Guy Klucevsek is one of the world’s first and foremost accordion virtuosos, performing with the likes of Laurie Anderson, Anthony Braxton, Dave Douglas, Bill Frisell, Fred Frith and the Kronos Quartet, among many others. His music has graced theater productions, films, dance concerts and he has toured with his ensembles the world over. Guy’s third CD for Tzadik presents a series of charming new compositions filled with the patented Klucevsek wit and humor, and is scored for a fabulous quartet of some of his closest collaborators. A new CD from Guy is always a delight, and this is one of his very best.
In the late ’70s and early ’80s Zorn presented yearly retrospectives of his game pieces at various Downtown venues. He called these events his Olympiads. This long awaited CD presents three of his classic pre-Cobra game pieces in multiple versions by the fabulous Brooklyn-based guitar quartet Dither. Here you will find the building blocks of Zorn’s trademark musical language—virtuosic extended techniques, surprising contrasts, fast group interaction and razor sharp changes. Featuring the first recording of Zorn’s legendary compositions Fencing and Curling, these fabulous realizations will keep you on the edge of your seat from first note to last!
A fabulous release by this Canadian instrumental band that blends latin, r&b, soul, film soundtracks, jazz and more into moody and infectious grooves. Bret Higgins is no stranger to Tzadik, performing on the 2014 release Zebrina and performing with Tzadik regulars like Frank London, David Buchbinder, Ben Goldberg and many others. A new take on The Meters and Booker T, this is small unit instrumental music that you will return to again and again.
Composer/improviser Richard Teitelbaum has been acknowledged as a pioneer in electronic music for over three decades, combining electronics with classical forms, jazz improvisation, and world music. With Frederic Rzewski and Alvin Curran, he was a founder of Musica Elettronica Viva (MEV). He has since performed and recorded extensively, as a soloist and with jazz and classical masters including Anthony Braxton, George Lewis, Carlos Zingaro, Fred Frith, Derek Bailey and Lee Konitz for labels including Wergo, Hat Art, Centaur, Victo, Moers Music, Polydor and Arista.
One of the most talked about and well attended shows of Zorn’s 50th Birthday month was his much anticipated duo concert with Boredoms mastermind, Yamataka Eye. Close friends and musical associates since 1985, their love, respect and telepathic interplay was augmented on this occasion by electronic technician Sawai Taeji, who responded to Eye’s sensor movements via powerbook. Jewish Alchemy meets Japanese Shamanism in this ritual performance of music and magic from two of the world’s most unusual and unclassifiable adepts. Included as a bonus is a Quicktime video of the performance accessible on your computer.
The most extreme organ trio ever, Simulacrum is yet another wild new direction from Downtown Alchemist John Zorn, who continues to explore new worlds and new ensembles into his sixth decade. Dramatic through-composed pieces that unfold with a cinematic logic, this genre bending music defies classification, touching upon metal, jazz, minimalism, atonality, noise and more. Passionately performed by an unusual all-star trio of John Medeski (MMW), Matt Hollenberg (Cleric) and Kenny Grohowski (Abraxas) this is powerful and fascinating music that highlights the MENTAL in experimental! Riveting!
This remarkable project features three Philadelphia musicians paying tribute to one of Philly’s most enigmatic and important musical visionaries—the Legendary Hasaan. Hasaan Ibn Ali was born in 1931 and made only one commercial release in his lifetime which has of course become a cult classic. Combining the craggly dissonances of Monk with the spidery lines of Elmo Hope,and the muscular intensity of Cecil Taylor, his music and theories were a huge influence on Coltrane, McCoy Tyner and countless others. Here Brian Marsella, Christian McBride and Anwar Marshall interpret the quirky compositions of this obscure musical master with a deep respect and a fresh imaginative voice. Included are an unrecorded Hasaan original and a tribute piece by Brian Marsella.
Jason Eckardt began as a heavy metal guitarist and turned to contemporary music after hearing Webern. His music is highly complex andr etains the energy and intensity of his heavy metal roots. Challenging and highly virtuosic, his compositional language embraces both uptown and downtown. Brilliantly performed by JACK, ICE and the Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble, “Subject” contains some of his most extreme and intense works.
Drawing upon traditions as varied as Messiaen, Xenakis, Ligeti, Bach, Tournemire, Ives, Korla Pandit and The Phantom of the Opera, Zorn’s organ improvisations are transcendent, inspiring, ecstatic experiences, offering a direct line to the workings of his rich compositional imagination. Performed at St. Paul’s Chapel at a time when the organ was undergoing extensive reconstruction, the limited number of stops available to him focused his imagination to new heights, resulting in Zorn’s most revelatory recital to date. The second volume documenting these legendary organ recitals is a overwhelming experience filled with moments of passion, tenderness, fragility and extraordinary power.
Accused of being a flagrant "occultist" it took many years before Zorn was able to perform an organ recital in the former Yugoslavia. Finding churches completely unavailable, Zorn performed this Office of "The Hermetic Organ" at Gallus Hall during his residency at the Ljubljana Jazz Festival and it is one of his best. Including some extended moments with Zorn playing both organ and saxophone simultaneously, the improvisation is intense and varied, with a remarkable compositional arch and wildly dramatic changes of color and timbre.