John Zorn’s discography is too deep for any one set of reviews. Nonetheless, we have gathered below a handful of reviews of his material and performances that we have written over the last several years.
Simon Hanes – Tsons of Tsunami (2024)
Guitarist Simon Hanes is all over the map…in a good way. In addition to his baritone guitar, Tsons of Tsunami features two bassists and two vibraphone / trombonists, as well as players on drums, horn, and waterphone. Hanes draws upon many sources for this album – rock, punk, jazz, classical, surf, and exotica to name a few. There is also the fact that John Zorn’s shadow looms large over these pieces. That may be due to Hanes playing Zorn’s Bagatelles in his band Trigger or that he and Zorn have many of the same influences.
Regardless, these seven short-to-medium-length instrumental offerings are simultaneously tuneful, outside, experimental, and campy. For instance, Quest for Crest has a galloping guitar and trombone melody punctuated by chaotic breaks. The smooth transitions between order and mayhem are very Zorn-like even if Hanes has his own voice. The looseness of the vibes on The Saga of Grettir the Strong also exudes Zorn, but less so in the piece’s slow build, jagged guitar, and wailing horns.
The remaining tracks veer toward eclectic influences. Surf-punk is represented on DR20 and Zest for Crest, with some free improv in the latter. A Break in the Fate Line is an anthemic ballad. But perhaps my favorites are the opening and final tracks, which are avant-rock/blues gemstones.
Combine this with the top-notch musicianship you would expect to hear out of the New York creative scene and there you go. Still, even all this description falls short so give it a try. This is a weird one, but a compelling listen that likely has broad appeal.
John Zorn / Bill Laswell – Memoria (2023)
This recent duet from longtime collaborators Zorn and Laswell takes a yin and yang approach. Laswell’s bass is processed with echoing effects, and he plays in a minimal, ambient fashion. Zorn attacks his sax with the usual vigor, generating rolling melodies, jagged lines, and abstract constructs. Where Laswell is quiet and repetitive, Zorn is loud and abrasive. While each is titled after a notable jazzman, the three long tracks do not necessarily hove to their respective namesakes. Instead, Zorn and Laswell provide tributes in the form of improvisation that explores polar extremes.
John Zorn – Multiplicities II: A Repository Of Nonexistent Objects (2023)
This album was recorded by the acoustic jazz ensemble Incerto, featuring Brian Marsella, Ches Smith, Julian Lage, and Jorge Roeder, all frequent Zorn collaborators. Here, they play a series of 10 pieces sketched out by Zorn but leaving room for interpretation. The music resembles the chaotic mind of its main author switching rapidly from late-night jazz or blues to free-improv breakouts. In the middle, there are numerous passages of progressive jazz-rock of above-average complexity and sophistication. Having seen these four perform live, I can attest to their unmatched ability to interpret Zorn’s writing.
John Zorn – 444 (2023)
444 is the latest output of Chaos Magick, which is a quartet featuring the addition of pianist Brian Marsella to the organ metal trio Simulacrum (John Medeski, Kenny Grohowski, and Matt Hollenberg). This album is not always heavy and instead explores Zorn-styled jazziness, an area in which the musicians are well-versed. If you are familiar with Zorn’s recent work, especially Simulacrum, you’ll hear familiar short motifs and variations on previous themes. The playing is energetic with a few outside breaks, and these ears are fully satisfied when it is seasoned with a bit more crunch from Hollenberg. Regardless, 444 is a very solid offering.
John Zorn – New Masada Quartet, Volume Two (2023)
Zorn’s longstanding Masada project has over 50 recordings at this point. Here, the New Masada Quartet brings Zorn back as a performer, along with Kenny Wollesen, Julian Lage, and Jorge Roeder. It continues the series’ rough thematic direction of creative jazz with Middle Eastern inflections. While Zorn is not afraid of going outside (nor are the other members), the album is tuneful and reserves plenty of time for soloing. The interplay between Lage’s guitar and Zorn’s alto is exquisite. Even when pastoral, the pieces are deceptively knotty and engaging.
John Zorn – Multiplicities: A Repository Of Non-Existent Objects (2022)
It is hard to keep track of how many John Zorn releases are drawn to particular themes or that feature particular bands or lineups. But if the math is correct, this is the third release from Chaos Magick, an ensemble consisting of Brian Marsella on Fender Rhodes, John Medeski on organ, Kenny Grohowski on drums, and Matt Hollenberg on guitar. Chaos Magick is essentially the addition of Marsella to Simulacrum, a longstanding Zorn trio that has recorded ten more albums.
Multiplicities is just the first ten tracks of twenty that Zorn has composed based on the writings of French philosopher Gilles Deleuze. Thus, there may be a follow on release in the coming months or years, though it is not clear whether the lineup of recording musicians will be the same.
In any event, you can expect the usual heavy riffing, blistering solos, and on-a-dime tempo changes from Chaos Magick on this release. The resulting amalgams of metal, jazz, and blues are punctuated by bursts of sheer noise and energy. Zorn sets forth tuneful melodies and themes that the band expands upon with its collectively staggering technical proficiency. In between the more structured passages, there are a few interludes that seem largely improvised. In short, Multiplicities is similar to other Chaos Magick and Simulacrum releases in its brain-feeding information density as well as its general approach. And to that point, the album is also full of echoes of earlier pieces. Zorn quotes himself quite liberally, incorporating familiar bits and pieces from the Simulacrum discography.
Even though this release is somewhat cumulative when viewed in that light, Multiplicities is another enjoyable and worthwhile offering. Solid recommendation.
John Zorn – The Hermetic Organ Volume 9 – Liber VII (2022)
John Zorn’s latest venture into the world of solo organ music is based on a long poem written by occultist Aleister Crowley. He explores the organ’s dynamic range, with deep rumblings and sporadic chording of varying frequencies. The single 44-minute piece is improvised, and intended to be played while in a trance-like state – this is notably converse to attempts to induce a hypnotic state in listeners through music. Indeed, Zorn eschews repetition and instead builds dark, airy structures that can be quiet but occasionally get rather dense. Recorded at St. John’s Cathedral during the 2022 Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee, Liber VII exemplifies Zorn’s fascination with spirituality and mysticism while letting him serve as a sonic alchemist.
Titan to Tachyons – Vonals (2022)
Titan to Tachyons returns with Vonals, an album that builds on their impressive debut by expanding the lineup and diving deeper into their genre-blending proclivities. Led by the guitarist Sally Gates, the group seamlessly melds technical metal, prog rock, jazz, blues, and a healthy dose of experimental oddities in a 45-minute sonic journey. With Kenny Grohowski, Matt Hollenberg, and Trevor Dunn rounding out the lineup, this release offers a unique blend of guitar-driven heaviness, intricate interplay, and a touch of abstraction. Creating both massive sonic walls and delicate rhythmic intricacies, Titan to Tachyons delivers another brilliant piece of work, making it a must-listen for fans who appreciated their debut effort.
John Zorn / Bill Laswell – The Cleansing (2022)
This initial duo effort of two musicians with a 45-year history was recorded mid-pandemic, after Zorn had taken a 15-month break from playing sax and Laswell had emerged from lockdown isolation. Laswell mostly hangs in the background with effect-laden bass lines that accentuate Zorn’s alto lines. The latter unsurprisingly shifts between more pastoral expressions and wailing solos that are cyclic and edgy. While Zorn draws the listener’s attention, Laswell remains quite active. The mournful yet piercing nature of this recording could be viewed as cries and lamentations for the losses we all felt and experienced during the first year of COVID-19.
John Zorn – Spinoza (2022)
Spinoza is the latest effort from John Zorn’s organ-metal trio Simulacrum. It features two long tracks, Immanence showcasing guitarist Bill Frisell and the title track as a vehicle for Zorn himself. It is easy to lose count, but this is probably the 10th or so release for Simulacrum, the outfit consisting of John Medeski on organ and technical-metal wizards Kenny Grohowski and Matt Hollenberg on drums and electric guitar, respectively.
Immanence keeps with the general Simulacrum style that has developed since their first release in 2015. Complex riffing and runs are punctuated by chaotic breaks and softer interludes. Frisell is prominent in the latter, his undistorted electric taking on bluesy or Americana tones that contrast with the distorted blasts of energy from Hollenberg. In particular, Frisell and Medeski accompany one another with a notable sensitivity. Even in the more energetic passages where Frisell employs distortion, he maintains a distinct spikiness harkening to jazz and rock rather than extreme metal.
Spinoza begins with Zorn’s signature disjointed lines, including a long, piercing high-pitched blast that is joined by heaviness from Medeski, Grohowski, and Hollenberg. The track is a vehicle for soloing, with Zorn, Medeski, and Hollenberg trading leads. Not unexpectedly, Zorn’s contributions are outside the lines and include harsh fragments. When the tempo slows, Zorn’s playing tames but remains edgy. Where Spinoza shines, however, is when Zorn relents a bit and engages in a soaring solo over a pounding metal riff structure from his bandmates.
As on many Zorn releases, you will hear bits and pieces repeated from previous recordings among the many jump cuts. These quotes lend a degree of familiarity, as the majority if not all Simulacrum pieces form a family of lively and twisted tunes. And what a family it is.
John Zorn – Chaos Magick (2021)
In the current phase of his long career, saxophonist, composer, and statesman of the avant-garde John Zorn has focused on composing music for others to perform and record. While he still engages in these activities himself, his role as “musical director” of a sort allows him to work with a wide variety of like-minded musicians in his broad circle of collaborators.
Since 2015, one of his more iconic groups has been the organ power trio Simulacrum, consisting of organist John Medeski, drummer Kenny Grohowski, and guitarist Matt Hollenberg. After a series of hard-hitting releases that combine technical-metal wizardry with Zorn’s penchant for labyrinthine melodic structures rooted in Middle-Eastern folk music, he formed a new ensemble by adding the virtuosic pianist Brian Marsella to the mix. Thus, Chaos Magick was born.
Chaos Magick is the self-titled debut, and immediately invokes some of the knottier passages of Simulacrum. But it never takes on the in-your-face crunch of the predecessor band. Instead, Zorn employs a softer form of power through complex lines and a more retro-jazz feel. The dual-keyboard lineup also evokes the jazz fusion of the 70s. That is not to say that there isn’t a fair share of shredding from all four members, just that it appears in a different context.
The addition of Marsella distributes the workload, giving Medeski and Hollenberg room to focus on textures and accentuations rather than going all-out. Nonetheless, many of the pieces are structurally similar to those of Simulacrum, with certain themes and motifs (or variations thereof) repeating. Zorn may or may not have a formula per se, but much of the album involves arrangements that are centered around complex rhythms, spiraling leads, and noisy interludes presented in various orderings.
Where Chaos Magick finds its unique voice is in some of the later tracks. These feature more abstract compositions, such as Medeski and Marsella sharing leads while accompanied by soft chording by Hollenberg, cymbal work from Grohowski, and a spoken-word passage. Another piece includes a dense solo from Grohowski (who, by the way, remains a colossal drummer and seems to grow extra limbs when behind his kit). The album ends with a blissful track of Hollenberg plucking undistorted arpeggiated chords over keyboard meandering and jaggedly busy percussion.
John Zorn – The Ninth Circle (2021; Tzadik)
The Ninth Circle heads largely in the same direction as Chaos Magick, heavy, loud, and almost overbearingly intricate. Marsella employs the Fender Rhodes, piano, and mellotron on this release, however, which results in slightly different textures. The album consists of 9 cantos, inspired by the story of Orpheus and Eurydice – that of a husband who literally went to the underworld in an attempt to rescue his wife from death, and would have succeeded if not for his own lack of faith.
Canto III is wonderfully disjointed, with chaotic passages that vary between structure and free improvisation. Hollenberg and Medeski both solo and generate noise, with the former both going outside as well as playing in a bluesy manner. Marsella includes a brief, classically-oriented piano line on three occasions that is so unexpected amidst the general havoc that it generates a form of cognitive dissonance. Canto VIII, on the other hand, takes from the Simulacrum playbook with heavy riffs, organ chords, and angular breaks before heading in a jazz fusion direction. Never content to stay in one play for long, the track reprises to keyboard-drenched hard rock.
John Zorn – Nostradamus: The Death of Satan (2021)
One does not expect to find soulful jams on a recording with the word “Satan” in its title, but in the world of John Zorn such juxtapositions are not uncommon. The ninth outing of Zorn’s power trio Simulacrum, Nostradamus: The Death of Satan shows a more varied and mature cohesion between organist John Medeski, drummer Kenny Grohowski, and guitarist Matt Hollenberg. Indeed, Flowers of Heaven includes a blues vamp over which Hollenberg solos in like fashion, then he and Medeski gently trade leads.
Thus, at first, this album seems somewhat removed from the brain-splitting technical metal of the group’s 2015 debut. But such notions are short-lived, as several tracks – Melmoth, Seven Spirits, and The Stygian Pool, in particular – include massive riffs and tumultuous soloing. Still, the all-out approach of early Simulacrum is tempered by more diverse and nuanced playing. These pieces all move along at a healthy pace despite shifting levels of aggression therein. Also present is another Simulacrum mainstay, jagged improved noise. Whether used to link more structured passages or as an end to itself, these elements are sublime. A Mantic Stain is a prime example of this rough-edged approach.
Nostradamus: The Death of Satan represents Zorn’s integrative process, where his newer compositions tend to include both overt and subtle variations of his previous works. The result is an expanding palette of sounds consummated by way of Medeski, Grohowski, and Hollenberg’s technical brilliance. Whether this ends up being the final recording for Simulacrum or they continue in this form, it will remain a compelling representation of their story arc. Well done
John Zorn – Heaven and Earth Magick (2021)
Heaven and Earth Magick is a new set of group pieces composed by John Zorn and performed by the quartet of Jorge Roeder on bass, Ches Smith on drums, Stephen Gosling on piano, and Sae Hashimoto on vibraphone. As usual, Zorn does not stick to genre, and blends jazz, chamber music, and a bit of avant-rock across six tracks in the 8-10 minute range.
Of course, given Zorn’s penchant for stringing together short, bursty themes and motifs, each of these tracks could be divided up into a number of distinct constituent passages with different melodies and rhythms. But what ties them together is their knotty complexity, jagged structure, and constantly shifting tempos. The result is outside jazz punctuated by moments of swirling chaos, and the division into tracks seems arbitrary.
But there is a subtle difference between Heaven and Earth Magick and most modern creative music. Zorn composed – wrote out – the score for Gosling and Hashimoto, but instructed Roeder and Smith to improvise their parts. If anything this adds to the unpredictability of the pieces. And unpredictable they are. At one moment, there is staccato piano over freely-improvised drumming, and the next is an abbreviated mainstream-leaning jazz melody that morphs into a set of loose but labyrinthine lines.
If you have followed Zorn for, say, the last 10-20 years, you might hear a few moments that sound familiar. He does repeat himself between albums and also explores variations on older themes. But doing so only adds to the charm of this release, and in any event only lasts for very short durations.
Ultimately, this is another solid and compelling album from a living legend who does not give you time to get bored or even comfortable. Well done.
Miles Okazaki / Trevor Dunn / Dan Weiss – Hive Mind (2021)
Given the lineup, one might assume that this release would be a set of well-played left-of-center creative jazz. If anything, Hive Mind is further to the left and consists mostly of well-done free improv that pushes sonic boundaries. Each of these musicians is a notable composer, so it is surprising yet enriching to hear them in this context. Case in point, Havana Syndrome is a minimalist textural exercise of rumbling bass, twisted guitar, and clacking drums all at low volume and a slow pace. The following track, Smoking Gun, is virtually hardcore in its intensity with overdriven guitar and bass. Other pieces are more reminiscent of jazz or blues but with the expected idiosyncrasies. Zorn joins in with his signature wailing on two tracks and that alone is worth the price of admission.
John Medeski – Crawlspace (2021)
Keyboardist Medeski uses an array of instruments on this release, including pianos, Moogs, mellotrons, organs, and the like. It is as if the label gave him permission to do whatever the heck he wanted… and so he did. If anything, Crawlspace resembles GRM-styled experimental electronics and electroacoustics more than any of Medeski’s previous works. Having said that, he also incorporates a few passages of cinematic soundscapes into the sculpted static and warblings. Bottom line, this is a weird release even for a label that prides itself on releasing offbeat music.
John Zorn – Gnosis: The Inner Light (2021)
This rather unusual lineup consists of Carol Emanuel on harp and Kenny Wollesen on vibraphone, as well as Bill Frisell and John Medeski. The tones are bright, with Emanuel and Frisell often teaming on leads while Medeski and Wollesen offer up atmospheric harmonies. Envisioned as a tribute to Ennio Morricone, there is a subtle Western feel largely due to Frisell’s cleanly picked guitar with help from Medeski. Often quiet yet intricate, Gnosis: The Inner Light evokes an inner beauty and peace despite a handful of slightly more ominous passages. If you think that Zorn is all skronk and can’t make pretty music, think again.
John Zorn – Calculus (2020)
Calculus is the mathematics of change – whether determining instantaneous rates thereof or accumulating shapes of varying sizes. A clear analogy exists between calculus and John Zorn’s career, as the latter has never been able to stay in the same place for long. There is another even more obvious analogy between calculus and Zorn’s latest release of the same name.
Like many recent Zorn recordings, Calculus features other musicians playing his compositions, this time a piano trio. The rhythm section consists of long-time Zorn collaborators Trevor Dunn and Kenny Wollesen on bass and drums, respectively. Brian Marsella mans the lead instrument.
Even on the first listen there are two observations that can be made. First, the scope and variety exhibited by each of the two 20-minute tracks are nothing less than remarkable. Marsella, Dunn, and Wollesen move fluidly from jazz, to atonal workouts, to lounge music, to chaotic breaks. Indeed, like its mathematical namesake, these pieces are all about change. Second, Marsella is an absolute virtuoso navigating Zorn’s thorny compositions.
While all of this dynamism can make the music come across as disjointed, anyone familiar with Zorn’s output over the last 40 years will not find it to be distracting. If anything, this particular style is ear candy for anyone with a knack for patterns and who does not require the repetition that most musical forms employ. Attentive listeners may recognize fragments that are similar to melodies or rhythms from Zorn’s other recordings.
High points include Marsella fluidly playing clusters and inside-out runs over rapid-fire time changes, then jumping into a complex or conventional theme followed by Dunn and Wollesen. Dunn’s acoustic has a deep, rich sound as he plays it as straight as you can with Zorn’s material (with a few exceptions), while Wollesen is more exploratory. But there is no way to sum up Calculus in a few words – it is as hard to pin down as Zorn himself.
John Zorn – Beyond Good and Evil – Simulacrum Live (2020)
Simulacrum is John Zorn’s progressive / thrash metal band. It consists of John Medeski on organ, Kenny Grohowski on drums, and Matt Hollenberg on guitar. Notable in his absence is Zorn, though he has been taking on more and more of a composer role in recent years across several of his projects.
This is the seventh release from the group and the first one that is live. The studio recordings came out between 2015 and 2017, and the group toured in 2018 and 2019. I was lucky enough to see their Chicago performance, which was a blast of complex energy – the group is all about labyrinthine compositions played at speed. This set is from their 2019 performance in New Haven and features cuts from four of the studio albums, with the majority from their debut.
At first blush, the aspect of Beyond Good and Evil that jumped out at me is its overall recording quality and clarity. Some of the Simulacrum studio albums have a slightly muddy mix that hides the details of Medeski’s and Hollenberg’s contributions. But here you can easily follow the lines of both. Medeski’s gritty swirling and angular soloing is contrasted with Hollenberg’s power chords and brief leads. If anything, Hollenberg is most unleashed of the three as he follows Zorn’s frameworks but subtlely diverges in how he carries out his solos. Grohowski is an absolute monster behind the kit, taking 90’s technical metal drumming to a new level with his jazz background. Indeed, the jazz (and even blues) influences shine through as well in one or two tracks, while soundtrack-like atmospherics can be found in several passages.
Even though I will be the first to admit that not all of Zorn’s material is essential (it is often brilliant nonetheless), I would not recommend skipping this release. Beyond Good and Evil is not just more of the same. It takes the Simulacrum catalog in a few new directions, while providing a full frontal assault from a trio with a staggering but knotty live presence.
Red Fiction – Visions of the Void (2020)
Red Fiction is the brainchild of Jason Schimmel, long-time guitarist of Secret Chiefs 3. On Visions of the Void, he drops 11 tracks that vary dramatically in style and scope from moment to moment. Red Fiction touches on so many genres that it is easy to get lost among them. Metal, jazz, math rock, improv, klezmer, Eastern European folk, and even a touch of spaghetti western and noir are represented. Underlying the tracks are instrumental experimentation, including field recordings and unconventional studio techniques. The album exhibits a progression, from frenetic circular themes reminiscent of John Zorn’s Masada books played with heavy guitar, to tenor sax wailing over baritone sax and arpeggiated guitar chords, to shades of Mr. Bungle, to a spacious and melodic pair of tracks to cap things off.
Wyxz – ODYX (2020)
Wyxz’s debut album ODYX probably fits into the broad genre of progressive rock. And chamber rock. And technical metal. And math rock. And it probably could be slapped with a few other labels as well. Wyxz has Ben Coniguliaro playing drums, guitar, bass, piano, keyboard, and glockenspiel. His brother, Quinn, helps out on guitar, bass, and percussion. Matt Stober plays vibes on one track, Alex Verbickas also offers up guitar lines on another, as does Matt Hollenberg on two more. But a few listens give the distinct impression that this is a solo project, with Ben Coniguliaro handling the vast majority of the chores. Having said that, ODYX full of dizzying and never-ending changes in tempo, timing, and theme. Coniguliaro and company navigate labyrinthine riffs and micro-melodies that rarely last more than a few seconds. Keyboards and guitars duel in contrapuntal lines that challenge Zappa’s The Black Page and John Zorn’s short-attention-span moments in complexity. If anything, the completely over-the-top nature of ODYX can easily engulf the unprepared listener. But give the album a try or two, as its all-out assault is part of its charm.
Sam Eastmond / Spike Orchestra – Splintered Stories (2020)
I first heard Spike Orchestra as contributors to John Zorn’s recent Masada efforts, and certainly appreciated the group’s take on his compositions. But in Splintered Stories, we have an opportunity to point out where Eastmond is both similar and different. Not unlike Zorn, Eastmond merges and blends styles, from free jazz to swing, rock to klezmer. This takes the form of heavy chording, marches, open-ended blowouts, as well as numerous powerful and distinct melodies that often overlap with one another. But Eastmond’s writing tends to tell stories and feature logical progressions that vary from Zorn’s approach. Assisting Eastmond is an army of performers with emphasis on walls of horn and reed-based instruments, as well as electric guitar, piano, bass, and drums. Case in point, Matriarch Variations includes a baritone sax solo over horn and reed explorations that are both jagged and playful. Then the rhythm section cuts in to support a multiphonic set of soloing backed by wandering rhythms and themes. The piece finishes up with a classically-oriented and percussive piano solo before returning to one of its main motifs. There is a plethora of activity on this album that takes time to unpack. Well done.
John Zorn – Azoth (2020)
Azoth is scored for solo cello as well as cello with a rhythm section. The cellists here are Jay Campbell of JACK Quartet and Michael Nicolas of Brooklyn Rider. The rhythm section is Ches Smith and Jorge Roeder. Ostensibly high-modern classical, these pieces stretch those already expansive notions with rapid bowing, disjointed structures, and extended techniques. The result sounds as if it is simultaneously falling apart and putting itself back together. If there wasn’t previously such a thing as “extreme cello”, there is now. A compelling blend of chamber music and experimentalism.
John Zorn – Les Maudits (2020)
This one is weird even by Zorn standards. Consisting of three pieces, Les Maudits begins with a 20-minute pastiche of styles, from heavy rock, free improv, ambient, Western, jazz, blues, and more accompanied by strange voices and effects. It takes the form of a long series of cut-ups, each lasting a few seconds to a minute, rapidly moving from one to the next. The latter two tracks are composed for and performed by two nearly-disjoint lineups of musicians from the International Contemporary Ensemble. Aside from Zorn’s signature brisk impatience, they have little in common with the former. Instead, they are prime examples of highly-abstract contemporary classical with abrupt changes in tempo and dynamics.
John Zorn The Book Beri’ah (2018)
I find boxed sets daunting, mainly due to the time commitment involved not only to listen but to absorb the material therein. John Zorn’s The Book Beri’ah consists of 11 albums, which is lengthy even as these things go. Nonetheless, there is no shortage of gems on this varied set, which makes it essential for Zorn fans.
The Book Beri’ah marks the end of Zorn’s 25-year Masada series. Not a group anymore as it was in its early days, Masada is instead three books of songs and tunes composed or roughed out by Zorn and filled in and performed by musicians with a broad set of backgrounds and styles. Here, he surrounds himself with long-time collaborators as well as some new faces. This capstone project took three years to put together, and represent Zorn’s works being played in a broad variety of ways.
With all of that in mind, let’s get down to the music.
The set begins with Keter, featuring Argentinian vocalist Sofia Rei and Carribean-born JC Maillard on saz bass. The latter is an 8-stringed guitar-like instrument capable of producing both lead and bass lines, and is a perfect fit for Zorn’s Middle-Eastern and Eastern European themed Masada collection. In these duets, Rei sings in Spanish with folk inflections. The result is a pleasant set of songs and one of Zorn’s more accessible efforts.
The next release, Chokhma, is an abrupt shift. It is performed by the metal band Cleric, gruffly shouted vocals and all. Unless you listen closely, the fact that the band is playing Zorn’s music might be lost. Nonetheless, the album is far more than just riffing and pounding rhythms (though there are plenty of those elements). Cleric is an unusually creative group (think Meshuggah or Fantomas), and playing Zorn’s compositions pushes them in a more melodic direction. Nonetheless, the instrumental breaks shine with unconventional structure, featuring the occasional dose of oud, keyboards, violin, and accordion.
Binah is performed by the 16-piece Spike Orchestra. Instrumentally, the majority of the group uses wind and brass, which gives the recording a thick wall of sound character. But this big-band jazz approach is tempered by keyboards, guitar, and drum kit. Think Gil Evans and Frank Zappa meet Darcy James Argue to collectively arrange pieces by Zorn for a James Bond film. These tunes also obscure their Masada source material under shifting layers of horns, as well as an overall groove.
Acoustic guitarists Julian Lage and Gyan Riley team up for Chesed, duets exploring Masada’s Mediterranean roots. Those who have followed Zorn’s works over the last couple of decades will find familiar motifs here and there, but Lage and Riley expand upon these with improvisation and a handful of extended techniques (speed picking, body work, etc.). Thus, these pieces vary from being quaint and charming to going slightly outside.
While many of the collaborations on Beri’ah might be considered “supergroups” in any other setting, Zorn’s legacy of putting together interesting combinations of stellar musicians makes this term less meaningful. Nonetheless, Abraxas, the progenitors of Gevurah, consists of nothing short of an all-star lineup. Featuring the dual guitar attack of Aram Bajakian and Eyal Maoz with Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz on bass and Kenny Grohowski on drums, this quartet launches itself through nine offerings of twisted hard rock and metal with distorted overtones of free improv and heavy blues. Of course, Zorn’s signature melodies take center stage as well, but the group works through them at a feverish pace supported by Blumenkranz and Grohowski’s non-stop, hectic rhythms. Needless to say, Gevurah is a high point of this set for me.
Klezmerson is a somewhat self-descriptive name for a Mexican Klezmer group with eight main members (three percussionists) and an even larger number of guests. Their style is truly a hybrid on Tiferet, with rock, jazz, funk, and even prog influences along with the aforementioned Klezmer and Mexican musics – a bit retro as well, but in a good way. The flute and horns combine with guitar riffs as the group wends through complex melodies and themes. This one was a grower and ended up being a favorite.
Netzach features The Gnostic Trio, which consists of longtime Zorn collaborators Bill Frisell and Kenny Wollesen on electric guitar and vibes, respectively, as well as Carol Emanuel on harp. This group takes things down a notch or two, with deliberately paced, introspective readings. While the melodic approach is familiar, Netzach is a different animal atmospherically. Aside from a Frisell solo or two, the pieces are more subdued featuring interwoven themes and an occassional western ambient feel.
Hod is performed by the 10-person Zion80, another bluesy big band ensemble. More overtly retro than Klezmerson, this group also features afrobeat tendencies. Additionally, Hod is the only album of the entire set that includes a performance from Zorn. Though he only appears on one track, it is a burner with heavy riffing and wailing sax. Otherwise, the three sax players and guitarist take a prominent role, while keyboards and flute add texture as well as a solo or two. While varying in intensity from track to track (with the Zorn track at the high end of the spectrum), there is a soulful and organic ingredient to Zion80’s contribution that gives it an unusual appeal.
The closest thing to a traditional jazz approach in the set comes from percussionist Cyro Baptista’s Banquet of the Spirits. Joined by Brian Marsella on piano and vibes, Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz on bass, and Tim Keiper on drums, Yesod explores the more upbeat side of the Masada books. Marsella’s jagged piano work includes slight echoes of Brubeck with a Latin flair. The pace remains energetic throughout most of the album’s 9 tracks.
Malkhut is performed by Secret Chiefs 3, a long-standing avant-rock group led by guitarist Trey Spruance. Here, it is expanded into an 8-piece lineup with an additional guitarist, keyboards, violin, kaval (Turkish flute) bass, drums, and percussion. Stylistically, the group moves deftly about between metal, jazz, twisted folk, Middle Eastern, and cinematic music from moment to moment. The sheer variety of styles and the speed at which Spruance et al. shifts from genre to genre to a genre-less approach is remarkable. Another high point.
Da’at completes the set with a series of solo piano, piano duo and piano trio (piano, bass, drums) pieces performed by Craig Taborn, Vadim Neselovskyi, and the latter’s trio. This is a “bonus” album and is the only one that includes multiple takes of the same piece. The most engaging of these recordings are the piano duos which feature intricate interplay between Taborn and Neselovskyi, as well as Neselovskyi’s trio work.
Overall, The Book Beri’ah reflects the flexibility of Zorn’s compositions and material – it can be performed by any number of musicians in any configuration, and the performers can follow Zorn’s framework or set forth on their own paths using his source material as a guide. The diversity of styles in this set is staggering especially given that all 11 discs worth of music is derived from the same family of tunes. Intimidating, but so worthwhile.
John Zorn at The Art Institute of Chicago (2018)
On September 9, 2018 the Art Institute of Chicago presented performances of musical works by composer John Zorn. Zorn’s unique body of work draws on jazz, rock, punk, metal, classical, klezmer, sacred, mystical, experimental, film, cartoon and improvised music. Zorn is a musical alchemist able to transform this diverse material into something completely new. The program featured six hours of live performances plus documentary screenings. This concert provided listeners a rare opportunity to hear a variety of Zorn’s work expertly performed by many of the musicians that have been part of his universe for decades. John Zorn was also in attendance. He very briefly introduced each of the pieces and the musicians. He also performed in two of the day’s events. For the explorers of John Zorn’s musical universe this was a concert they will remember forever. For new comers and the curious, they were able to sample a very small part of the work of one of the planet’s most prolific and diverse contemporary composers.
The performances were situated in galleries that contained many of the museum’s most iconic art works. This provided an ambiance that allowed the pieces to be a “response” to the art works in the gallery. The day began with the American Brass Quartet greeting visitors as they performed “Pulcinella” on the Grand Staircase of the Art Institute. It was a wonderful performance that echoed through the museum, announcing the beginning of the day’s events. This was followed by an absolutely sublime performance of the “Gnostic Preludes” by the Gnostic Trio – Bill Frisell(guitar), Kenny Wollesen(vibraphone) and Carol Emanuel(harp). Hearing this music so beautifully played in a gallery containing some of the greatest art works of the Impressionist era was pure magic.
At noon it was off to the Dali room to hear members of the JACK quartet – Chris Otto(violin) and Jay Campbell(cello) with Michael Nicolas(cello) in a spectacular virtuosic performance of “Freud”, an intense spiky piece of sharp and sudden contrasts. This was followed by a stunning cello duo performance of “Ouroboros” another of Zorn’s intense virtuoso string works. Following this dramatic intensity was a performance of “Frammenti del Sappho” in the Sculpture Court by the voices of Rachel Calloway, Kirsten Sollek, Sarah Brailey, Eliza Bagg, and Elizabeth Bates. This is an incredibly delicate and beautiful work. The visual setting for this performance was wonderful and the performers were outstanding, but the acoustics didn’t work for me. This is an incredibly powerful piece that when performed in a space with acoustics similar to a church or temple would just wash over you and realign your molecular structure.
Next it was off to the Warhol room for a performance of a jazz inspired work, “Naked Lunch” with Sae Hashimoto(vibraphone), Shanir Blumenkranz(bass) and Ches Smith(drums). It was a very tight, high energy performance. Absolutely wonderful! I heard many people comment that it was their favorite performance of the day. Then it was off to the Joseph Cornell gallery for a solid performance by Erik Friedlander and Michael Nicolas of a series of “Bagatelles” for two cellos. By this point the audience had more than doubled.
At 2:00 John Zorn(saxophone) and Kenny Wollesen (drums) performed an improvisation in response to Jackson Pollock. At this point the size of the audience had greatly exceeded the capacity of the gallery and many listeners including myself had to hear the performance from one of the adjoining galleries. Despite being one room over the duo sounded fantastic and the crowd absolutely loved it. I have to say the crowd absolutely loved everything that was performed at this event. Next it was off to the Picasso Gallery to hear Julian Lage and Gyan Riley perform selections from the “Midsummer Moons”. This music is similar in some ways to the music written for the Gnostic trio in that it’s a very beautiful melodic music. Again, the crowd absolutely exceeded the capacity of the gallery. I along with many others had to listen from one of the adjoining galleries. It was another sublime performance!
At this point there were still four more performances and the documentary screening. Given the growing crowd I made the difficult choice to skip the documentary, the American Brass Quartet performance of “Blue Stratagem”, Michael Nicholas’s performance of “as Above, So Below”, and Chris Otto and Michael Nicholas’s performance of “Zeitgehöft”. This allowed me to get to the gallery where “Hockey”, one of Zorn’s game pieces was to be performed. John Zorn’s game pieces are a series of works for improvisers in which rules and strategies are interactively enacted upon by the improvisers during the performance of the piece. For this performance Zorn said that he chose the “wet” version of “Hockey. John Zorn, Kenny Wollesen and Sae Hashimoto performed the piece on little percussion instruments built and or modified by Kenny Wollesen. It was a spectacular performance that took place in a small dark gallery of contemporary Asian art works.
The final performance of the day was in the Kandinsky Room. The JACK Quartet performed “The Unseen”. At this point the biggest crowds had dispersed but the Kandinsky room and its semi-adjoining gallery were filled to hear the days final piece. “The Unseen” is a delicate string quartet filled with shimmering harmonics that rise up from out of the silence, eventually disappearing. It was a great a great way to end the day. The crowd really showed their appreciation for the JACK’s, John Zorn, all of the musicians that performed during this event and to the Art Institute of Chicago for programming such a rare and incredible musical event.
For me this was one of the best musical events I have ever attended.
Chris De Chiara
John Zorn and Simulacrum at Reggie’s Rock Club in Chicago, August 11, 2018
John Zorn does not visit Chicago all that often, but last night was his first of two appearances within a month. Zorn was joined by his organ-driven technical metal band Simulacrum for 90 minutes of intensity at Reggie’s Rock Club in the South Loop. Prior to the show, there was some uncertainty as to whether Zorn would actually perform, and if so for how long. In the past, he has relegated himself to the role of composer and watched from backstage as others perform his works, maybe joining in for a few minutes of improvisation at most.
But at 9pm sharp, Zorn walked onto the stage alone, dressed in his usual camo pants with beat-up sax in hand, and broke into a rapid-fire wailing. After some banter with the crowd and the people running the venue’s sound about buzzing from the monitors, he continued through a solo set full of angularities and extended techniques. Then, calling Simulacrum drummer Kenny Grohowski out, the two performed a joint improvisation in the same style for several minutes. The band’s organist, John Medeski, then joined in. This seemed to trigger Zorn to switch to a more melodic and plaintive approach. After about 25 minutes from the start of the show, Simulacrum’s final member, guitarist Matt Hollenberg hit the stage. This was Zorn’s cue to leave, and the trio took over for the remaining 70 minutes.
Simulacrum plays Zorn’s compositions and arrangements, though this might not be apparent at first. The group certainly hit all the high points that a progressive metal or math rock outfit might focus on – heavy riffing, pounding rhythms, and rapid-fire leads. But as you peel the Simulacrum onion, differences emerge. The most apparent is the non-traditional use of organ instead of bass guitar. Medeski covered both basslines and swirling leads, not to mention sweeping chords. Placed higher in the mix live than on recordings, his contributions were more apparent. He and Hollenberg often doubled up on melodies but complemented each other as well. Grohowski was an octopus behind the drum kit, his casual bearing belying a near-overwhelming intensity. His non-stop action encompassed virtually every spare second with a break, fill, or muscular double-bass work.
But hidden within Simulacrum’s overpowering presence is Zorn’s distinctive writing. After the audience was flattened by a Medeski / Grohowski rhythm, Hollenberg would peel off a Middle-Eastern tinged melody that would fit into Zorn’s Masada or Book of Angels oeuvre. The group stuck mostly to the material on their self-titled first release from 2015, but included two or three tracks from their latter five albums.
After a brief encore, Zorn joined the trio for a bow to solid appreciation from the crown of about 120. As alluded to above, Zorn announced that he will be returning to Chicago for six hours of performances at the MCA on September 9, featuring 12 different ensembles that pair his varied compositions with paintings.
John Zorn – The Garden of Earthly Delights (2017)
Time flies. Two years ago I wrote a review of John Zorn‘s Simulacrum, the first release of his organ-based heavy metal trio consisting of John Medeski (Medeski, Martin, and Wood) on said organ, Kenny Grohowski (Abraxas) on drums, and Matt Hollenberg (Cleric) on guitar. And just last month their sixth album came out.
This time around they are joined by Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle, Secret Chiefs 3) on bass for all tracks, as well as New-York-based experimentalist Sara Serpa on occasional vocals. The addition of these individuals, along with the contributions of Medeski, help shift the overall sound of The Garden of Earthly Delights away from the all-out technical metal / math rock attack of Grohowski and Hollenberg into a direction reflecting more jazz, blues, and atmospherics. Case in point, Dunn provides wandering bass lines while Hollenberg takes it down a notch and offers a handful of undistorted melodies. Medeski uses organ chording and slow themes to accentuate this approach. Serpa’s wordless vocals are used minimally, mainly on the final track. Once again, Zorn serves as composer, and does not perform.
But there remains a tension to this release – a push and pull between two sides of Zorn. On one hand, you have his “extreme” outlook, characterized in the past by his Painkiller releases. On the other, you have his more recent guitar trio work with Bill Frisell. These styles are not so much combined or mashed together, but integrated into a comprehensive whole. Overriding all of this is another type of tension – a sense of foreboding and unease. The addition of Dunn holding down the low end allows Medeski, Grohowski, and Hollenberg to produce near-ambient layers on top of one another.
There is a lot to like here if you are a fan of any of the aforementioned musicians. Perhaps the heavier parts please these ears the most, but even the slower sections contain labyrinthine exposes of Zorn’s idiosyncratic compositional approach as played by his veteran collaborators. Needless to say, there are plenty of ideas in The Garden of Earthly Delights, and multiple listens will be necessary to unravel its complexity.
Mary Halvorson Quartet – Paimon: The Book Of Angels Volume 32 (2017)
John Zorn’s Book of Angels consists of 300 pieces and has been released on 32 albums over the last 12 years. This offering is supposed to be the final of the series, featuring the last 10 unrecorded compositions. Aside from its status as a conclusion of sorts, Paimon is also of note for Zorn’s choice of performers: guitarist Mary Halvorson with her longtime collaborator Tomas Fujiwara on drums, veteran Drew Gress on bass, and another well-respected guitarist, Miles Okazaki.
The juxtaposition of Zorn’s klezmer-based circular melodies and Middle-Eastern twang with Halvorson’s note bending is the highlight of the album. Zorn’s writing develops the main themes of each piece, but Halvorson and the group work within these loose confines, not afraid to step out from time to time. In particular, Halvorson and Okazaki engage in an interplay, whether doubling one another’s lines, trading off lead and rhythm roles, or ripping through contrapuntal motifs. They focus on acoustic and un-distorted electric gear, given the album a lightness that belies its dense structure. Gress and Fujiwara both contribute in their well-established and understated manners. Fujiwara, in particular, fits in so well that he is easy to ignore, though once you pay close attention to his playing, you will realize how much he carries the album’s twisted rhythms.
Paimon covers a breadth of space while maintaining a consistent feel and approach. It is neither truly klezmer nor jazz. While steeped in traditional styles, it is not a conservative album. Halvorson and company tease going outside, but never approach actual free improvisation. The album is an exercise in the familiar and the strange, and for that reason alone it is more than worth your time.
John Zorn – Sacred Visions (2016)
There is something appealing about medieval music, even if one does not buy into the religiosity typically referenced therein. On Sacred Visions, the legendary saxophonist and composer John Zorn offers two pieces that are modern takes on the ancient.
The Holy Visions opens the album with five-voice, all-female contrapuntal choral music based on the life of Hildegard von Bingen. Subdivided into nearly a dozen sections over its 23 minutes, the track features both minimalistic themes, as well as the more chaotic breaks that Zorn is known for. Thus, this is not traditional church music in any sense, despite exhibiting a beatific feel at times. The vocals are not in English (Latin perhaps?) which adds to the mystical feel. At its best moments, The Holy Visions layers the voices in unusual arrangements and staggered lines that exceed the sum of their parts.
The Remedy of Fortune is a 15-minute string quartet inspired by 12th-century troubadour Guillaume de Machaut. Performed by the illustrious JACK Quartet, this piece exercises plucking and sawing, interspersed with flourishes and crescendos. A few medieval-sounding themes are quickly presented, then discarded. Despite Zorn’s basis of the piece, this is modern classical music. Discordant and disconnected, The Remedy of Fortune moves in unpredictable directions, exercising the full registers of the instruments. Often, the violins provide high-pitched atmospherics that are juxtaposed with uptempo runs from the viola and cello.
John Zorn – The Painted Bird (2016)
The Painted Bird is the fourth album in John Zorn‘s collaboration with organist John Medeski, drummer Kenny Grohowski, and guitarist Matt Hollenberg. Often referred to as Simulacrum, the trio provides a technical-metal take on Zorn’s compositions. Here, Zorn mixes things up with the inclusion of Ches Smith on congas and voudou drums, as well as Kenny Wollesen on vibes. The result is not the pure heaviness of the trio’s debut – instead, the tracks as a whole split the difference between that and something more reminiscent of Zorn’s Book of Angels series.
Wolleson, in particular, adds color to the forceful elements provided by Grohowski and Hollenberg. For example, the three combine to create a heavy blues feel on the slow-paced opener, Snakeskin. On the other hand, Medeski takes a leading role on the faster Plague, while the vibes mostly accompany relentless guitar riffs. Another standout track, Comet, features speed-picking and Zorn’s trademark angular lines. The result is a sense of urgency and discordance throughout, but this comes across as being intentional and highly-composed. Night is reminiscent of the trio’s first album, with Wolleson providing an opening theme, which is joined by the requisite metallic riffing. Wolleson and Smith combine for a busy interlude over this. But for the most part, Smith’s contributions are muted and difficult to pick out, especially when appearing alongside Grohowski’s hyperactive drumming. Missal, the final track, is an example of Zorn’s Masada themes wending their way into his other works. Nonetheless, the undistorted guitar themes with a Middle-Eastern flare are a welcome foil to the barely-constrained aggression on the rest of the album.
Ranging from three to eight minutes, the offerings on The Painted Bird are likely to please those who enjoyed the Simulacrum album. While a handful of metal cliches remain, they are tempered by the expansion of the lineup into a quintet. Nonetheless, even with the inclusion of a few conventional elements, there has never been a metal album that takes this particular musical direction as a whole.
Festival de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville, May 21, 2016 – Zorn Marathon
IRWIN BLOCK
VICTORIAVILLE, Que. – John Zorn’s music – his audacious, innovative spirit and knack for getting top performers to give it their all–dominated the third day of the Festival de Musique Actuelle in this quiet city 100 miles northeast of Montreal.
How could it not?
Zorn’s brought the cream of his musical family here – 20 in all – for a nine-concert marathon in three separate shows lasting a total of 320 minutes, with two half-hour breaks. The festival is a major showcase of new and experimental music, now it its 32nd year.
Zorn didn’t play a note, but sitting in the wings, smiling and shaking his head in time with the beat, that spirit infused the marathon with a sense of history, the first time these pieces are played outside New York City.
The musicians played brilliantly and with considerable gusto from the 300-piece songbook called bagatelles that Zorn composed over three months– short pieces that could be played by any combination of instruments. The musicians were expected to develop the heads to suit their creative instincts.
Several hundred Zorn freaks sat quietly in chairs that covered the hockey arena floor, seemed enraptured by what they heard, and remained transfixed until the last note sounded at 1:20 a.m.
The first show opened with violinist Mark Feldman and pianist Sylvie Courvoisier sounding the most inspired by the atonal legacy of Viennese composer Anton Webern, whose Six Bagatelles for String Quartet sparked Zorn’s compositional zeal. Courvoisier roaming over the keys in Don-Pullen like flourishes as Feldman delivered concentrated and rapid-fire multi-octave bowing.
The math-metal power trio called Trigger – Will Greene (electric guitar), Simon Hanes (electric bass), Aaron Edgcomb (drums) – changed the vibe with their high-energy attack, but as the next group, a quartet led by pianist Kris Davis was about to begin, the only incident of the festival unfolded.
Believing a photographer was breaking the festival’s no recording, no visuals rules. Zorn ordered him to stop filming, and unleashed a short tirade, telling the crowd it was for them, because he insisted on “respect for you, the audience.”
“This is a special, sacred event,” he intoned, insisting that no intermediaries should get between the audience and the performers. “We don’t give a fuck about what the press has to say, we’re here to perform for you,” he proclaimed, adding he was proud that only those in the audience will ever hear what they had to offer.
In all the performances of this music at Zorn’s The Stone, he boasted that not one recording has made it to YouTube.
Some journalists complained privately about not having access to fresh visuals, but Zorn’s action had no effect on the amazing music that soon ensued – pianist Kris Davis, with Mary Halvorson (electric guitar), Drew Gress (bass), and Tyhsawn Sorey (drums) played an intense, free-flowing, melodic and exploratory set that seemed propelled by logic even as it offered the unexpected.
Zorn commented: “They’ve got to do an encore for you because they’re just so fucking good.” The musicians responded with a beautiful piece that featured some brilliant guitar-piano call-and-response.
Pianist Craig Taiborn led the second show with a solo outpouring in which he roamed over the keyboard combining intense percussiveness and melodic invention – earning two big hugs from Zorn.
Julian Lage and Gyan Riley sat side-by- side playing acoustic guitar, one soloing while the other accompanied, or playing off each other. They looked at each other constantly and their communication and coordination were so tight that it could hardly last for more than the 20 or so minutes of their gig.
Another power trio emerged when John Medeski took over on Hammond B-3 organ in an avant rock outing with the brazen electric guitarist David Fiuczynski and drummer Calvin Weston, both relatively new to the Zorn musical family. Medeski seemed to make the organ come alive, almost like an extension of his self. The music sang to us, even as it could be felt viscerally.
It was ‘Round Midnight when the third segment got underway, first with guitarist Halvorson fronting a quartet of Miles Okazaki (electric guitar), bassist Drew Gress and drummer Thomas Fujiwara. By this time the marathon had a numbing effect on listeners – but the last two groups overcame that barrier.
Pianist Uri Cain and Medeski on Hammond B-3 played together like two children with new toys – music that combined heart and mind, passion and skill, a total thrill. For the finale, Zorn emerged from the wings to seat himself cross-legged next to electric guitarist Marc Ribot (as he does with such groups as electric Masada) to direct him and band mates Trevor Dunn (electric bass) and the propulsive Tyshawn Sorey (drums) in a high-energy and at times frenzied attack on bagatelles charts – including choosing which they should play.
It was about 1:20 a.m. when all 20 musicians came on stage for final bows, each getting a handshake from a beaming Zorn.
John Zorn – The True Discoveries of Witches and Demons (2015, Tzadik)
This is the second release from John Zorn‘s organ-based metal trio Simulacrum. Featuring core members John Medeski on organ, Kenny Grohowski on drums, and Matt Hollenberg on guitar, the group is joined by Trevor Dunn on bass and Marc Ribot on guitar. With the expanded lineup, the overall feel of this album is more full and dense, at least in the textural sense, than the group’s debut.
Particularly, while the self-titled Simulacrum release was essentially very well-done technical metal with organ, this album leans more in something more of a hard rock direction. Zorn’s compositions still move at frenetic speed, shifting rapidly from theme to theme, but Ribot’s playing adds a bluesy element in contrast to Hollenberg’s more straight up speed riffing. Together, they combine for dual guitar leads, as well as prickly lines and discordance that would not be out of context on a King Crimson recording.
Ribot’s influence also seems to bring the group downtempo from time to time, focusing on atmospherics rather than an all-out sonic assault. It is in these moments that Medeski also shines, contributing thick chords and swirling themes. Dunn makes notable contributions, especially on Sorcerer, which moves in a thrash / speed metal direction. If anything, Grohowski’s role is downplayed, perhaps due to the drums being deemphasized in the mix. Nonetheless, he remains busy in the background.
The True Discoveries of Witches and Demons ends with two longer tracks, each exhibiting the aforementioned atmospherics in a controlled-improvisation setting. This is new ground for Simulacrum, and emphasizes the significance of Ribot’s contributions and how Zorn may have crafted these pieces for Ribot’s presence.
John Zorn – Simulacrum (2015)
John Zorn’s legacy as a major force of modern creative music is set in stone at this point. But one factor that continues to set him apart is the remarkable breadth found in his compositions and recordings. From classical to free jazz, to middle-eastern music to controlled-improvisation, to soundtracks and more, Zorn has nearly done it all. He has recorded in these styles on many different occasions with a variety of co-conspirators. Therefore, Simulacrum, featuring an aggressive organ trio, should surprise no one, despite being unlike much of his previous material.
The recording features John Medeski (Medeski, Martin, and Wood) on organ, Kenny Grohowski (Abraxas) on drums, and Matt Hollenberg (Cleric) on guitar. Zorn does not actually play, but is credited with composition and arrangements. Of the three instrumentalists, Hollenberg is well known in the heavy metal community, Grohowski to a lesser extent, and Medeski of course is a frequent Zorn collaborator and an established experimenter. Despite the trio’s varied background, Simulacrum arguably focuses on progressive metal (e.g., Fates Warning, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, The Dillinger Escape Plan), 90’s technical metal (e.g., Watchtower, Spastic Ink, Cynic, Atheist) and math rock with heavy riffing, busy double-bass drumming, and angular lines. In particular, if Medeski were replaced by a bassist, Simulacrum would be familiar territory.
But, the heavy organ adds a unique feel, and one not necessarily reminiscent of the pioneering hard-rock work of Deep Purple‘s Jon Lord. Instead, Medeski brings a unique jazz and blues inflection to the mix. While Hollenberg’s guitar often takes the lead, Medeski occasionally takes over, building tense, swirling themes. Grohowski mostly avoids blast-beats, and instead relies on punctuated drumming with rapid fills. As a result, even though the 43 minutes of Simulacrum covers a variety metal tropes, albeit with organ-based atmospherics, the ultimate outcome is a fresh sound.
In true Zorn “if it is worth doing once, it is worth doing a few more times” style, this release is apparently one of at least three written for the trio, with a second already recorded. It will be interesting to hear what these collaborators can do with another 80-plus minutes of this format.
ICE John Zorn Retrospective in Chicago (October 26, 2013)
Saturday night, the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) performed six John Zorn Compositions at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art. ICE has garnered acclaim throughout the U.S. and Europe by taking a refreshing modernist approach in their choice of pieces. This return to their hometown featured four Chicago premieres, as well as one world premiere. While Zorn is well known for haphazardly mashing genres at will, the evening’s works were all examples of his spiky avant-garde classical style.
The evening began with The Steppenwolf, a rather non-descript clarinet solo, and rapidly moved into Occams Razor, a piano and cello duo. On the latter, Zorn’s schizophrenic compositional approach was first displayed, which continued throughout most of the rest of the works. He seems to alternate between rapid, chaotic motifs and slower interludes. Often, these elements appear to have little connection with each other, except perhaps in Zorn’s mind.
The Tempest came next, featuring clarinet, ICE leader Claire Chase on flute, and New York all-purpose jazz drummer Tyshawn Sorey on percussion. It shouldn’t be surprising that Zorn’s writing is well suited to Sorey’s improv leanings, as Mr. Sorey played aggressively on the kit when called to, and also provided atmosphere with a pair of large bass drums.
A string trio, Walpurgisnacht, followed, largely in a similar style to that of Occams Razor. However, if you closed your eyes, you could envision this piece being the background music for a demented Tom and Jerry cartoon, with plucked cello strings for tiptoeing and contrapuntal blasts for chase scenes.
After Canon to Stravinsky, a short piece written by Zorn at the age of 19 upon Stravinsky’s death, all ICE members walked out to set up for the world premiere of Baudelaires. An interpretation of the works of the French poet of the same name, it included a movement referring to Baudelaire’s writings on opiates. Fitting to the mind-bending themes of the evening, no doubt. While it was hinted that Mr. Zorn was in attendance, the audience didn’t know for sure until he walked out on stage, looking a couple of decades younger than his 60 years. He thanked ICE profusely before they broke into this conducted piece, the highlight of the evening.
After ICE left the stage, Zorn came out again, with sax in hand, accompanied by Sorey. He referred to what they were about to play as “Some east coast shit,” and duo proceeded to rip through a few minutes of free improv. What could be a more appropriate encore?
At some point in the last few years, Mr. Zorn has made the transition from New York bad boy to elder statesman of the avant-garde. While followed by academics for quite a while, this year has seen world-wide celebrations of his music. More prolific than ever, he is at, or is still yet to reach, his compositional peak.
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