John Zorn’s ‘Naked City’ Reviewed for 30 Year Anniversary

Source: Treblezine.

Naked City is free jazz, at least some of the time. Free jazz didn’t just expand on the premise of jazz, it blew it to pieces, usually with the power of a lot of breath blown into a tiny reed. The free jazz Naked City is most indebted to is Albert Ayler, who was playing blast beats before black metal was even a nascent dream. Zorn has discussed the influence of Ayler, along with Ornette Coleman and Cecil Taylor: “There is a clear connection between the energy music of the ’60s and hardcore punk in terms of energy, sound and tension.”