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John Zorn

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John Zorn
Zorn in 2014
Zorn in 2014
Background information
Born(1953-09-02)September 2, 1953(age 70)
New York City, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)Musician, composer, producer, arranger
Instrument(s)Alto saxophone
DiscographyJohn Zorn discography
Years active1973–present
LabelsTzadik,Avant,DIW,Elektra Nonesuch,Earache,Hathut,Shimmy-Disc,Eva,Toy's Factory,Nato, Lumina,Black Saint,Subharmonic,Parachute, Yukon, Rift
Member ofNaked City,Painkiller,Masada,Moonchild, Simulacrum
Websitewww.tzadik

John Zorn(born September 2, 1953) is an Americancomposer,conductor,saxophonist,arrangerandproducerwho "deliberately resists category".[1]Hisavant-gardeandexperimentalapproaches to composition and improvisation are inclusive ofjazz,rock,hardcore,classical,contemporary,surf,metal,soundtrack,ambient,andworld music.[1][2]Rolling Stonenoted that "[alt]hough Zorn has operated almost entirely outside the mainstream, he's gradually asserted himself as one of the most influential musicians of our time".[3][4]

Zorn engaged New York City'sdowntown musicscene in the mid-1970s, collaborating with improvising artists and experimenting with compositional strategies and arrangements.[1][2]Over the next decade he performed throughout Europe and Japan and recorded onindependentUS and European labels. He releasedThe Big Gundown,reconstructing the film scores of a formative musical influence,Ennio Morricone,to acclaim in 1986.[1][5][6]SpillaneandNaked Cityfurther demonstrated Zorn's ability to merge and blend musical styles in new and challenging formats.[7][8][9]

Zorn spent significant time in Japan in the 1980s and early '90s returning toLower East SideManhattan to establish theTzadikrecord label in 1995.[10][11][12][13]Tzadik enabled Zorn to establish independence, maintain creative control, and ensure the availability of his growing catalog of recordings. He prolifically recorded and released new material for the label, issuing several new albums each year, along with recordings by many other artists.[14]

Zorn performs on saxophone with hisNaked City,Painkiller,andMasadabands, conducts ensembles such as Moonchild, Simulacrum, and several Masada-related groups or encourages musicians toward their own interpretations of his work. He has composed concert music for classical ensembles and orchestras, and produced music for opera, sound installations, film and documentary.[4]Tours of Europe, Asia, and the Middle East have been extensive, usually at festivals with musicians and ensembles that perform his repertoire.[15][16][17]

Early life and career[edit]

Early studies[edit]

John Zorn was raised in aJewishfamily inNew York Citywhere he attended theUnited Nations International Schooland studied piano, guitar and flute.[18][19][20]Zorn's mother, Vera (née Studenski; 1918–1999), listened toclassicalandworld music;his father, Henry Zorn (1913–1992), was interested injazz,Frenchchansons,andcountry music;and his older brother collecteddoo-wopand 1950srock and rollrecords.[21]Zorn spent his teenage years "listening toThe Doorsand playing bass in asurf band"while also exploring theexperimentalandavant-garde musicofGyörgy Ligeti,Mauricio KagelandKarlheinz Stockhausenand listening to cartoon soundtracks and film scores.[4][14][21][22]

Zorn taught himselforchestrationandcounterpointby transcribing scores and studied composition underLeonardo Baladabefore enrolling atWebster Collegewhere he attended lectures byOliver Lake.[23][24]While at Webster he incorporated elements offree jazz,avant-gardeandexperimental music,film scores,performance artand thecartoon scoresofCarl Stallinginto hisfirst recordingsand discoveredAnthony Braxton's groundbreaking solo albumFor Altowhich inspired him to take up the instrument.[1][4][25][26]"I'm not going to sit in some ivory tower and pass my scores down to the players." said Zorn, "I have to be there with them, and that's why I started playing saxophone, so that I could meet musicians. I still feel that I have to earn a player's trust before they can play my music."[27]

Leaving Webster after three semesters, Zorn lived on the West Coast before returning toManhattanwhere he gave concerts in his apartment and other small NY venues, playing saxophone and a variety of reeds,duck calls,tapes, and other instruments.[4][28]Zorn immersed himself in the underground art scene, assistingfilmmaker Jack Smithwith his performances and attending plays byRichard Foreman.[29]

Early compositions and recordings[edit]

Zorn's early major compositions included manygame piecesdescribed as "complex systems harnessing improvisers in flexible compositional formats".[30][31]These compositions "involved strict rules, role playing, prompters with flashcards, all in the name of melding structure and improvisation in a seamless fashion".[2]Zorn's early game pieces had sporting titles likeLacrosse(1976),Hockey(1978),Pool(1979), andArchery(1979), which he recorded and first released onEugene Chadbourne's Parachute label.[32][33]His most enduring game piece isCobra,composed in 1984 and firstrecorded in 1987and in subsequent versions in1992,1994and2002,and revisited in performance many times.[34][35][36]

In the early 1980s, Zorn was heavily engaged in improvisation as both a solo performer and with other like-minded artists.[2]Zorn's first solo saxophone recordings were originally released in two volumes asThe Classic Guide to Strategyin 1983 and 1986 on the Lumina label.[37]Zorn's early small group improvisations are documented onLocus Solus(1983) which featured Zorn with various combinations of other improvisers includingChristian Marclay,Arto Lindsay,Wayne Horvitz,Ikue Mori,andAnton Fier.[38]Ganryu Islandfeatured a series of duets by Zorn withMichihiro Satoonshamisen,which received limited release on the Yukon label in 1984.[39]Zorn has subsequently reissued these early recordings.[40]

Zorn in 1990

Breakthrough recordings[edit]

Zorn's breakthrough came in 1986 with the acclaimedThe Big Gundownreleased onNonesuch Records.[41]The album was endorsed by composer Ennio Morricone, who said: "This is a record that has fresh, good and intelligent ideas. It is realization on a high level, a work done by a maestro with great science-fantasy and creativity... Many people have done versions of my pieces, but no one has done them like this".[42]

Zorn followed withSpillanein 1987, his second major-label release, featuring performances byAlbert Collins,theKronos Quartet,and the sprawling title track, an early "file-card" composition.[43]This method of combining composition and improvisation involved Zorn writing descriptions or ideas on file-cards and arranging them to form the piece.[44]Zorn described the process in 2003:

I write in moments, in disparate sound blocks, so I find it convenient to store these events on filing cards so they can be sorted and ordered with minimum effort. Pacing is essential. If you move too fast, people tend to stop hearing the individual moments as complete in themselves and more as elements of a sort of cloud effect... I worked 10 to 12 hours a day for a week, just orchestrating these file cards. It was an intense process.[27]

Zorn's file-card method of organizing sound blocks into an overall structure largely depended on the musicians he chose, the way they interpreted what was written on the file cards, and their relationship with Zorn who stated "At the end of the day, I want players to say: this was fun—it was a lot of fucking work, and it's one of the hardest things I've ever done, but it was worth the effort."[27]

Three further releases on Nonesuch followed;Spy vs Spyin 1989,Naked Cityin 1990, andFilmworks 1986–1990(1992) before Zorn broke with the label.[2]

Music[edit]

All the various styles are organically connected to one another. I'm an additive person—the entire storehouse of my knowledge informs everything I do. People are so obsessed with the surface that they can't see the connections, but they are there.

—John Zorn[27]

Jazz[edit]

Zorn demonstrated hishard bopcredentials as a member of theSonny ClarkMemorial Quartet, recordingVoodooin 1986.[45]News for Lulu(1988) andMore News for Lulu(1992) featured Zorn,Bill FrisellandGeorge E. Lewisperforming compositions by Clark,Kenny Dorham,Freddie Redd,andHank Mobley.[46][47]He recordedSpy vs Spyfeaturinghardcore punkversions ofOrnette Coleman's compositions in 1989.[4][48][49]According to Cook, "Zorn's admirers often consider him a masterfulbebopalto player, but when he does perform in something approaching that style his playing has little of the tension and none of the relaxation of the great beboppers, often sounding more strangulated than anything ".[1]

Film music[edit]

Zorn stated that "After my recordThe Big Gundowncame out I was convinced that a lot of soundtrack work was going to be coming my way ".[50]While interest from Hollywood was not forthcoming, eventuallyindependent filmmakerslikeSheila McLaughlinandRaúl Ruizsought his talents.[51]FilmmakerWalter Hillrejected his music for a film to be calledLooters.[52]Although Zorn's score did not make the final cut he used the money he received to establish the record label, Tzadik, on which he releasedFilmworks II: Music for an Untitled Film by Walter Hillin 1995.[53]Zorn also produced a series of commercial soundtracks for the advertising firmWieden+Kennedy,including one directed byJean-Luc Godard,a long-term Zorn inspiration.[54]Zorn used his film commissions to record new ensembles likeMasadaand theMasada String Trio.From the mid-1990s, Zorn composed film music for independent films dealing withBDSMandLGBT culture,documentaries exploring the Jewish experience, and films aboutoutsider artists.In 2013, after releasing 25 volumes in his Filmworks Series, Zorn announced that he would no longer be releasing music for film.[55]

Hardcore: Naked City, Painkiller and beyond[edit]

Zorn establishedNaked Cityin 1988 as a "compositional workshop" to test the limitations of arock bandformat.[56]Featuring Zorn (saxophone),Bill Frisell(guitars),Fred Frith(bass),Wayne Horvitz(keyboards),Joey Baron(drums), and vocalistYamatsuka Eye(and laterMike Patton), Naked City blended Zorn's appreciation ofhardcore punkandgrindcorebands likeAgnostic FrontandNapalm Deathwith influences like film music, country or jazz often in a single composition.[57]The band performed pieces by film composers Ennio Morricone,John Barry,Johnny MandelandHenry Manciniand modern classicistsAlexander Scriabin,Claude Debussy,Charles Ives,andOlivier Messiaenand recordedheavy metalandambientalbums.[58][59]

In 1991, Zorn formedPainkillerwithBill Laswellon bass andMick Harrison drums.[60]Painkiller's first two releases,Guts of a Virgin(1991) andBuried Secrets(1992), also featured shortgrindcoreandfree jazz-inspired compositions.[61]They released their first live album,Rituals: Live in Japan,in 1993, followed by the double CDExecution Ground(1994), which featured longerduband ambient-styled pieces.[62]A second live album,Talisman: Live in Nagoya,was released in 2002 and the band was featured on Zorn's50th Birthday Celebration Volume 12(2005) withHamid Drakereplacing Harris on drums and guest vocalistMike Patton.[63]

Both bands attracted worldwide interest, particularly in Japan, where Zorn had relocated following a three-month residency in Tokyo.[64]

Moonchild at theBarbican:Mike Patton(facing away) andTrevor Dunn

In 2006, Zorn formed the voice/bass/drums trio of Mike Patton,Trevor Dunn,andJoey Baronas "a compositional challenge, as a song cycle, songs without words" as he decided "I want to work with Patton more; Patton was very hungry to do more work together. ‘OK, so let's start it with just bass, drums, and voice".[4][65]Rolling Stone said Moonchild was "a band that, much like Naked City, mutated radically across its lifespan as Zorn kept raising his compositional bar. While it touched on similar extremes as that group... its episodes are more sustained, its structures more conventionally songlike" noting "For the first five of Moonchild's seven albums, released from 2006 through 2014, Patton utilized his full whisper-to-scream range while operating entirely without lyrics".[4]

Concert music[edit]

As Zorn's interest in Naked City waned, he "started hearing classical music in [his] head again."[66]Zorn started working on compositions that drew on chamber music arrangements of strings, percussion and electronic instruments.Elegy,a suite dedicated toJean Genet,was released in 1992.[67]

The establishment of Tzadik allowed him to release many compositions which he had written over the previous two decades for classical ensembles. Zorn's earliest released classical composition,Christabel(1972) for five flutes, first appeared onAngelus Novusin 1998.[68]He credits the composition of his 1988string quartetCat O' Nine Tails(commissioned and released by theKronos QuartetonShort Stories) to awakening him to the possibilities of writing for classical musicians. This composition also appeared onThe String Quartets(1999) andCartoon S/M(2000) along with variations on "Kol Nidre", inspired by theJewish prayer of atonementwhich was written at the same time as the first Masada Book.[69]

Aporias: Requia for Piano and Orchestra(1998) was Zorn's first full-scale orchestral release featuring pianistStephen Drury,the Hungarian Radio Children's Choir and theAmerican Composers Orchestraconducted byDennis Russell Davies.[70]

Much of Zorn's classical work is dedicated or inspired by artists who have influenced him:

Several of Zorn's later concert works drew inspiration from mysticism and the works ofAleister Crowleyin particular;Magick(2004) featured a group called the Crowley Quartet.[75]A 2009 performance of the album's centerpieceNecronomiconwas described as "... frenetic vortexes of violent, abrasive motion, separated by eerily becalmed, suspenseful sections with moody, even prayerful melodies. The music is sensational and evocative, but never arbitrary; you always sense a guiding hand behind the mayhem".[76]

Later works expanded to include vocal and operatic works;Mysteriumreleased in 2005 featuredFrammenti del Sapphofor female chorus;[77]Rituals(2005) featured Zorn's opera composed for theBayreuth Opera Festivalin 1998;[78]andLa Machine de l'Êtrecomposed in 2000, premiered at theNew York City Operain 2011, and recorded for the 2012 albumMusic and Its Double.[79][80]

Zorn's concert works have been performed all over the world and he has received commissions from theNew York Philharmonic,Brooklyn PhilharmonicandBBC Radio 3.[81][82]

Masada books[edit]

Conversations withJoey Baronled Zorn to explore and embrace Jewish culture. A further file-card compositionKristallnacht(1992) reflected on theNight of Broken Glassthat violently and destructively targeted Jews in Germany and Austria in 1938.[83][84] Several movements used thePhrygian dominantandUkrainian Dorian scalescommon toklezmer music.[85][86]Zorn set himself the task of writing 100 compositions using the scale within a year.[87]

Book One[edit]

Masada:Joey Baron(drums),Greg Cohen(bass),Dave Douglas(trumpet), John Zorn (alto saxophone)

In 1993 Zorn engaged Baron along withDave Douglas(trumpet) andGreg Cohen(double bass) to provide musical cues forJoe Chappelle's first filmThieves Quartet(later collected onFilmworks III: 1990–1995) and established the firstMasadagroup to perform his recent compositions using the instrumental lineup and improvisational approach ofOrnette Coleman's pioneering free jazz quartet.[88][89]

Within three years, the number of compositions had grown to 205 and became known as the first Masada Book. Zorn explained:

The project for Masada was to create something positive in the Jewish tradition something that maybe takes the idea of Jewish music into the 21st century the way jazz developed from the teens and 1920s into the '40s, the '50s, the '60s and on... My initial idea was to write a hundred tunes. And then I ended up writing over 200 for the first book and then performed it countless time for years.[90]

In 1996, Zorn releasedBar Kokhbafeaturing Masada compositions recorded by a rotating group of musicians.[91]Two ensembles arose from this album: the Masada String Trio, composed of Greg Cohen (bass),Mark Feldman(violin), andErik Friedlander(cello); and the Bar Kokhba Sextet which addedMarc Ribot(guitar), Cyro Baptista (percussion), and Joey Baron (drums), both of which were featured on 1998'sThe Circle Maker.[92]The Masada String Trio were also featured on Zorn'sFilmworks series,as part of his50th Birthday Celebration,and released two albums as part of the Book of Angels project,AzazalandHaborym.[93][94][95][96]In 2003, Zorn formed Electric Masada, a band featuring Zorn, Baptista, Baron, and Ribot, along withTrevor Dunn(bass),Ikue Mori(electronics),Jamie Saft(keyboards), andKenny Wollesen(drums) releasing theirdebut live albumfrom Zorn's 50th Birthday Concert series and adouble live CDrecorded in 2004.[97]In 2019, Zorn formed the New Masada Quartet withJulian Lage(guitar),Jorge Roeder(bass), andKenny Wollesen(drums).[98]

A Tenth Anniversary Series of Masada recordings was released by Zorn beginning in 2003. The series featured five albums of Masada themes includingMasada GuitarsbyMarc Ribot,Bill Frisell,andTim Sparks;Masada RecitalbyMark FeldmanandSylvie Courvoisier;Masada Rockby Rashanim; and two albums featuring various artists,Voices in the WildernessandThe Unknown Masada.[40]

Bar Kokhba at 2014Newport Jazz FestivalwithMarc Ribot,John Zorn,Cyro Baptista(left to right)

Book Two[edit]

In 2004, Zorn began composing the second Masada Book,The Book of Angels,resulting in an additional 316 compositions.[99][100]Zorn explained:

After 10 years of performing the first book, I thought "Maybe it'd be nice to write some more tunes." And I wrote 300 more tunes. When I started writing those it was "Let's see if I can write a hundred songs in a month this time." I've been working on these scales and playing these tunes all this time. In the back of my head somewhere are lodged all kinds of new ideas. Let's see if I can come up with 100 tunes in a month instead of in a year. So in the first month, I popped out a hundred tunes; the second month, another hundred; in the third month, a third 100 tunes. I had no idea that was going to happen.[90]

Zorn released thirty-two volumes of Masada Book Two compositions performed by many varied artists.[101][102]The titles of many Masada Book Two compositions are derived fromdemonologyandJudeo-Christianmythology.

The Masada quartet performed at theLincoln Center for the Performing Artsin March 2007 for what were billed as their final concerts.[103]Zorn reformed the band as a sextet withUri CaineandCyro Baptistain 2009 saying:[104]

I felt like we kind of hit a plateau a little bit with it in 2007 and I said, "Well, maybe the quartet is really done. Maybe we've accomplished what we can accomplish. Maybe it's time to put this to bed." And then I was asked by the Marciac Jazz Festival to put together a slightly larger group. They asked me what if I added a couple of people to Masada and I said, "I can't add anybody to the quartet. The quartet is the quartet, that's what we do." But then I thought, "Well, if I was going to add someone I would probably ask Uri and Cyro." So we tried it at Marciac and it was unbelievable. We didn't even have any rehearsal time. I just passed the charts out and said, "OK, just watch me because I'll be conducting. Let's just do it." And it was one of those magical clicks on the bandstand that sometimes happens. So yeah, this band is taking off again. After 15 years of doing this music, we can still find new things.

Zorn's Masada compositions and associated ensembles have become a central focus of many concerts and festivals and he has established regular 'Masada Marathons' that feature various bands and musicians performing music from the Masada Books.[99][105]

Book Three[edit]

Zorn completed the third Masada book, titledThe Book Beriah,in 2014.[106]

The Dreamers[edit]

Zorn released one of his most popular albums,The Gift,in 2001, which surprised many with its relaxed blend of surf, exotica and world music.[107]On February 29, 2008, at St Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn, Zorn premieredThe Dreamers,which saw a return to the gentle compositions first featured onThe Giftand established the band of the same name.[108]The Dreamers released their second album,O'o,in 2009, an album of Zorn'sBook of Angels compositionsin 2010 and aChristmas albumin 2011.[109][110][111]

Other work[edit]

Zorn withGavin BryarsandGeorge E. Lewisat the Barbican Tribute to Derek Bailey, 2006.

Tzadik Records[edit]

In 1992, John Zorn curated theAvantsubsidiary of the DIW label and released several Naked City recordings on the label as well as many other albums featuring Zorn affiliated musicians includingDerek Bailey,Buckethead,Eugene Chadbourne,Dave Douglas,Erik Friedlander,Wayne Horvitz,Ikue Mori,Bobby Previte,Zeena ParkinsandMarc Ribot.[112]

In 1995, in co-operation with jazz producer Kazunori Sugiyama, Zorn established theTzadikrecord label to ensure the availability of his catalogue and promote other musicians.[64][104]

The label's releases are divided into series:

  • TheArchival Seriesfeatures Zorn's recordings exclusively, including re-releases of several albums that appeared on other labels, Zorn's film work, and recordings from 1973 onwards;
  • The50th Birthday Celebration Seriesis 11 live albums recorded in September 2003 at Tonic as part of the month-long concert retrospective of Zorn's work;
  • TheComposer Seriesfeatures Zorn's music for "classical" ensembles along with work by many other contemporary composers;
  • TheRadical Jewish Culture Seriesfeatures contemporary Jewish musicians;
  • TheNew Japan Seriescovers Japanese underground music;
  • TheFilm Music Seriesfeatures soundtracks by other musicians (Zorn'sFilmworksrecordings are featured in theArchival Series);
  • TheOracle Seriespromotes women in experimental music;
  • TheKey Seriespresents notable avant-garde musicians and projects;
  • TheLunatic Fringe Seriesreleases music and musicians operating outside of the broad categories offered by other series; and
  • TheSpotlight Seriespromotes new bands and musical projects of young musicians.[113]

Tzadik also releases special-edition CDs, DVDs, books and T-shirts. Since 1998, the designs of Tzadik releases have been created by graphic artist Heung-Heung "Chippy" Chin.[114]

The Stone (music venue)[edit]

Zorn's earliest New York performances occurred at small artist-run performance spaces including his own apartment.[2]As his profile grew, he became associated with severalLower East Sidealternative venues such as the Knitting Factory and Tonic.[90]On Friday April 13, 2007, Zorn played the final night at Tonic before it closed due to financial pressures.[115][116][117]

Zorn was the principal force in establishingThe Stonein 2005, an avant-garde performance space in New York'sAlphabet Citywhich supports itself solely on donations and the sale of limited-edition CDs, giving all door revenues directly to the performers.[118]Zorn holds the title of artistic director and regularly performs 'Improvisation Nights'.[119]Zorn feels that "The Stone is a unique space and is different from Tonic, the Knitting Factory, and most of the other venues we have played at as there is no bar... so there is NO pressure to pack the house with an audience that drinks, and what night you perform has nothing to do with your power to draw a crowd or what kind of music you might play".[120]On January 10, 2008, Zorn performed withLou ReedandLaurie Andersonat a special benefit night at The Stone which was also released onThe Stone: Issue Threeon CD.[121]In December 2016 Zorn announced that The Stone would close in February 2018 but that he was hopeful that a new location could be found, stating "Venues come and go, but the music continues on forever!"[122]By March 2017 Zorn had negotiated withThe New Schoolto move The Stone to Greenwich Village.[123]On February 25, 2018, the last performance was held at the original venue and Zorn moved operations to The New School's The Glass Box Theatre on the basis of ahandshake deal.[124]

50th and 60th birthday concert series[edit]

In September 2003, Zorn celebrated his 50th birthday with a month-long series of performances atTonicin New York, repeating an event he had begun a decade earlier at theKnitting Factory.[125][126][127]He conceptualized the month into several different aspects of his musical output. Zorn's bands performed on the weekends, classical ensembles were featured on Sundays, Zorn performed improvisations with other musicians on Mondays, featured his extended compositions on Tuesdays and a retrospective of game pieces on Wednesdays.[128]A total of 12live albumswere released on his 50th Birthday Celebration Series.[129]

John Zorn performing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in September 2013

Zorn's 60th birthday celebrations encompassed concerts across the globe from festival appearances to unique events in art galleries and unusual venues across 2013 and into 2014.[130]The first concerts under the Zorn@60 banner were performed at theWalker Art Centerin Minneapolis in April 2013.[131]This was followed by performances at theMuseum of Modern ArtandSolomon R. Guggenheim Museum.[132][133]The European leg of Zorn@60 commenced at theBarbican Theatrein London in July 2013.[134]Festival appearances in Belgium, Poland, Spain and Germany followed soon after.[135][136][137][138][139]These were followed by concerts in Victoriaville, Canada.[140]Returning to New York City other concert appearances occurred atAlice Tully HallandLincoln Centre.[141][142]

Zorn undertook another of his celebrated Masada Marathons at theSkirball Center for the Performing Artsin August.[143]Further New York City concerts in September included performances of music for film at theAnthology Film Archives,classical works andCobraat theMiller Theatre,a day-long concert at theMetropolitan Museum of Art[144]and a performance of improvised duets withRyuichi Sakamoto.[145][146][147]In October, theInternational Contemporary Ensembleperformed a retrospective of Zorn's classical music at theMuseum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.[148]The final Zorn@60 concerts were performed as part of theAdelaide Festivalin Australia in March 2014 featuring a four concerts covering the breadth of his compositional and improvisational range.[149][150]

Arcana(book series)[edit]

In 2000, Zorn edited the bookArcana: Musicians on Musicfeaturing interviews, essays, and commentaries by musicians includingAnthony Coleman,Peter Garland,David Mahler,Bill Frisell,Gerry Hemingway,George E. Lewis,Fred Frith,Eyvind Kang,Mike PattonandElliott Sharp,on the compositional process.[151]Zorn released the second volume ofArcana: Musicians on Musicin the summer of 2007. According to the preface by Zorn, "This second installment of what will be a continuing series of books presenting radical, cutting-edge ideas about music is made, like the initial volume, out of necessity."[152]New volumes have since been released; the eighth volume was published in September 2017.

In other media[edit]

Zorn also appeared on the 1985 Henry Hills filmMoneyabout the financial struggles ofManhattanavant garde artists during the age ofReaganism.[153]

Awards[edit]

In 2001, John Zorn received the Jewish Cultural Award in Performing Arts from theNational Foundation for Jewish Culture.[154]In 2006, Zorn was named aMacArthur Fellow.[155][156]In 2007, he was the recipient ofColumbia University's School of the Arts William Schuman Award, an honor given "to recognize the lifetime achievement of an American composer whose works have been widely performed and generally acknowledged to be of lasting significance."[157]

In 2011, Zorn was inducted into theLong Island Music Hall of Fameby Lou Reed, and was awarded the Magister Artium Gandensis, an honorary degree from theUniversity of Ghent.[158]In 2014, he received honorary doctorates from TheState University of New Yorkand theNew England Conservatory of Music.[159][160][161]

Discography[edit]

Main article:John Zorn discography

Filmography[edit]

  • Money(1985), a "manic collage film" by Henry Hills on "the early days of" language poetry "and the downtown improvised music scene."[162]
  • Put More Blood Into the Music(1987), documentary by George Atlas on New York avant garde music, aired Sunday March 12, 1989, as episode 292 ofThe South Bank Show.
  • Step Across the Border(1990), documentary onFred Frith.
  • A Bookshelf on Top of the Sky: 12 Stories About John Zorn(Tzadik, 2004), film portrait by Claudia Heuermann.
  • Masada Live at Tonic 1999(2004), concert film.
  • Celestial Subway Lines / Salvaging Noise(2005), experimental documentary byKen Jacobswith soundtrack by Zorn andIkue Mori.
  • Sabbath in Paradise(Tzadik, 2007), documentary by Claudia Heuermann on Jewish musical culture in New York's avant garde Jazz scene in the 1990s.
  • Astronome: A Night at the Opera(2010), an opera byRichard Foreman,music by John Zorn.
  • Zorn I(2016) by Mathieu Amalric
  • Zorn II(2018) by Mathieu Amalric
  • Zorn III(2022) by Mathieu Amalric

Bibliography[edit]

  • Zorn, John (editor).Arcana: Musicians on Music.Hips Road: New York 2000,ISBN1-887123-27-X.
  • Zorn, John (editor).Arcana II: Musicians on Music.Hips Road/Tzadik: New York 2007,ISBN0-9788337-6-7.
  • Zorn, John (editor).Arcana III: Musicians on Music.Hips Road/Tzadik: New York 2008,ISBN0-9788337-7-5.
  • Zorn, John (editor).Arcana IV: Musicians on Music.Hips Road/Tzadik: New York 2009,ISBN0-9788337-8-3.
  • Zorn, John (editor).Arcana V: Musicians on Music, Magic & Mysticism.Hips Road/Tzadik: New York 2010,ISBN0-9788337-9-1.
  • Zorn, John (editor).Arcana VI: Musicians on Music.Hips Road/Tzadik: New York 2012,ISBN0-9788337-5-9.
  • Zorn, John (editor).Arcana VII: Musicians on Music.Hips Road/Tzadik: New York 2014,ISBN0-9788337-4-0.
  • Zorn, John (editor).Arcana VIII: Musicians on Music.Hips Road/Tzadik: New York 2017,ISBN0-9788337-3-2.
  • Zorn, John (editor).Arcana IX: Musicians on Music.Hips Road/Tzadik: New York 2021,ISBN0-9788337-2-4.
  • Zorn, John (editor).Arcana X: Musicians on Music.Hips Road/Tzadik: New York 2022,ISBN0-9788337-1-6.

References[edit]

  1. ^abcdefCook, Richard(2005).Richard Cook's Jazz Encyclopedia.London: Penguin Books. pp. 685–686.ISBN0-141-00646-3.
  2. ^abcdefMilkowski, B.,"John Zorn: One Future, Two Views"Archived2015-06-10 at theWayback Machine(interview) inJazz Times,March 2000, pp. 28–35,118–121; accessed July 24, 2010.
  3. ^Alkyer, F.First Take: Happy Birthday Mr Zorn,Down Beat,October, 2013, pg. 10.
  4. ^abcdefghSteamer, H.,‘He Made the World Bigger’: Inside John Zorn's Jazz-Metal Multiverse,Rolling Stone,June 22, 2020.
  5. ^Zorn, J.,Ennio Morricone Was More Than Just a Great Film Composer, He was one of the great composers, period.,NY Times,July 9, 2020
  6. ^Rockwell, J.,Zorn Variations on Themes by Morricone,NY Times,November 2, 1986.
  7. ^Watrous, P.,"Spillane", a Blend of American Styles,NY Times,May 25, 1988.
  8. ^Rockwell, J.,As Important As Anyone In His Generation,NY Times,February 21, 1988.
  9. ^Pareles, J.,"There Are 8 Million Stories in John Zorn's Naked City',New York Times,April 8, 1990.
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