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 1'58
John Zorn
2 The Sicilian Clan 3'27
Ennio Morricone
3 You Will Be Shot 1'29
John Zorn
4 Latin Quarter 4'05
John Zorn
5 A Shot in the Dark 3'09
Henry Mancini
6 Reanimator 1'34
John Zorn
7 Snagglepuss 2'44
John Zorn
8 I Want to Live 2'08
Johnny Mandel
9 Lonely Woman 2'38
Ornette Coleman
10 Igneous Ejaculation 0'20
John Zorn
11 Blood Duster 0'13
John Zorn
12 Hammerhead 0'08
John Zorn
13 Demon Sanctuary 0'38
John Zorn
14 Obeah Man 0'17
John Zorn
15 Ujaku 0'27
John Zorn
16 Fuck the Facts 0'11
John Zorn
17 Speedball 0'37
John Zorn
18 Chinatown 4'23
Jerry Goldsmith
19 Punk China Doll 3'01
John Zorn
20 N.Y. Flat Top Box 0'43
John Zorn
21 Saigon Pickup 4'46
John Zorn
22 The James Bond Theme 3'02
John Barry
23 Den of Sins 1'08
John Zorn
24 Contempt 2'49
Georges Delerue
25 Graveyard Shift 3'25
John Zorn
26 Inside Straight 4'10
John Zorn
Credits :
Arranged By – John Zorn, Naked City
Bass – Fred Frith
Drums – Joey Baron
Guitar – Bill Frisell
Keyboards – Wayne Horvitz
Vocals – Yamatsuka Eye
25.2.24
JOHN ZORN — Naked City (1990) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
28.6.22
JOHN ZORN - Cobra (1989) 2CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
John Zorn's Cobra game piece has enjoyed quite a life of its own since this, its original recording, from 1985-1986. Zorn developed several similar pieces, but Cobra would see renditions by various ensembles with varying instrumentation, with the composer at the helm and without, and would become something of a staple for undergraduate musicians exploring improvisational strategies. One of the central sources for the conception behind this piece, oddly enough, was the Avalon Hill game company, which created strategic simulation games involving arcane sets of rules, dice rolls, etc., in an effort to approximate, for example, war planning and theory. Zorn, a games aficionado with an affinity for elastic rules systems, developed a unique, expansive, and highly flexible series of prompts and rules, taught and distributed them to many of the downtown New York City musicians of the early '80s, and staged numerous highly entertaining performances of the ensuing "conflicts." At such an event, inevitably more viscerally enjoyable than a recording of same, Zorn would hold up cards with symbols, usually choosing certain small combinations of players. These symbols could instruct, among many other things, that the musicians improvise in a certain style (surf guitar, free noise, punk, etc.) and/or could delimit the duration, volume, and so on. He would thus spontaneously organize a composition that, for all its apparent anarchy, was actually following a relatively strict set of assumptions. The kicker was that the players could counteract his commands, forming ad hoc blocs, cooperate or betray said blocs, form alliances "against" other players, etc. As an audience member, one saw a wonderful display of real-time politics combined with art creation, and the result was often spectacular. Unfortunately, an enormous amount is sacrificed when Cobra is encountered as only an aural document (here, one live session and one in the studio). The kernels of collective sound tend to appear arbitrary, any strategic rationale necessarily going unseen. Listened to at home, one hears a series of sonic postcards, enjoyable or otherwise on their own but bearing little obvious relationship to what came before or after. One can certainly appreciate the music in just that manner, as a random, Cage-ian series of musical fragments, but one is left with the nagging (and correct) sense of something crucial being missed. As a document in Zorn's career, Cobra is essential. As a purely musical experience, it is, quite unfortunately, less so. Brian Olewnick
Cobra: Studio Version 59:25
1 Opening 0:59
2 Allegro 4:32
3 Largo 6:13
4 Moderato 7:42
5 Fantasia 3:44
6 Presto 1:39
7 Adagio Maestoso 2:40
8 Violento 4:16
9 Allegro Scorrevole 2:35
10 Capricciocongusto 4:40
11 False Start/ Giocoso 0:52
12 Scherzo 5:47
13 Maestoso Meccanico 1:22
14 Variations/Furioso 8:40
15 Epilogue 3:44
Cobra: Live Version 53:25
1 Prologue/Maestoso 6:05
2 Capriccio 13:23
3 Prestissimo 14:04
4 Lento/Mysterioso 9:29
5 Allegro 10:24
Credits :
Accordion – Guy Klucevsek
Celesta – David Weinstein (pistas: 1-1 to 1-15)
Conductor [Prompter], Composed By – John Zorn
Electric Guitar – Bill Frisell
Electric Guitar, Voice – Arto Lindsay (pistas: 1-1 to 1-15)
Electronic Drums – Bobby Previte (pistas: 2-1 to 2-5)
Guitar [Doubleneck], Bass [Doubleneck], Voice – Elliott Sharp
Guitar [Soprano] – Elliott Sharp (pistas: 1-1 to 1-15)
Harp – Carol Emanuel (pistas: 1-1 to 1-15), Zeena Parkins (pistas: 1-1 to 1-15)
Harpsichord, Celesta – Anthony Coleman (pistas: 1-1 to 1-15)
Organ [Hammond], Celesta – Wayne Horvitz (pistas: 1-1 to 1-15)
Organ [Pipe] – Anthony Coleman (pistas: 2-1 to 2-5)
Percussion – Bobby Previte (pistas: 1-1 to 1-15)
Piano, Organ [Yamaha] – Anthony Coleman
Piano, Synthesizer [DX7] – Wayne Horvitz
Synthesizer [Trombone Synthesizer], Electronics – J.A. Deane (pistas: 2-1 to 2-5)
Tape – Bob James
Trombone – Jim Staley (pistas: 1-1 to 1-15)
Turntables – Christian Marclay
25.6.22
JOHN ZORN - Filmworks I : 1986-1990 (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
For Zorn, filmscores have always been a place to experiment and the Filmworks Series is in many ways a microcosm of his output. This original installment of the Filmworks Series presents three scores ranging from punk-rockabilly (featuring the nasty guitars of Bob Quine, Marc Ribot and Arto Lindsay); a jazzy Bernard Herrmann fantasy; to a quirky classical/improv/world music amalgam for Raul Ruiz's bizarre film The Golden Boat. Zorn's infamous one minute arrangement of Morricone's classic The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, is included as a bonus track. Out of print for several years, these classic recordings are made available here with the original cover art intact. This is the place where it all began. TZADIK
White And Lazy
1 Main Title 0:55
2 Homecoming 1:15
3 The Heist 3:20
4 Meat Dream 1:15
5 Phone Call 0:50
6 End Title 1:59
The Golden Boat
7 Fanfare 0:30
8 Theme 2:59
9 Jazz I 2:51
10 Horror Organ 1:06
11 Mexico 1:56
12 Mood 3:17
13 Rockabilly 2:01
14 Slow 2:47
15 Jazz Oboes 2:33
16 The Golden Boat (Turntable Mix) 2:58
Mixed By – David Shea
17 End Titles 2:53
The Good, The Bad And The Ugly
18 The Good, The Bad And The Ugly 1:04
Composed By – Ennio Morricone
She Must Be Seeing Things
19 Main Title 1:04
20 Swirling Shot 1:20
21 Homecoming 3:22
22 Catalina Flash 0:28
23 Seduction 4:54
24 Sex Shop Boogaloo 2:47
25 Catalina Escapes 1:11
26 Worms 1:04
27 Death Waltz Fantasy 1:24
28 Following Sequence 3:03
29 Movie Set 1:20
30 Climax 2:55
31 Going To Dinner 2:38
32 End Titles 3:27
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – John Zorn (pistas: 7 to 17, 19 to 32)
Arranged By, Producer, Executive-Producer, Liner Notes – John Zorn
Bass – David Hofstra (pistas: 19 to 32), Fred Frith (pistas: 18), Mark Dresser (pistas: 7 to 17), Melvin Gibbs (pistas: 1 to 6)
Bass Clarinet – Ned Rothenberg (pistas: 1 to 6)
Composed By – John Zorn (pistas: 1 to 15, 17, 19 to 32)
Drums – Anton Fier (pistas: 1 to 6), Bobby Previte (pistas: 7 to 32)
French Horn – Tom Varner (pistas: 19 to 32)
Guitar – Bill Frisell (pistas: 18 to 32), Robert Quine (pistas: 1 to 18)
Guitar, Vocals – Arto Lindsay (pistas: 1 to 6)
Harp – Carol Emanuel
Keyboards – Anthony Coleman (pistas: 7 to 17), David Weinstein (pistas: 1 to 6, 18 to 32)
Marimba – Bobby Previte (pistas: 7 to 17)
Oboe – Vicki Bodner (pistas: 7 to 17)
Organ [Hammond] – Wayne Horvitz (pistas: 18 to 32)
Percussion – Cyro Baptista (pistas: 7 to 17), Naná Vasconcelos (pistas: 19 to 32)
Percussion, Vibraphone, Timpani, Bells [Orchestra] – Bobby Previte (pistas: 19 to 32)
Piano – Wayne Horvitz (pistas: 19 to 32)
Piano, Organ, Celesta, Harpsichord – Anthony Coleman (pistas: 19 to 32)
Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet – Marty Ehrlich (pistas: 19 to 32)
Trombone – Jim Staley (pistas: 19 to 32)
Vocals – Bobby Previte (pistas: 18), Shelley Hirsch (pistas: 19 to 32)
Vocals, Turntables – David Shea (pistas: 7 to 17)
JOHN ZORN : New Traditions In East Asian Bar Bands (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
From the lyrical sensuality of Hu-Die (for 2 guitars), the aggressive fireworks of Hwang Chin-Ee (for two drummers) and the mystical ambience of Que Tran (for two keyboards), this album shows yet another side of Zorn's genius for the dramatic and the unexpected. Using the spoken languages of Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese as pure melody, this suite of 3 pieces of twin instruments and narrators is perhaps Zorn's most beautiful creation to date.
Ten years in the making, these epic compositions, Zorn's most universally misunderstood pieces, are finally made available on an album. Original texts by Arto Lindsay, My-ung Mi-Kim, and Lin Hejinian. Performed by an all-star collection of the world's most creative improvising instrumentalists. TZADIK
Tracklist :
1 Hu Die 25'09
Guitar – Bill Frisell, Fred Frith
Narrator – Zhang Jinglin
Recorded By [1986] – Kramer
Recorded By, Mixed By – Seigen Ono
Text By [Text] – Arto Lindsay
Translated By – Ruby Chang
2 Hwang Chin-ee 16'41
Drums – Joey Baron, Samm Bennett
Narrator – Jung Hee Shin
Recorded By [1988] – Oz Fritz
Recorded By, Mixed By – Jim Anderson
Text By [Text] – Myung Mi Kim
3 Quề Trân 30'46
Keyboards – Anthony Coleman, Wayne Horvitz
Narrator – Ánh Trần
Recorded By – Steve Rosenthal
Text By [Text] – Lyn Hejinian
Translated By – Tú Vū
Credits :
Written-By, Producer – John Zorn
24.6.22
JOHN ZORN - Filmworks VII : Cynical Hysterie Hour (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
The holy grail of Zornthologists is finally available in a newly remastered definitive edition.
Released in Japan for only a few short months in 1990, this is the original music Zorn created for a series of four shorts by one of Japan's most endearing cartoonists: Kiriko Kubo.
A long time champion of Warner Bros. cartoon composer Carl Stalling, Zorn considers this to be his finest and most personal take on cartoon music to date, a genre that has influenced him deeply. The all-star band includes Bill Frisell, Marc Ribot, Arto Lindsay, Robert Quine, Wayne Horvitz, Bobby Previte and Cyro Baptista. TZADIK
Trip Coaster
1 Hysteric Logo 0:24
2 Walk To Park 2:10
3 Coaster 2 0:47
4 Fighting Pirates 0:26
5 Yakisoba 1:14
6 Coaster Trip 1:39
Ch Ch Chang
7 1st Hit / 2nd Hit 0:27
8 Punk Rock Hero 0:56
9 Abacus Waltz 0:38
10 Punk Rebel / Tsunta's Theme 3:36
11 End Title 0:13
Through The Night
12 Through The Night 1:30
13 Home Sweet Home 1:43
14 Making Ramen At Midnight 0:32
15 Scary Moonlight 1:55
Bubblin' Singin'
16 My Favorite Things 2:18
17 Omelet Punk 0:20
18 Classical 0:16
19 Stink Of An Onion 0:34
20 Onion Samba 0:59
21 Omelet Punk 2 0:16
22 Me And My Hamburger / Final Samba 1:05
23 Surfing Samba 1:10
Credits :
Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass – David Hofstra (pistas: 7 to 23), Kermit Driscoll (pistas: 1 to 6)
Cello – Maxine Neuman (pistas: 12 to 15)
Composed, Producer, Arranged By – John Zorn
Drum Machine – Ikue Mori (pistas: 12 to 15)
Drums, Percussion – Bobby Previte (pistas: 1 to 11, 16 to 23)
Electric Guitar – Arto Lindsay (pistas: 7 to 11), Robert Quine (pistas: 7 to 11, 16 to 23)
Electric Guitar, Banjo – Bill Frisell (pistas: 1 to 6, 16 to 23), Marc Ribot (pistas: 7 to 15)
Harp – Carol Emanuel
Keyboards – Peter Scherer (pistas: 7 to 23), Wayne Horvitz (pistas: 1 to 6)
Percussion [Brazilian Percussion] – Cyro Baptista
Turntables – Christian Marclay (pistas: 1 to 6)
Violin, Viola – Jill Jaffe (pistas: 12 to 15)
Vocals – Arto Lindsay (pistas: 16 to 23), Kiriko Kubo (pistas: 16 to 23)
4.8.18
NAKED CITY — The Complete Studio Recordings (2005) RM | 5CD BOX-SET | Archival Series | APE (image+.cue), lossless
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
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
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
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
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
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)
+ last month
ANDREW CYRILLE | WADADA LEO SMITH | BILL FRISELL — Lebroba (2018) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
Lebroba, Andrew Cyrille's second leader date for ECM, finds the septuagenarian rhythm explorer trading in all but guitarist Bill Frisell...