[Aman]

John Zorn has done a lot of eclectic and powerful work over the past 30 some-odd years. Discuss which of his works you believe was his most important and/or your favorite and why...

 

[Coltrane]

Toss up between Masada and Naked City. As much as I like aspects of Zorn, he does occasionally sound like he is trying to hard, and that he wants to be all things instead of just being himself.

Masada for example is great, but certainly nowhere near as 'revolutionary' as it is sometimes credited as. Besides, I prefer the three other band members over Zorn anyways. But, as is often the case with Zorn, Masada is absurdly over-recorded. All the records are nice, but you have to weary of the mentality that chooses to release so many records of the same band and in the same tone.

I picked Naked City as my favorite because its one of the only 'projects' of his that doesn't seem to require other preconceptions to listen to. Additionally, the sheer technical aspect of pulling that off is tremendous. It just comes across as maybe a bit more 'pure' than much of his other stuff.

EDIT: The obvious caveat is that I am not familiar with a great deal of his work, as how can anyone be. I have at least listened to some stuff in each category, however. Certainly nothing as in depth as may be required for forming an absolute opinion.

 

[SRM]

Hard decision, between albums Absinthe and Astronome, but Absinthe is my call today

Btw, I'm pleased to find that there are other "zornheads" around here

 

[Aman]

I think that Zorn's eclecticism sometimes comes off to some as sounding like he's trying to please everybody, or like he's tip-toeing around what he actually is trying to say. I don't share that viewpoint, though; I think that Zorn's musical character is defined by his oddball compositional and improvisational style, as well as his radically varied "genre" output. Some call it "trying too hard", but I rather see it as simply what he does best. Don't forget how much cartoons influence his work; the spontaneity of his biggest influences can just as likely parallel the absurdities of his work and the variations.

I do share your views regarding the number of Masada releases, however. While I do highly favor the number of different arrangements Zorn has integrated into his Book of Angels compositions, I am not so impressed by the fact that the four piece Masada arrangement has released easily 5 live recordings, all of which contain many repeats. But hey, maybe Zorn and company just believed that they needed to "update" their previous releases. It is inarguable, after all, that early Masada and later Masada are very different. Now, on the other hand, we've recently been seeing many different adaptations of the Book of Angels compositions, such as with Marc Ribot's Asmodeus, Electric Masada, and The Cracow Klezmer Band. This stuff, to me, is really cool, and I've enjoyed hearing the freshness behind these new renditions. Seeing somebody like Erik Friedlander, or Jamie Saft, attempting to re-work them in even more unique ways is simply a blast.

It is clear to me that Zorn does not easily escape his love for metal music. He was only able to abandon it for a short time while he heavily focused on the Book of Angels... he's back again with the Moonchild arrangements (which are definitely reflecting a love-hate relationship among fans and casual listeners alike). I really enjoy these and I hope that he pursues them further (but maybe minus Mike Patton?). I may end up voting for this category of works, but right now I cannot deny the effect that Cobra has had on me as a musician. This is a tough decision...

 

[analog'd]

zorno has never given two twits what anybody thinks. you are imagining his trying to please, or prove something, to anybody, let alone everybody.

i had the (sometimes confusing) pleasure of hearing him play fairly frequently before any of the recordings were made. he always did exactly as he pleased in pursuit of the muse. and he was always amazing. he played no differently when he knew others were listening then he did when "practicing" alone. always went out on every limb he could find, even if he had to invent one.

go zorn!

 

[VicAjax]

interesting poll.

i'm not sure i'd vote the same way tomorrow or next week, but without thinking too hard i ticked Game Pieces.

Zorn's use of hand signals, props, themes and gestures to "direct" the improvisation of his band and essentially turn it into a compositional competition (or is it a competitive composition?) is, to me, the seminal traits that permeates through nearly all his other work.

while it's not something that he invented (Zappa was a big fan of hand signals to trigger specific improvisational memes), Zorn did morph it into something that was exciting, unpredictable, and musically satisfying... not only for the audience but for the musicians on stage.

it's incredibly thrilling to watch a bunch of musicians begin a piece not knowing exactly where it'll end up, witness Zorn's seemingly erratic gesticulations and hat tosses, and hear this unbelievable, exhilerating piece of music emerge out of something that is in constant danger of tiptoeing off the precipice of anarchy.