Meet the New Zorn, Same As the Old Zorn
Looking at two new John Zorn records: Incerto and Multiplicities
In a career that’s spanned over four decades, John Zorn has done a little bit of everything: blistering solo saxophone records, chamber jazz, even grindcore-influenced music that’ll upset your downstairs neighbors.
And he hasn’t just appeared on more records than any one person could listen to, he’s also written music for an ever-expanding group of ensembles. Sometimes this music fills its own songbook - see the many Masada or Bagatelles sets - and at others, different groups play music that builds off earlier bands. Chaos Magick, for example, grew out of Simulacrum, but both of them play music that feels of a piece with the hardcore miniatures of Zorn’s Naked City era. He’s a writer who seems to have music and ideas pouring out of him, so maybe it’s no surprise he seems to be at the helm of more records these days than actually appearing on records.
In recent weeks, Tzadik released two records of Zorn’s music where other musicians play his music. On one, a more traditional jazz lineup plays music that draws on mid-60s Blue Note while another plays at a blistering place, drawing equally from the worlds of hard rock and jazz fusion. Together, they show the two sides of Zorn: the guy inspired by sounds coming from CBGB’s in the late 80s and the musician who draws inspiration from the jazz canon. They compliment each other and offer a nice snapshot of Zorn as he nears his 70th birthday.
Let’s dive in!
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In one sense, John Zorn’s Incerto is a very traditional record. The music feels like it could slot in somewhere between Grant Green’s records on Blue Note and the ones Bill Evans made in the mid 70s. It lacks the harsh edges you’d expect from a typical Zorn LP. In that sense, it’s hard not to like: there’s a reason the music that influenced this one remains timeless. But occasionally, Zorn peeks through the blinds: there’s a burst of noise, little jump-cuts, and fragments of sound. It keeps the listener on their toes.
The band’s a lot of fun on this record. Julian Lage’s guitar and Brian Marsella’s piano are all over this one, often trading off ideas and licks, while drummer Ches Smith pushes things along with drumming that’s never obtrusive, but always there. And bassist Jorge Roeder keeps things anchored and the band from straying too far afield. There’s a lot of chemistry here and no wonder: Roeder, Smith and Marsella worked together on last year’s Suite for Piano.
The record opens with “The Future of an Illusion,” a piece where Marsella gets to stretch out on piano. His playing strays around a little bit, but it’s never exactly free, either: his little bursts always feel like they’re under control. It’s an interesting start to the record. It leads into “Nausea,” a slower and more melodic number where Lage gets his first chance to shine on Incerto with little riffs up and down his fretboard Marsella crashes into chords on his solo, letting Smith build up the tension with drum fills. It’s a very tasty performance.
The album’s longest track is ‘Totem and Taboo,” which stretches out to nearly eight minutes. It lets Lage stretch out on guitar and he works a couple of dissonant notes into his solo, which gives this piece a bit more energy. But the highlight is the way he and Marsella work together, playing that entwines each other. But don’t get too comfortable: the little darting notes on the theme are typical Zorn too.
Indeed, the little bits of energy and bursts of noise pop up here and there throughout the record. They open up “The Black Swan,” a piece that unfolds into a straight-ahead fusion piece with guitar chords, rollicking piano and pounding drumming. It’s one of the most energetic performances on this record.
That said, there is a fair amount of energy all around. On “Cascades,” “Sisyphus” and “End Causa Sui,” Marsella plays these jaunty, up-and-down passages that at times explode into bursts of sound. His solos build up as he takes little runs up and down his keyboard, sometimes stopping on a dime. His playing really shines on Incerto and he’s a big reason why the record is so enjoyable.
Because it’s so steeped in jazz from right before the fusion-era, it’s a record that’s easy to get lost in and for newcomers to enjoy. Perhaps even more so than his 90s records with Masada, which occasionally get a little free and build to a fever pitch. And while it lacks the edginess of some of his more recent records - Spinoza, New Masada Quartet, Chaos Magick - it also never feels pedestrian. I think if I had to suggest a Zorn record for newcomers, this might be it.
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Zorn’s Chaos Magick band has quickly made a name for itself in jazz circles. The quartet’s stacked with talent: John Medeski on organ, Brian Marsella on keys, Kenny Grohowski on drums and Matt Hollenberg on guitar. They’re essentially an older Zorn project - Simulacrum - with Marsella sitting in, and together they’ve released three records in a little over a year, which even by Zorn’s standards is quite a clip.
This lineup plays some of the most energetic music coming out of Zorn’s catalog today. Both the music and lineup harkens back to the heyday of 70s fusion: overdriven guitars, pounding drums, an organ providing both another lead voice and the low end. The tricky rhythms and way the songs open up into solos reminds one of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Frank Zappa’s mid-70s bands and more contemporary artists like Bushman's Revenge or Grand General. When this lineup is on, they can captivate listeners.
But the problem with Multiplicities is that the music feels a bit hesitant and restrained when compared to their first two LPs. Maybe it has something to do with the material: for this project, Zorn has the band working off what he calls “musical aphorisms.” I’m not exactly sure what that’s supposed to mean, but I assume it’s similar to Zorn writing out a theme or a melody and asking the group to work off of that.
There are some nice moments here. “Succession” builds from jagged and angular lines, slowly ratcheting up the tension until Medeski whips out a nice organ solo, ending it in a screech just as Marsella steps up for an electric piano solo. Likewise, “Virtualities” opens with muscular guitar riffage, bursts of organ and pounding drums. Hollenberg sounds like he’s trying to rip the frets off his guitar in between bursts of organ, shredding in full Sonny Sharrock-mode. The band rides a nice groove throughout the song, showing off their chemistry.
But occasionally the band dials it down, changing the pace into a more atmospheric mode. “Lines of Flight,” for example, starts out with a slow, almost wandering piano line and light touches of cymbal. Soon Medeski enters, taking the lead and stretching out a little. But the solo never builds up into much, instead feeling like the players wandering around each other.
Meanwhile on “The Nidus,” the two keyboards circle around. It’s a spacey kind of track, but feels more like an interlude than a finished song; I can easily imagine this as a transition between two other pieces. It wouldn’t be too bad, except at over seven minutes it’s the longest performance here and after a few minutes it starts to drag.
The juxtaposition between this band rocking out and the slower, more reflective pieces gives this record an uneasy balance. At one moment, the band will be lurching between riffs like a jump-cut in a Godard film, at others they’ll be playing a piece that never fully develops. Naked City had similar juxtapositions on it’s first couple of records, but there Zorn and company kept things brief enough that the record never dragged.
At its most engaging, Multiplicities shows why Chaos Magick is one of Zorn’s most interesting ensembles, but it’s an uneven enough record that it feels like they’re in a holding pattern.
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As I write this, I see there’s even more Zorn on the horizon. A piano trio released a record of his music in July and an album of him improvising on an organ - he “performed in a kind of trance state,” says the album copy - just hit shelves. Two more records are forthcoming, plus a box set. The man just doesn’t slow down. Writing about him is a daunting task: he covers so much ground and releases so many records that it’s hard for all but the most devoted fans to keep up with him.
But as he continues to release music, he both pushes forward and looks back. Sometimes it’s because he’s going back to the jazz tradition, other times it’s because his music can be connected through different bands and eras. Both Incerto and Multiplicities offer examples of this. Even after 40-plus years in the industry, Zorn can still offer something new and engaging.