an excellent addition to the series. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'Film Works, Vol. 20: Sholem Aleichem'
Release Date 9/16/2008
Tracks 12
Label Tzadik
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The 20th volume in John Zorn's massive Film Works documentation project (begun in 1992), centers on director Joe Dorman's documentary about the legendary writer Sholem Aleichem, whose character-driven short stories the musical Fiddler on the Roof was loosely based upon. The director approached Zorn in May of 2008, yet he managed to write and record the score by the end of June. His chosen collaborators for the venture are the Masada String Trio (cellist Erik Friedlander, violinist Mark Feldman, and bassist Greg Cohen), accompanied by Rob Burger on accordion and harpist Carol Emanuel. The MST first played together on 1996's monumental Bar Kokhba. Burger is also a current regular in the Zorn stable, and Emanuel, who took part in early projects such as Spillane, The Bribe, Godard, and Cobra (as well the composer's woefully short-lived and undocumented Dorothy Ashby project). Musically, this project, for being centered on the folk themes from Eastern European Jewry, dating as early as the 18th century, is also wonderfully modern and diverse. Burger's taut, deep-pulsing chords as well as Cohen's basslines underscore Zorn's very rhythmic approach. Emanuel's harp is used as both a textural and melodic element in the score and it fills out the middle of this body of players wonderfully. The use of improvisation here is kept to a minimum perhaps, but then, it is used in terms of counterpoint, and especially in articulating motifs in the space of rhythmic shifts and shapes -- there are many complex ones here. Hence, the dynamic range of the music in these cues is wide-ranging, almost intimidating, but Zorn's lyric sense is so keenly developed; though the listener might drop in and out of the score numerous times, she is always brought back by Zorn's elegant use of harmonic structure. Singling out any particular cue over another is pointless: the recording of the score, which no doubt differs widely from what is used in the film, is of a piece that in this case, anyway, cannot be separated -- despite the fact that everything here feels as if its roots are in songs rather than in grand concepts. The music here is accessible, evocative, and yes, as is almost always the case for Zorn, thoroughly engaging. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
What makes guitarist Fred Frith and saxophonist/bird caller John Zorn such a great improv team is that their musical personalities are so different. No matter how hellaciously abrasive the noises he makes, Frith always sounds like a happy guy having fun. No matter how mellifluous the noises he makes (and they are rarely very mellifluous at all), Zorn always sounds like an angry guy who's out for revenge. Both of them also have a sense of humor, which is a good thing when your musical modus operandi involves hitting your guitar with stuff and doing unnatural things with birdcalls. The five tracks on this album were originally recorded in two live venues in 1983 and 1985, just at the beginning of the end of what had been, for about ten years, an unbelievably fertile avant-garde music scene in downtown Manhattan. No one (except maybe Bill Laswell) did more to bring color and vibrancy to that scene than Frith and Zorn, and this recording helps illustrate how they did it: Frith's tonal palette is unbelievably varied, his techniques as utterly unorthodox as they are kaleidoscopically fascinating. Zorn's approach to winds is all about timbre and color; pitch is secondary at best. Sometimes they seem to be responding to each other's ideas, other times they're engaged in parallel but unrelated play like two toddlers side by side in a sandbox. Amazingly, there's hardly an uninteresting sound anywhere on this album. Highly recommended to all skronk fans. ~ Rick Anderson, All Music Guide
'Lucifer: The Book of Angels, Vol. 10'
Release Date 3/18/2008
Tracks 10
Label Tzadik
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Over the years, John Zorn has offered up more projects than one can easily keep track of and you can find both passionate advocates and passionate detractors for almost every one of them. Every one, except perhaps Bar Kokhba. It's the Masada String Trio (Mark Feldman, Erik Friedlander, and Greg Cohen) augmented by Marc Ribot (guitar), Joey Baron (drums), and Cyro Baptista (percussion). Their albums have all been exquisite and their release in the Zorn 50th Birthday series was perhaps the best of that series. Here they are with their first studio recording in over a decade, and their first of Zorn's Masada: Book Two material. Honestly, with this material and these players, you just can't go wrong. There are highlights aplenty, starting with Ribot and Baptistsa on the opening track. Friedlander and Feldman shine on both "Dalquiel" and "Quelamia." Joey Baron tears it up on "Gediel" and does some great brushwork on "Azbugah." The playing all the way around is just fantastic. You could even play this album for your grandmother, something you can't say about much of the rest of the Zorn catalog. Whether you like all his projects or not, John Zorn's output has been of a consistently high quality. Lucifer: Book of Angels, Vol. 10 is among the finest offerings in his discography, and a very accessible one at that. ~ Sean Westergaard, All Music Guide
