The John Zorn Thread

The idea for this thread came about from the Bill Frisell thread I have linked here.

Let this be a place for us to talk about the strangeness ( and wonder if you like ) that is John Zorn.

Gregg and I have had many an email exchange about Zorn and we agree and disagree about him.

With regard to what has already been said on the Frisell thread and to get the conversational juices flowing, here is what I think:

• To me, Masada is the best thing John Zorn has ever done. It seems like an extension of Ornette Coleman's quartets of the 60's and the Jewish flavour is one of its strongest points and so is Joey Baron.
• With the regard to Fred's comment on William Parker as compared with Zorn :"William Parker, even though his roots are also in earlier decades, looks like he'll leave a more substantial musical legacy. " I totally agree...Parker seems to be more connected with meaning than Zorn and perhaps he should be the next candidate for the genius grant.
  
• Other than finding it plain awful, I don't see Zorn's Naked City project as anything more than a rebellious wall of sound. Like Fred, I do not believe generations looking back on music though the 80's, 90's and 2000's onwards will to Naked City as an essential peice of "artwork". I will not at least.
  
• Does Zorn deserve the genius status? I am not sure. It would depend who is doing the judging and what characteristics are being judged as genius. Myself, I see him as mainly experimental and can do without hearing most of his "music". <-- perhaps a cheap sentence but I have said it, and particularly mean the last half of it.

Bill Frisell

This is for Fred. And I would like to say in honour of Bill's recent album but I don’t have it yet.

I make no question that I think Bill Frisell is the reason the guitar was invented. I might like other guitarists for certain reasons, but Bill Frisell is what guitar is supposed to be. Now, you might be thinking ‘well, WHICH Bill? Old, weird Bill? Country Bill? ECM Bill? Motian Trio Bill? Any number of other Bills? ’ and my answer is yes. ALL Bill. Bill is able to play anything and still sound like himself, what ever that may mean in that situation. So many people say this, but from thrash with Zorn to standards with a banjo, Bill is one of the few who can actually DO it, and has. Bill makes it his own, but still manages to blend and play everything right. Everything Bill plays is right, always. You get the feeling that there was no other choice than to play what Bill played at that point. Opinion? Technically, but go ahead, debate me.

In my conversations with Fred (who is not fond of Bill’s Americana/country undertones and strongly dislikes ‘Nashville’) I came up with an analogy for Bill. Bill’s playing and ideas are a carnival. I was going to explain out each aspect, but then realized that you should just make up your own mind when hearing him what part he is at that time. From the ferris wheel and bumper cars to the beer tent and the hog calling contests, it’s all there. Bill discography is massive and I include all his sideman stuff too as it is equally important in seeing where he is coming from. I don’t know a single person that does NOT at least really like Bill Frisell. Sure, some may like certain aspects or periods of his playing more than others, I recognize that although I love all of it, not everyone does. There are few musicians that I can honestly say that I like EVERYTHING they have done, very few (though I won’t name them here), but Bill is obviously one of them.

G

Album Review : Jewels & Binoculars The Music of Bob Dylan

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Personnel:

Michael Moore - alto saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet, melodica, bells
Lindsey Horner - bass
Michael Vatcher - percussion

Tracks:

I Pity the Poor Immigrant
Fourth Time Around
Visions of Johanna
Dark Eyes
Two Soldiers
Highway 61 Revisited
With God on Our Side
Dear Landlord
Sign on the Window
Percy's Song
Boots of Spanish Leather

Firstly, the Michael Moore here is not the same as the maker of such documentaries as Fahrenheit 9/11 and Bowling for Columbine; while this Michael did originate in the U.S., he has lived in Holland for several Years. Also important to note that this is not Michael Moore's band per say, but a collective trio where all musicians are equal.

Secondly, this is perhaps not so much an album review as it is a glorious example of the balance that I seek and know is possible in what is often called "creative music" ( I emphasize the quotes ) as well as a compliment or aside to what I am generally writing about here.

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Quite simply, this is one of the best modern "jazz" recordings that I have ever come across. In fact, I am so gung ho about this album that I burnt it for two of my "non-jazz" friends ( I haven't received feedback yet, but that is not the point ) and can be quoted in conversation with another friend as saying "this is album is like me as jazz"!

Why would I even call this music Jazz, that literally has no bits of walking bass, "spang-a-lang" drumming and scalar saxophony? Well, call it whatever you like, but I think this is the first point that makes this date so great: it isn't wrapped up in identifying itself as Jazz or as showcasing the abilities of the players. It is however, a document of three players who appear to be concerned mostly with creating beauty and being in the enjoyment of playing and listening with each other, without the fear of sounding too raw or unpolished.

The choice of Bob Dylan's music here clearly provides a lot of inspiration in its' lovely melodicism ( perhaps not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of Dylan ) and simple structure. I am sure fans of Dylan's will enjoy the choice of songs which are a wonderful mix of the songwriter's more obscure popular tunes ( Highway 61, With God on Our Side ) and then some other really obscure tunes ( Two Soldiers, Sign on the Window ) but the point is that the songs were perfectly picked for the session instead of just going with all of the most popular music, although, I am sure that would be great too.

I do not want to get into the details of how great each song is because that is for you to encounter when you listen to it, but I am sure you will find this recording is a work of sincerity, passion, tenderness, humor and joy.

Check out this trio's new album here

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Noteworthy moments:

Visions of Johanna - Perhaps the best track on the album! Horner's bass line provides some deep down warmth for Moore's Bass Clarinet to beautifully open the melody and for Vatcher to play some soft and at times reggae-ish grooves.

Dark Eyes - Michael Vatcher's Bells, Shakers and Dulcimer provide a sweet bed for Moore and Horner to explore this simple melody in a rather peaceful, somewhat bluesy and tender way.

Percy's Song.

With Good on Our Side.

Boots of Spanish Leather.

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I would love to hear your experience of this recording so feel free to leave comments.

Mistakes

I have been looking at quotes from Albert Einstein recently through the power of iGoogle gadgets. He was a very wise man it seems...this quote struck me as true and relevant to earlier posts:

Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.



Discuss.

Notes on a Gig Weekend and Some Folk Festival Action

This weekend I had a three nighter gig at the acclaimed Four Rooms Restaurant here in Edmonton; the venue has been hosting live jazz music every weekend for the last 7 0r 8 years and we are thankful to have such a place. I thought I would make some notes on my whole weekend and share my inner perspective as a musician and a listener ( I am adding an additional part on the Edmonton Folk Festival ) within all of the interesting things that happened to come up.

Originally, the whole weekend was booked as The North Well ( a trio consisting of myself on drums and percussion, Lane Arndt on Guitars & Electronics and Thom Golub on Bass ) but our guitarist accidentally double booked himself one night, so trumpeter Joel Gray stood in on Friday.

Thursday August 9th

Listeners of music may think that playing music is all glamour and flowers and wonderful. While it is wonderful, it is just like anything else in terms of the amount of stuff there is to be with, as there is so much going on physically, mentally and psychologically.

I am sure other musicians will totally agree with this, that there is and there will always be nights where there is massive amounts of flow and it seems you can do nothing wrong and then other nights where it seems the opposite is true ( I.e. it doesn't matter how hard you try, you cannot 'make it happen' ).

While I think Lane and Thom played great and visibly enjoyed themselves ( and verbally affirmed this later ) I totally felt off for most of the night, like what I was playing was either just bad ( I.e. not in the groove, lazy, etc. ) or I was just filling space with stuff, not really keeping up with what was happening.

To add to all of those strange feelings ( which included thinking I wasn't a good drummer ) it happened that my ex-girlfriend of about 12 years ago showed up as well...we had reconnected through the wonder of that which is FaceBook. She reported enjoying herself as did another musician whom I respect and hope to work with in the near future.

My point to all of this is that I have learned that you can't really trust your experience as a musician ( and as it turns out as a human being ) to tell you what is real. I don't mean that one cannot see true things through experience like where to improve on things, but if one looks with kindness and humour, having such a night doesn't really matter if you are ok with not needing to be identified as a good musician, where it could really be easy to be hard on oneself. Then this becomes an opportunity for realness, which is what we were trying to get to in the music in the first place, well, if our motive is pure.

To clarify, I am not talking about not caring, but rather a warm disregard for your own reputation; not needing to be so identified with the output of the music. I have found this very state is what helps me really freely improvise with others and integrate my 'mistakes' into the music. Those of us who are uptight about sounding good, dare not venture into such areas.

Friday August 10th

This was a very interesting night as I had never really played with trumpeter Joel Gray outside of maybe the jazz jam at the Yardbird Suite ( which consequently does not usually involve people really playing but restricting each other ... hmm, another blog ). Joel has more of a 'traditional' sound ( ala Louie Armstrong ) than Thom and I, but we all had so much fun together because of openness, and Joel can really make the trumpet sing. We mainly played standards such as All Blues, JoySpring, Indiana, some ballads, some straight ahead swing and I couldn't resist the Dixieland flavours.

Now usually when it comes to jazz I have a taste for the more avant garde, and I generally have connected with musicians who have the same interests, and I find improvised music can be some of the highest music when it is good. However, here is my main point of this section, I do not give less of myself depending on the creative opportunities that are awarded to me. I think is the mistake that a lot of 'creative' musicians make, that somehow their 'atonal prepared piano sonata in B flat' is their soul music while the country band they play in is somehow less than that.

Now, I am not saying that it is not natural to be moved differently by different styles of music, this definitely happens for me; give me an Indian drone and I am like buttah! What I am saying is that sometimes we tend to focus on the thing that has less value in this case the creative content of the music rather than being satisfied with merging with the center of the music ( i.e. the pocket, the zone, the point ) in whatever situation. This is something I am really enjoying and will continue to grow in enjoyment of.

Note: there are certain musical situations I have learned to not put myself in.

Saturday August 11th

This night, again back with Lane and Thom, on the contrary to Thursday was one of those evenings where everything experientially went exceptionally well. I go so far as to say that it was, in my experience : ), the most mature or advanced I have ever heard us play, or at least the best I have ever played with these particular guys. The music was quite what you would call 'experimental' too. Besides doing some John Zorn Masada stuff ( pretty straight ahead ), some modal stuff like Keith Jarrett's The Cure, we really explored some standards like JoySpring and Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square.

An exciting thing was that a friend who is not particularly a fan of jazz came that night, and even though she mentioned that we 'lost her' at some moments with some overly jazzy stuff ( i.e. everyone playing different stuff at once ) her main comment was that it was gorgeous. That is what I love, the ability to walk the line between free and open and playing whatever comes and being accessible to people who may not be used to listening to music in the same way; this is another goal of mine.

And let me say more about making mistakes. It is wonderful to be with a group of people, in this case musician types who allow each other to make mistakes; it is kind and it allows for such playful freedom and discovery. I think if we can get to the point where we use our mistakes for good, that is good.

Sunday August 12th - The Edmonton Folk Festival

I will be brief here. I went to the cheapy hill ( i.e. the place where everyone goes who doesn't feel like paying but wants a good view ) at the ( renowned ) Edmonton Folk Fest last night and had a pretty good time.

The artists:

• Ollabelle
• Ozomatli
• Michael Franti & Spearhead
• Buffy Sainte-Marie

While I think that the different artists did a good job of the spirit of togetherness thing with fun and social/political conscious lyrics I had wondered at moments when the sun was setting across the wide open sky, over the cityscape, as awareness was becoming still, as consciousness began to sparkle what it might be like if the music was only an expression of oneness and Truth we all come from.

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Currently Listening To:

I don't think there is too much for me to say what with Kevin's great post. I will single out one thing he said though:

[where we are]actually transported out of our usual frame of mind and into a place that has us deeply touched and in awe.

For me it's this. It's always this. It's about this. This is the end goal, in listening or playing. We can't always get there, we probably shouldn't either. But I think once we become aware of that place, it never leaves us and each time after that we arrive there again, it's familiar in the feeling that it gives us, but different in what is literally happening (different performance, different record, etc.).

This is one of the greatest things I think music can give us, because it is more than music at that point, and whenever something transcends it's own boundaries, we should never forget.

G

Relating to Lifting the Bandstand

  When I saw the aforementioned documentary and Steve Lacy said something like "our goal is to lift the bandstand", I related to it very much; my goal in playing music is for the moment (within myself, the music and for the audience) to reach a state of hovering or floating. 

I am sure you can relate as I think we have all been in at least one situation ( whether we are listening or playing at a concert  or similarly sitting at home ) where we are actually transported out of our usual frame of mind and into a place that has us deeply touched and in awe.

For me, the first part of this lifting or floating is when music reaches a state where it is resonating with and therefore moving one or many aspects of consciousness whether that be on an emotional, intellectual, physiological, spiritual or other-al  level. You could reasonably say that all music has the ability to do this, but I am not stopping here, as what I am getting has more to do with uplifting, refreshening [ making up words is fun ] and enlightening than it does mere entertainment or something that affirms some status quo.

Secondly, and more importantly is that the movement or resonance causes an opening; a new way of feeling, seeing, being within for those listening and playing. I will give you an example of this for me. A few years ago I was at an Uday Bhawalkar concert and I found the music so beautiful that it shifted me into a space of actually seeing the truth of me as light. Now that is pretty big, but this can be as simple as being really angry and tense about a break up with a boyfriend or girlfriend and you hearing a piece of music that moves you in a way that has you letting go of the tension and therefore freeing you up.

So, I see music mainly as a tool for communion an change in a way that includes but is not limited to entertainment.

Another interesting point is how musicians get to the point of lifting the bandstand which is more than ( but certainly includes ) what is usually referred to as being "In The Pocket" meaning somehow deliciously tight and together. For myself, for music to get there, I need to be sensitive to the fine threads or points that are happening in the music ( in the pocket-ness? ), which I find has me constantly adjusting myself and my sound to accommodate that. As musicians, with what is arising in the moment, we are both constantly moved by what is happening and we are taking that movement and doing something with it; using it to bring the creation into form. As an aside, I find this is the most true in improvised music ( I'll have to blog on this one later ).

When each musician is sensitive to the thing that is arising and is concerned with bringing it into form, then the music really soars, and if the audience is there too, it can be a truly intimate experience. 

 

" ... We have fallen into the place where everything is music ... Open the window in the center of your chest and let the spirits fly in and out" - Jallaluddin Rumi