John Zorn Resource

The newest CD by Zorn’s most recent quartet Incerto is a beautiful and moody suite of nocturnes inspired by the night imagery of Shakespeare. Heart wrenchingly beautiful, the music carries you to a lush romantic world of modern lyricism, blending elements of jazz balladry with classical atonality and minimalism into a vibrant new sound world.

Featuring four of the most accomplished musical masters out of the Downtown scene—trusted members of Zorn’s inner circle—this is modern chamber music at its very best!

Towering figures of New York’s Downtown scene, Zorn and Laswell have been working together since the late 1970s.

Following up on their acclaimed 2022 duo project The Cleansing, this new volume presents musical memorials to three artistic visionaries whose powerful legacies remain touchstones of creativity and artistic integrity.

Here the music takes on more of an ambient edge, and is distinguished by telepathic improvisational interplay and a unique virtuosity. Three heartfelt tributes from one generation of mavericks to another, Memoria is a beautiful collection of modern improvisation at its best.

THE ACOUSTIC COMPANION PIECE TO MULTIPLICITIES VOLUME ONE!
 

Written in December of 2020, Multiplicities: A Repository of Non-Existent Objects is a collection of twenty musical aphorisms inspired by the writings and thought of Gilles Deleuze. Volume One, released in 2022, featured the first set of ten compositions performed by the powerful electric ensemble Chaos Magick.

This second set is played here by Zorn’s newest acoustic jazz ensemble Incerto, featuring virtuoso masters Julian Lage, Brian Marsella, Jorge Roeder, and Ches Smith. The performances are passionate, tight, and endlessly imaginative. Filled with unexpected twists and turns, this is a wildly varied exploration of instrumental music at its most extreme! Modern musical philosophy for adventurous, discerning minds. 

Brian Marsella, Julian Lage, Jorge Roeder, Ches Smith

Apr 21, 2023

In 2020 Brian Marsella joined the heavy metal organ trio Simulacrum to spawn the astonishing fusion quartet Chaos Magick.

This fourth CD in their ever-expanding legacy is a magical collection of instrumental music at its finest. Tighter and wilder than ever, Medeski, Hollenberg, Grohowski, and Marsella perform with a remark- able rapport in this provocative new direction from

Downtown alchemist John Zorn, who has been exploring new musical worlds and confounding expectations since the 1970s!

Mar 17, 2023

Zorn’s latest book of music for piano trio is inspired by the writings and thought of the elusive mystical figure Georges Gurdjieff. The music is expansive, ranging from heartfelt lyricism to textural madness and is brilliantly performed by a tight trio of musical masters—treasured members of Zorn’s innermost circle.
 

Brian Marsella, Jorge Roeder, and Ches Smith form a fiery, soulful unit capable of jumping from a whisper to a scream at the drop of a hat. Following up on their acclaimed debut Suite for Piano, they continue their exploration of Zorn’s challenging compositions in this stunning collection of music that transports you to a beautiful new world of spirituality and emotional depth.

TZA-CD-8397
February 17, 2023

John Zorn, Julian Lage, Jorge Roeder, Kenny Wollesen

The first release by John Zorn’s newest and most exciting ensemble, New Masada Quartet was one of Tzadik’s best-selling and most popular recent releases. Here the quartet returns to perform eight more classic compositions from the Masada songbooks.

One of the best bands Zorn has ever had, here they are tighter than ever, and the performances are filled with burning solos, telepathic group interaction, heartfelt lyricism, and hypnotic grooves. Spontaneously structured by Zorn’s ever-surprising conducting techniques, a crackling live energy brings the Masada music to life like never before. Masada at its passionate best.

TZA-CD-8396
January 27, 2023 (Moved to March 3, 2023)

Recorded at the powerful organ at Henri LeBoeuf Hall, Bozar in Brussels, this is one of Zorn’s most beautiful and personal solo performances—a dramatic musical reading of the epic Faust legend.

Featuring a guest appearance by the sensational vocalist Barbara Hannigan, who is improvising with Zorn for the very first time—this exciting concert is presented here in a special limited edition 2-disc set that includes both a CD and a bonus DVD hi-quality film document of the event.

No one plays the organ quite like Zorn and many of his unusual techniques, usually hidden in performance, are presented in close focus. Beautifully filmed by state of the art equipment, this is a wild and colorful concert by two mavericks of new music. Essential!

TZA-8394
November 11, 2022