John Zorn - Chaos Magick (2021 Tzadik)

Chaos Magick is a contemporary magical practice based on the ideas of Austin Osman Spare. Remarkably inclusive, it embraces and has influenced the work of William Burroughs, Robert Anton Wilson, Aleister Crowley and many others. Inspired by these magical practices, Zorn enlists the three members of his most powerful 21st century ensemble Simulacrum with special guest Brian Marsella on electric piano into this eclectic new quartet Chaos Magick. A fast moving, improvi-sational and intensely focused ensemble that draws upon classical, jazz, funk, improvisation, metal and more. This music is even crazier than Electric Masada—a must for all fans of the outer realms!

1. The Initiate

2. Corinthians I

3. The Servitor

4. St Augustine

5. Egregore

6. Crossing the Abyss

7. Liber M

8. Imp of the Perverse

9. Corinthians II

10. Nothing is true--everything is permitted

Brian Marsella: Electric Piano

John Medeski: Organ

Kenny Grohowski: Drums, Percussion, Congas

Matt Hollenberg: Electric Guitar

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John Zorn - Teresa De Avila (2021 Tzadik)

Preceded by "Nove Cantici per Francesco d’Assis"” and "Virtue (for Julian of Norwich)", "Teresa de Avila" is the third and final CD in Zorn’s trilogy inspired by towering figures of Christian mysticism. Written for the all-star acoustic guitar trio of Bill Frisell, Julian Lage and Gyan Riley whose performances are steeped in a feeling of love and mutual respect, the music is both beautifully simple and strangely complex, drawing equally on classical modernism, bluegrass, jazz, Jewish and renaissance music. Filled with compositional surprises, mysterious moods, beautiful harmonies and a stunning lyricism, Teresa de Ávila is a must-have for all fans of acoustic guitar music. This is one of the most personal and varied books of music Zorn has yet written—a lovely tribute to the enduring legacy of one of the world’s most beloved spiritual figures. Includes an extended appreciation by renown philosopher Arnold Davidson.

1. Devotion

2. El Castillo Interior

3. A Blessing of Tears

4. Danza Estatica

5. An Embarrassment of Raptures

6. Teresa

7. El Camino

8. The Sweetness of this Excessive Pain

9. Marrano

10. Levitations

Bill Frisell: Guitar

Gyan Riley: Guitar

Julian Lage: Guitar

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John Zorn - Heaven and Earth Magick (2021 Tzadik)

Heaven and Earth Magick showcases Zorn’s fabulous and compelling blending of classical virtuosic instrumental writing with the improvisational world of Jazz. Completely notated works for piano and vibraphone brilliantly performed by Steve Gosling and Sae Hashimoto are set against a dynamic improvisational rhythm section of Jorge Roeder and Ches Smith. An exciting new musical world filled with an exhilarating sense of drama and a mischievous wit. Zorn’s unique mastery of instrumental writing and wild improvisational conducting skills are here in all their thorny complexity. Essential!

1. Auto-Da-Fé  7:59 

2. Acéphale  10:36 

3. Asclemandres  8:14 

4. Descent Into The Maelstrom  8:26 

5. Konx Om Pax  10:05 

6. Casting The Runes  9:07

Jorge Roeder - Bass

Ches Smith - Drums

Stephen Gosling - Piano

Sae Hashimoto - Vibraphone

All music composed, arranged and conducted by John Zorn 

Produced by John Zorn 

Associate Producer - Kazunori Sugiyama 

Recorded and mixed September to October, 2020 by Ryan Streber at Oktaven Audio, Mount Vernon, NY 

Mastering - Scott Hull 

John Zorn Portraits – Scott Irvine

Design - Chippy (Heung Heung Chin)

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John Zorn - Insurrection (TZADIK April 20, 2018)

Insurrection is an intense new instrumental project featuring guitar wizards Julian Lage and Matt Hollenberg with the incredible rhythm section of Trevor Dunn and Kenny Grohowski. Inspired by some of the greatest experimental novels of the 20th century the music is incredibly varied, combining rock, funk, blues, jazz, classical and more-often in the same song! Gnarly atonal melodies, bizarre harmonies, astonishing guitar fireworks and telepathic group interaction make this one of Zorn's most scintillating and adventurous new projects.

Everyone is playing at their best here, and you have never heard such sounds! As always Zorn pulls the very best out of the musicians and they play some of the most outrageous solos you have ever heard. Essential! Julian Lage, Matt Hollenberg, Trevor Dunn, Kenny Grohowski.

1 The Recognitions  03:39

2 Pulsations  08:24

3 A Void  04:47

4 Mason and Dixon  05:03

5 Progeny  02:50

6 The Journal of Albion Moonlight  06:54

7 The Atrocity Exhibition  04:43

8 The Unnameable  03:09

9 Cat’s Cradle  03:09

10 Nostromo  03:45

John Zorn - The Urmuz Epigrams (TZADIK 2018)

With The Urmuz Epigrams Zorn returns to his roots, using the recording studio as instrument to create an intensely personal suite of compositions in the style of his legendary File Card compositions and Zoetropes. Dedicated to the visionary Romanian writer Urmuz whose small, scattered body of work predated Dadaism by decades, The Urmuz Epigrams is a suite of surrealistic miniatures more akin to philosophical aphorisms than actual music. The pieces are presented here in two iterations, as a set of “rare 78rpm records” complete with surface scratches and limited dynamic range, and as a modern reconstruction of same with the full blown studio sound presented in all its perplexing glory. Some of the craziest music in the Zorn catalog!

Modern Reconstructions

1. Disgusted with Life

2. This Piano Lid Serves as a Wall

3. With Wet Clothes and Disheveled Hair He Wandered in the Dead of Night in Search of Shelter

4. Then Again, Who Amongst us can Complain

5. A Rain of Threats and Screams

6. The Pelican or the Pelicaness

7. After That the Funnel Became a Symbol

8. Desperate from Having Been Left without a Bladder

Original versions, privately pressed on the Romanian Pahuciphone label circa 1923

 

John Zorn - Cobra (2017)

Disc 1

01. Opening (00:59)

02. Allegro (04:31)

03. Largo (06:13)

04. Moderato (07:41)

05. Fantasia (03:44)

06. Presto (01:39)

07. Adagio maestoso (02:39)

08. Violento (04:16)

09. Allegro scorrevole (02:35)

10. Capriccio con gusto (04:40)

11. False Start / Giocoso (00:51)

12. Scherzo (05:46)

13. Maestroso meccanico (01:21)

14. Variations / Furioso (08:40)

15. Epilogue (03:43)

Disc 2

01. Prologue / Maestoso (Live) (06:05)

02. Capriccio (Live) (13:23)

03. Prestissimo (Live) (14:03)

04. Lento / Mysterioso (Live) (09:29)

05. Allegro (Live) (10:24)

John Zorn - The Hermetic Organ Philharmonie De Paris (TZADIK 2017)

John Zorn returns to his original instrument with a new volume of organ improvisations recorded at his infamous Weekend in Paris in April 2017. The organ at the Grand Salle Pierre Boulez is one of the most powerful and versatile in France, and Zorn approaches it with great sensitivity and wild abandon. Includes both the full 40 minute concert recording, and over 30 additional minutes of Zorn alone at the manuals in rehearsal the same day.

Office Nr 16:

1. Rituel

2. Une Crise de Nerfs

3. Prière Empoisonné

4. L’heure des Sorcières

John Zorn: Organ

John Zorn - The Interpretation Of Dreams (TZADIK 2017)

This powerful collection of new work inspired by the surrealism of Luis Buñuel and the psychotropic dream world of William Burroughs comprises three remarkable compositions—two stream-of-consciousness tours de force for vibraphone and rhythm section and the sensual piano quintet Obscure Objects of Desire, one of Zorn’s most evocative new works. Performing is the powerful young vibraphonist Sae Hashimoto, along with JACK quartet, Steve Gosling, Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz and Tyshawn Sorey from Zorn’s devoted inner circle. A colorful and varied program of breathtakingly transcendent compositions conjuring dreams and obsessions both real and imaginary!

 The Exterminating Angel

Personnel

Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz: Bass 

Sae Hashimoto: Vibes 

Tyshawn Sorey: Drums 

Jack Quartet

Jay Campbell: Cello 

Stephen Gosling: Piano 

Chris Otto: Violin 

John Pickford Richards: Viola 

Austin Wulliman: Violin

John Zorn - There Is No More Firmament (TZADIK 2017)

There is No More Firmament is a remarkable collection of recent compositions from 2013–2016 that showcase the range, variety and continued creativity of Zorn as he enters his sixties.

Connected together with a thread of intensity, magic and madness, the music tells a twisted and complex story of a magical descent into madness.

The compositions include two works for brass ensembles, a woodwind quintet, jazz piano trio, string trio and two solo pieces for clarinet and trumpet, with the outrageous trumpet solo Merlin appearing in two realizations—one by jazz master Peter Evans and another by the European classical virtuoso Marco Blaauw.

1. Antiphonal Fanfare For The Great Hall

2. Freud

3. Merlin

4. Divagations

5. Divagations

6. The Steppenwolf

7. In Excelsis

8. Merlin

9. Il n'y a Plus de Firmament

James Baker: Conductor

Marcus Rojas: Tuba

Matthew Welch: Conductor

Alex Bender: Trumpet

Marco Blaauw: Double-bell Trumpet In C

Jay Campbell: Cello

Andy Clausen: Trombone

Kevin Cobb: Trumpet

Peter Evans: Bb Trumpet

Mike Garfield: Trumpet

John Gattis: Horns

Stephen Gosling: Piano

Louis Hanzlik: Trumpet

Andy Kemp: Trumpet, Piccolo Trumpet

Tim Leopold: Trumpet

Christian McBride: Bass

Rane Moore: Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Eb Clarinet

Adrian Morejon: Bassoon

Sam Nester: Trumpet

Mike Nicolas: Cello

Tara Helen O’Connor: Flute, Piccolo, Alto Flute, Bass Flute

Chris Otto: Violin

Michael Powell: Trombone

Eric Reed: Horns

Stephanie Richards: Trumpet

John D. Rojak: Bass Trombone

Joshua Rubin: Clarinet In A

Arthur Sato: Oboe, English Horn

Tyshawn Sorey: Drums

John Zorn - The Garden of Earthly Delights (TZADIK 2017)

The sixth CD by Zorn’s heaviest 21st century ensemble Simulacrum celebrates the 500th anniversary of the passing of one of the greatest painters the world has ever known—Hieronymus Bosch. A visionary of unparalleled power whose imagination and fantastical creations re- main uniquely his own, Bosch is one of the most enigmatic figures in world art. Inspired by his surreal visions of Heaven and Hell, “The Garden of Earthly Delights” blends heavy metal, blues, funk, jazz and modern classical music together into one of the strangest amalgams you’ve ever heard. Tighter than ever and joined by bassist Trevor Dunn, Medeski, Hollenberg and Grohowski are at their manic best in this jaw-dropping visit to a wild musical world where absolutely anything is possible!

1. Angels and Devils

2. The Infernal Machine

3. The Dragon Tree

4. Paean to the Prince of Hell

5. Music of the Flesh

6. Eve and Adam

7. Mirror Image

8. The Garden of Earthly Delights

9. The Circuit

10.Out of the Eternal Sphere

Trevor Dunn: Bass

John Medeski: Keyboards 

Kenny Grohowski: Drums

Matt Hollenberg: Guitar

Sara Serpa: Voice

John Zorn - The Mockingbird (2016)

Label:

Source: Jazz And Blues

Genre: Avant-Garde / Classical

GAB's Rating: ★★★★☆

This album was inspired by the character Scout from the classic novel To Kill A Mockingbird and shows John Zorn’s compositions at their most subtle and graceful, floating across the divide between literature and music. The trio has become a regular group that Zorn has convened to interpret some of his more understated compositions, featuring Carol Emanuel on harp, Bill Frisell on guitar and Kenny Wollesen on vibraphone and chimes. “Scout” opens the album with shimmering vibes which are met with some snarling guitar sounds (Zorn always brings out the best in Frisell) and there is a near chamber sound to some of the music, like on “Riverrun” where the harp glistens and the chimes twinkle, before things take a darker turn, hammering sounds and then pulling back to show their dynamic muscle. The milder “Child’s Play” builds through Wollesen’s melodious ringing sounds, which take center stage as guitar and harp hold back. He develops an interesting rhythm his own for this entire piece. Gentle guitar that sounds like it may come from an old time ballad opens “Porch Swing” and that deep emotional feeling that Frisell is able to conjure deepens the emotional resonance of the music as the harpist gently orbits around with gentle strums and the vibes further frame the music. Wollesen makes his mallets spritely dance as the trio joins together for the conclusion. There is a sweet and haunting melody to “Innocence” that the trio builds louder chiming together, then like a fairy tale gone wrong, the music turns progressively darker and spectral, as the heavy handed vibes become more urgent in their tone. “A Mystery” is a great track and really lives up to its title by having a quiet unsettled aura before Wollesen comes in with heavy clangs and lashes of metallic vibes sounding like the cry for help of a lost soul that deepens the mystery even further. His excellent playing allows the music to cover a range of emotion, and the wailing sound of the vibes and electric guitar is head filling and unforgettable. There is a lighter and defter movement to the music on “The Mockingbird” and while the vibes stay urgent to give the music a propulsive forward movement, the harp and guitar are in fine mettle. As the hard vibes ring out, taut guitar moves in with glistening harp to develop fine concluding textures. This is their sixth album and one of their best, presenting quiet and subtle music touching upon themes of hope and fear, sadness and courage with great tact and dignity.

1. Scout
2. Riverrun
3. Children's Play
4. Porch Swing
5. Innocence
6. Pegasus
7. A Mystery
8. The Mockingbird

Carol Emanuel: Harp
Bill Frisell: Guitar
Kenny Wollesen: Vibraphone, Chimes

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John Zorn - The Painted Bird (2016)

Source & Label: Tzadik

The fourth CD in a 12-month period by Zorn’s most powerful new ensemble presents nine genre-busting compositions mixing jazz, metal, classical, world music and more. This time their trademark sound is augmented by the ringing tones of Kenny Wollesen’s vibraphone to create their wildest, most insane CD to date. Juxtaposing complex atonal lines, driving vamps, heavy metal riffs, improvisational madness, shredding solos and moments of profound lyricism, The Painted Bird is a surreal and expressive new world in sound. Moonchild meets Nova Express!  

 
1. Snakeskin
2. Plague
3. Ravens
4. Comet
5. Cinders
6. Nettles
7. Night
8. Spike
9. Missal

John Medeski: Organ
Ches Smith: Congas, Voudun Drums
Kenny Wollesen: Vibes
Kenny Grohowski: Drums
Matt Hollenberg: Guitar

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John Zorn - Flaga Book of Angels, Volume 27 - Flaga (2016)

Source & Label: Tzadik

For one of the last CDs in the Book of Angels series Zorn has put together an astonishing all-star piano trio featuring three of the most powerful and respected musicians in the jazz/new music scene: Craig Taborn, Christian McBride and Tyshawn Sorey. Diving into eight tunes from Zorn’s mystical Masada project they take off in flights of melodic, rhythmic and harmonic fancy that will make your head spin. Visceral and virtuosic, Flaga is one of the most spontaneous and exciting installments in the Masada catalog. 

1. Machnia
2. Peliel
3. Katzfiel
4. Talmai take 1
5. Shoftiel
6. Agbas
7. Rogziel
8. Harbonah
9. Talmai take 2

Craig Taborn: Piano
Christian McBride: Double Bass
Tyshawn Sorey: Drums

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