November 2003 - zorn-list - mailman.xmission.com

Zorn "Hermeticum Sacrum" Review
by Dave Smey 11 Nov '03

11 Nov '03

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/11/arts/music/11SACR.html I'm sure Kozinn's claim that Zorn was probably thinking of "a 1950's horror film, one with dungeons and zombies and people being shackled to a sacrificial alter [sic]" would make Z's blood boil, but he seems to have liked it well enough. Really I was impressed with "Hermeticum Sacrum." It was the most enjoyable "classical" Zorn I've heard yet. The wordless chorus sounded great (it was just a 6-person, Hilliard-style vibratoless chorus), and Zorn's overall rhetoric was fairly convincing. The piece is organized into a bunch of variations ("Cantos") that run continuously, so Zorn could experiment with all sorts of styles, from fake Renaissance music to everybody-improv-at-once aleatory. (The latter wasn't actual improv, it was all written out..) The score has some intruiguing symbolism in the percussion foley effects (swishing water, book pages turning) that would sound great if they were really carefully recorded. And there are a few gentle "jump-cuts" where he launches into some surprising film-score reference. Overall, with all of the chimey chords, bowed vibes, tuned wine-glasses, etc., and the "number symbolism," the piece was perhaps a lot like George Crumb. No zombies, though.

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Re: Zorn Jump-Cuts?
by Leonardo Federici 09 Nov '03

09 Nov '03

I think that some of the best rapresentative JumpCut records of Zorn are Spillane (the Japanese singing song, the last one is fantastic), Kristallnacht and Elegy (dedicated to Jean Genet). I think that talk only of Jump Cut couldn't be enough. jumping to a cut to another it isn't only a tecnique, it's a language that could be very expressive, like Zorn demonstrates in this three (also in many others, but not so clearly) works, where the message is declared. I hope to be helpful to you Leo

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Vandermark and Zorn jump cutting examples
by Craig Lieske 08 Nov '03

08 Nov '03

I don't think you can really call Vandermark "insipid", I'd save that epithet for someone like Everette Harp or that bunch. While he is not an 'innovator" per se, I don't think he's ever claimed to be. I do know that he's open minded and he re-ignited the whole Chicago new scene by himself pretty much. So he gets a huge grant, he worked hard for it. I don't think he's coasting yet, either. As for examples to play in class of Zorn other than Naked City, try "Cat O' Nine Tails" or "Forbidden Fruit". Kronos Quartet has recorded both pieces. Craig L. _________________________________________________________________ Is your computer infected with a virus? Find out with a FREE computer virus scan from McAfee. Take the FreeScan now! http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963

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Children on the Corner
by Richard Gardner 08 Nov '03

08 Nov '03

I recently got a copy of the Children on the Corner album - Rebirth: Band Sonny Fortune - Flute, Saxophone; Michael Wolff - Piano, Keyboards; Badal Roy - Tabla; Leon "Ndugu" Chancler - Drums; Barry Finnerty - Guitar; Michael Henderson - Bass Tracks 1. Directions (Zawinul) - 21:13 2. New York Girl, Pt.1 (Davis) - 10:58 3. Oakland Raga - 4:29 4. New York Girl, Pt.2 (Davis) - 1:49 5. Madimba (Wolff) - 4:48 6. Tone Poem (Wolff) - 4:14 7. BD Philly Funk - 13:50 8. Black Satin (Davis) - 11:36 If you like that On the Corner/Get Up With It sound this is excellent. Recorded last year live at Yoshi's in Oakland CA it's a great grooving band. Much better than I expected and more like Miles than a lame 70's jazz funk band. (Although there is, at times, a strong whiff of Chameleon about parts of this project - but it's looser than the Headhunters with that Miles 'play anything' vibe.) What are they like live? Also worth a mention is the new British band The Electric Dr M. It features a young pianist called Matthew Bourne (here playing Fender Rhodes and analogue synths) the rest of the band is made up from a pair of drummers, double bass and guitar. Once again back to early seventies and Miles but again loose and willing to take a few chances. Add to that some excellent string bass driven dance beats and a fine choice of samples. I think this album augers well for their future. A fascinating mixture of groove with some good individual playing and a nice touch of humour. Richard Gardner

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(NZC) NYC microsound/guitar noise/improv show, 11/10/03
by Maurice Rickard 07 Nov '03

07 Nov '03

I'm hauling the PowerBook, submixer, looper, and guitar back to NYC on Monday November 10 for a set at CB's 313 Gallery (http://www.cbgb.com/gallery.html) Stop on by for a set of dark ambient noise, low-ratio ring modulated guitar drones, delay glitches, at least three different varieties of feedback, and samples ranging from the dystopian to the amusing. Or just go to the previous link and check out the live stream, apparently. C'mon up and introduce yourself. Buy a cheap cdr (including the new Death Pig no-input set from July!). Lord it over your friends as the next big thing, or just stand in the corner, unfavorably compare me to better-known performers, and wearily sigh to your hipster friends at work the next day that I'm soooo 12 hours ago. Monday November 10, 9PM, CB's 313 Gallery, 313 Bowery, NYC. -- Maurice Rickard http://mauricerickard.com/

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Re: Zorn Jump-Cuts?
by Steve Smith 07 Nov '03

07 Nov '03

Given that your friend started in a classical context, I'd recommend he play the string quartet 'Cat o' Nine Tails.' Steve -----Original Message----- From: Samerivertwice(a)aol.com Sent: Nov 7, 2003 1:35 PM To: zorn-list(a)lists.xmission.com Subject: Zorn Jump-Cuts? <HTML>I just got the following message from a friend: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px"> </BLOCKQUOTE><BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">And now, a question for you. Believe it or not, I talked about John Zorn for about 10 minutes in my Humanities course yesterday. We were covering 1870-1914, and I played selections from Debussy ("Claire de Lune"), Stravinksy (a selection from Rite of Spring), and a song by Schoenberg. One student commented that Schoenberg seemed to be trying too hard, being jarring just for the sake of being jarring and jumping from one thing to another quickly. The student commented that he wasn't aware of any contemporary musicians who do this kind of jumping around. I brought up Zorn and his jump-cut, cartoon-influenced aesthetic, and then I went into his interests in game theory, cartoon music, Japanese noise-as-aesthetic, thrash metal, jazz, klezmer, and classical music. I said I'd bring something in on Tuesday to play for them. Hence the question. If I have five or so minutes to play a representative piece or two, what would you recommend that best illustrates that jump-cut practice of his? </BLOCKQUOTE> Can anyone help me/my friend?  I suggested some Naked City stuff, but if there's a better sample of jump-cutting in Zorn's catalogue I'm open to suggestions. Thanks, Tom </HTML>

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Re: JumpCut Zorn
by Dan Frank Kuehn 07 Nov '03

07 Nov '03

OR if you're pressed for time, Speedfreaks, from Naked City's Grand Guignol. ZornQuote from a 2003 preformance by NC: "In case you missed it, that was 32 styles of music in 43 seconds - thank you, yes, it can be done live." Yow Two, dan

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Re: JumpCut Zorn
by Dan Frank Kuehn 07 Nov '03

07 Nov '03

I recommend Carny, from Zorn's Angelus Novus, Stephen Drury, solo piano 12:54 Yow, dan

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Re: Zorn Jump-Cuts?
by zsteiner＠butler.edu 07 Nov '03

07 Nov '03

The cartoon disc of Cartoon S&M. They are in a contemporary "classical" vein, as opposed to NC. Spillane is also representative of jump cuts. There is that one torture garden piece that is "30-some genres in 40-some seconds" that, yes, "can be played live." Quoting Zorn (sort of) from the recent NC concert in Amsterdam.

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Zorn Jump-Cuts?
by Samerivertwice＠aol.com 07 Nov '03

07 Nov '03

I just got the following message from a friend: > > > And now, a question for you. Believe it or not, I talked about John Zorn > for about 10 minutes in my Humanities course yesterday. We were covering > 1870-1914, and I played selections from Debussy ("Claire de Lune"), Stravinksy (a > selection from Rite of Spring), and a song by Schoenberg. One student > commented that Schoenberg seemed to be trying too hard, being jarring just for the > sake of being jarring and jumping from one thing to another quickly. The > student commented that he wasn't aware of any contemporary musicians who do this > kind of jumping around. I brought up Zorn and his jump-cut, cartoon-influenced > aesthetic, and then I went into his interests in game theory, cartoon music, > Japanese noise-as-aesthetic, thrash metal, jazz, klezmer, and classical > music. I said I'd bring something in on Tuesday to play for them. Hence the > question. If I have five or so minutes to play a representative piece or two, what > would you recommend that best illustrates that jump-cut practice of his? > Can anyone help me/my friend? I suggested some Naked City stuff, but if there's a better sample of jump-cutting in Zorn's catalogue I'm open to suggestions. Thanks, Tom

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