NAKED CITY — The Complete Studio Recordings (2005) RM | 5CD BOX-SET | Archival Series | APE (image+.cue), lossless

Naked City was something of an avant-rock/free jazz New York supergroup in the late '80s and early '90s, featuring an all-star cast of New York jazz experimentalists and led by the most-famous downtown musician of them all, John Zorn. Comprised of Zorn on alto sax, Wayne Horvitz on keyboards, Bill Frisell on guitar, Fred Frith on bass, and Joey Baron on drums (and occasionally vocalist Yamatsuka Eye), Naked City, more than any other Zorn-led group, established him with a rock audience. The band had an enormous repertoire and its sets were famously unpredictable. Zorn says that he conceived the band as a compositional workshop; the challenge was to write as much as possible within the limited format. Once he stopped "hearing and writing for the band," it disbanded. Chris Kelsey

NAKED CITY — Naked City (1989)

The violent cover photo (which shows a man after he was shot dead) sets the stage for the rather passionate music on this John Zorn set. With guitarist Bill Frisell, keyboardist Wayne Horvitz, bassist Fred Frith, drummer Joey Baron, and guest vocalist Yamatsuka Eye making intense contributions, altoist Zorn performs his unpredictable originals, abstract versions of some movie themes (including "A Shot in the Dark," "I Want to Live," "Chinatown," and "The James Bond Theme"), plus Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman." The stimulating music rewards repeated listenings by more open-minded listeners. Scott Yanow

Tracklist :

1 Batman 2:03
2 The Sicilian Clan   3:33
Composed By – Ennio Morricone
3 You Will Be Shot 1:31
4 Latin Quarter 4:11
5 A Shot In The Dark   3:13
Composed By – Henry Mancini
6 Reanimator 1:43
7 Snagglepuss 2:20
8 I Want To Live   2:12
Composed By – Johnny Mandel
9 Lonely Woman   2:45
Composed By – Ornette Coleman
10 Igneous Ejaculation 0:23
11 Blood Duster 0:16
12 Hammerhead 0:11
13 Demon Sanctuary 0:41
14 Obeah Man 0:20
15 Ujaku 0:30
16 Fuck The Facts 0:14
17 Speedball 0:43
18 Chinatown   4:28
Composed By – Jerry Goldsmith
19 Punk China Doll 3:05
20 N.Y. Flat Top Box 0:45
21 Saigon Pickup 4:50
22 The James Bond Theme   3:06
Composed By – John Barry
23 Den Of Sins 1:14
24 Contempt   2:53
Composed By – Georges Delerue
25 Graveyard Shift 3:32
26 Inside Straight 4:17

NAKED CITY — Grand Guignol (1991)

Naked City's follow up to their self-titled album is a departure from the New York noir that they had perfected. Here, after a 17 minute, moody title piece, all low rumbling punctuated by drum thrashes and distorted screams, is a very straight transcription of Debussy's "Cathedrale Engloutie" featuring some very lovely, watery guitar work from Bill Frisell. Other modern pieces follow, with works by Scriabin, Ives, Messian, and Di Lassus. And then for something completely different: 32 thrash'n'burn numbers lasting anywhere from 10 seconds to a whopping 1:14, most with humorous titles (some favorites: "Jazz Snob: Eat Shit," "Perfume of a Critic's Burning Flesh," "Pigfucker"). Forget the subtlety of the first half -- this is thrash jazz! Yamatsuka Eye of the Boredoms provides vocals. As they say, there's screaming, and then there's Yamatsuka Eye. Whether or not such eclecticism makes for awkward listening is apparently the last thing on Zorn's list, and it probably shouldn't be a concern anyway. A rewarding album. Ted Mills
Tracklist :
1 Grand Guignol 17:41
2 Blood Is Thin 1:00
3 Thrash Jazz Assassin 0:45
4 Dead Spot 0:31
5 Bonehead 0:51
6 Piledriver 0:33
7 Shangkuan Ling-Feng 1:14
8 Numbskull 0:29
9 Perfume Of A Critic's Burning Flesh 0:24
10 Jazz Snob Eat Shit 0:24
11 The Prestidigitator 0:43
12 No Reason To Believe 0:26
13 Hellraiser 0:39
14 Torture Garden 0:35
15 Slan 0:23
16 The Ways Of Pain 0:31
17 The Noose 0:10
18 Sack Of Shit 0:43
19 Blunt Instrument 0:53
20 Osaka Bondage 1:14
21 Shallow Grave 0:40
22 Kaoru 0:50
23 Dead Dread 0:45
24 Billy Liar 0:10
25 Victims Of Torture 0:20
26 Speedfreaks 0:48
27 New Jersey Scum Swamp 0:41
28 S-M Sniper 0:14
29 Pigfucker 0:23
30 Cairo Chop Shop 0:22
31 Facelifter 0:54
32 Whiplash 0:19
33 The Blade 0:35
34 Gob Of Spit 0:18
35 La Cathédrale Engloutie   6:41
Composed By – Debussy
Three Preludes
36 Douloureux, Déchirant   1:17
Composed By – Scriabin
37 Très Lent, Contemplatif   1:47
Composed By – Scriabin
38 Allegro Drammatico   0:49
Composed By – Scriabin
39 Prophetiae Sybillarum   1:48
Composed By – Orlando Di Lassus
40 The Cage   2:07
Composed By – Ives
Vocals – Bob Dorough
41 Louange A L'Eternité De Jesus   7:10
Composed By – Messiaen
42 Grand Guignol (Vocal Version)   17:41
Vocals – Mike Patton

NAKED CITY — Heretic : Jeux Des Dames Cruelles (1994)

Naked City's tenure as a workshop for a rock group's compositional opportunities led to this album, which is performed mostly by subsets of the full group. Only one track of the 24 includes all six band members, the relatively anonymous "Fire and Ice (Club Scene)," where Joey Baron, Fred Frith, and Bill Frisell set up a slow funky groove for Wayne Horvitz and John Zorn's improvisations. The rest of the pieces are all performed by various duos (12 tracks) and trios (11 tracks). The exploratory nature of the groupings means that there are many fewer references to popular music styles compared to other Naked City albums, and the pieces all sound improvisional. As such, every listener will find his or her favorites, but all of the pieces are of high quality, as befits a grouping of great improvisers that form the group. The two duos by Zorn and Yamatsuka Eye (where they match each other squeal for squawk) or the ones between Zorn and Frith (who have demonstrated their close empathy in other sessions before and after Naked City) are particularly noteworthy. Although this album is credited as a soundtrack for a porn movie (scenes from which decorate the sleeve art), its music will appeal to many improv-oriented listeners who have a hard time with the thrash/hardcore atmosphere that is so characteristic of the band's first album and the Torture Garden pieces. Caleb Deupree

Tracklist :

1 Main Titles 1:28

2 Sex Games 2:23
3 The Brood 2:49
4 Sweat, Sperm + Blood 2:05
5 Vliet 0:50
6 Heretic 1 2:33
7 Submission 4:23
8 Heretic 2 1:46
9 Catacombs 2:46
10 Heretic 3 2:43
11 My Master, My Slave 2:23
12 Saint Jude 2:13
13 The Conqueror Worm 2:32
14 Dominatrix 2B 2:16
15 Back Through The Looking Glass 2:39
16 Here Come The 7,000 Frogs 1:59
17 Slaughterhouse/Chase Sequence 2:19
18 Castle Keep 1:49
19 Mantra Of Resurrected Shit 1:43
20 Trypsicore 1:46
21 Fire And Ice (Club Scene) 2:37
22 Crosstalk 1:41
23 Copraphagist Rituals 0:53
24 Labyrinth 5:47

NAKED CITY — Radio (1993)

Naked City was a band of excellent N.Y.C.-based improvisers from the late '80s to 1993, led by avant-alto saxophonist and composer John Zorn. Unlike their self-titled debut and the second Avant release Grand Guignol, there are no cover tunes on this release, entitled Radio. Several genres and bands are skillfully evoked, however, and helpfully listed in the liner notes in order of occurrence. Jazz, surf, R&B, death metal, funk, acid rock, and serialism are grafted together in this collection, often into the same song, and the band shifts genres, tempos, and arrangements on a dime.

Supposedly, Radio was conceived as a set for a college radio program, making it a kind of "Young Person's Guide to Naked City," beginning with accessible tunes, gradually building up listener tolerance to dissonance, and finally sandbagging the listener with evil blasts of dissonant metallic noise and convincing perpetrator-and-victim screaming.

Zorn gives ace guitarist Bill Frisell and versatile keyboardist Wayne Horvitz the space to shine on this collection, and both more than meet the challenges of these pieces. Avant-garde guitarist Fred Frith takes a supporting role in the band, supplying an in-the-pocket bass that keeps the funkier tracks cooking, and the depth and range of his playing on these tunes is a consistent pleasure.

Master drummer Joey Baron alternates restraint and abandon, keeping solid time on the jazz tunes, throwing tasty fills into the funk, and laying down a muscular, punishing thrash on the metal sections. Zorn himself does a fair amount of his balloon-animal-twisting squeals and sustained shrieking blasts, but he does vary the palette. Listed also as a full band member on Radio (but not performing on every piece) is Japanese noisecore/funk screamer Yamatsuka Eye of the Boredoms (now going by Yamataka Eye). His babbling, howling, choking, and flat-out screams of terror take many of the metal performances well over the top. Maurice Rickard  

Tracklist :

1 Asylum 1:56
2 Sunset Surfer 3:23
3 Party Girl 2:34
4 The Outsider 2:27
5 Triggerfingers 3:31
6 Terkmani Teepee 2:27
7 Sex Fiend 3:31
8 Razorwire 5:31
9 The Bitter And The Sweet 4:52
10 Krazy Kat 2:03
11 The Vault 4:44
12 Metaltov 2:07
13 Poisonhead 1:09
14 Bone Orchard 3:55
15 I Die Screaming 2:29
16 Pistol Whipping 0:57
17 Skatekey 1:24
18 Shock Corridor 1:08
19 American Psycho 6:10

NAKED CITY — Absinthe (1993)

Naked City's final album is by far its most puzzling and enigmatic. Downtown maverick John Zorn's compositional workshop for a rock band completed its run of seven albums with this quiet, almost ambient, collection. Some of the pieces, such as "Une Correspondance" and "Artemesia Absintheium," get somewhat noisy, with industrial clattering, insect-like whines, feedback, and complex noises in layers. The closing piece, "...Rend Fou," is atonal electronic rattles, a precursor to the glitch electronics of Mego artists Pita and General Magic rather than representative of any group member's background at the time. However, the bulk of the album is more like Val deTravers, composed of Bill Frisell's detuned guitar over a tranquil bass and Joey Baron's bowed cymbals. The tribute to French composer Olivier Messaien, one of the few mystical visionaries in 20th century music, is quietly beautiful sustained guitar notes over a simple heartbeat-like rhythm. Baron's percussion work is often very subtle, a quiet crackling like a fire on La Feé Verte and the first Verlaine (where Zorn himself takes care of the only vocals on the album). The titles reflect the artist's continued interest in the avant-garde of the 19th century, where the green liqueur absinthe (known as the Green Fairy, La Feé Verte) was a favorite among artists and poets, including Paul Verlaine and Charles Baudelaire (author of the controversial collection Les Fleurs du Mal). Nothing in Naked City's previous oeuvre prepares the listener for this collection, a complete reversal from the hardcore and thrash, but looking forward to Zorn's interest in minimalist pieces like Redbird and Duras. Caleb Deupree  

Tracklist :

1 Val De Travers 6:13

2 Une Correspondance 5:04
3 La Fée Verte 5:10
4 Fleurs Du Mal 4:06
5 Artemisia Absinthium 4:30
6 Notre Dame De L'Oubli (For Olivier Messiaen) 4:47
Verlaine
7 Part One "Un Midi Moins Dix" 4:23
8 Part Two "La Bleue" 6:01
9 ...Rend Fou 6:03
Leng Tch'e
10 Leng Tch'e 31:38

Credits :

Alto Saxophone – John Zorn
Arranged By – John Zorn (tracks: 1-1 to 1-26, 2-1 to 2-42, 4-1 to 4-19), Naked City (tracks: 1-1 to 1-26)
Bass – Fred Frith
Composed By – John Zorn (tracks: 1-1, 1-3, 1-4, 1-6, 1-7, 1-10 to 1-17, 1-19 to 1-21, 1-23, 1-25, 1-25, 2-1 to 2-34, 2-42, 4-1 to 4-19, 5-10)
Drums – Joey Baron
Guitar – Bill Frisell
Keyboards – Wayne Horvitz
Music By – John Zorn (tracks: 5-1 to 5-9), Naked City (tracks: 3-1 to 3-24)
Vocals – John Zorn (tracks: 2-1 to 2-42, 5-10), Yamatsuka Eye (tracks: 1-1 to 1-26, 2-1 to 2-42, 3-1 to 3-24, 4-1 to 4-19, 5-10)