OFF: Zorn (was Re: CYM and SA)

[Dave Berry]

> Guido asked
> >        Are there any John Zorn fans out there?

and Andy replied
> Of course!  I've by no means heard his entire output - he's very prolific,
> isn't he!, and you don't exactly hear him on the radio - but the first Naked
> City, and the News for Lulu album, are excellent.  Caught Naked City live in
> London back in '89, and they were terrific!

I agree, the first Naked City album is excellent!  If you like the short
(< 1 minute long) tracks on that album, it's also worth tracking down
either Torture Garden, which is 42 tracks in the same ilk; or their
third album, the name of which escapes me, which includes most of Torture
Garden along with reworkings of some classical stuff.  After that they
get a bit variable.  I have Heretic, which is mainly avant-garde-ish jazz.
I've heard that Radio is along the lines of their first album.

News For Lulu is entirely different, but also very good.  I slightly
prefer More News For Lulu, which is the same line-up doing the same
sort of thing.  Spy Vs. Spy is along the same lines.

I highly recommend Spillane.  The title track is a cut-up/pastiche tribute
to Sam Spade style movie soundtracks, sort of similar in fashion to Naked
City in that the music skips and jumps all over the place.  Then there's
a bluesy piece played and narrated by Albert Collins, and a piece played
by the Kronos Quartet along with a turntable player and a Japanese vocalist.

The Big Gundown is does a similar treatment to the film soundtracks of
Ennio Morricone, and some people think that it's Zorn's best work.  He's
done lots of other stuff, including several "honk & squawk" type improvised
jazz albums,  such as Cobra, that don't do anything for me.

Dave.
j

--
Harlequin Ltd., Technology Transfer Centre, King's Buildings,
Edinburgh, EH9 3JL, UK.
Tel: +44 131 668 1564