Search - John Zorn :: Naked City

Naked City
John Zorn
Naked City
Genres: Alternative Rock, Jazz, Special Interest, Pop, Rock, Soundtracks, Metal
 
  •  Track Listings (21) - Disc #1

It's hard to find a contemporary musician more eclectic than alto saxophonist John Zorn. Whether investigating the affinity between traditional Jewish music and jazz with his band Masada, or performing soundtrack music for...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: John Zorn
Title: Naked City
Members Wishing: 5
Total Copies: 0
Label: Nonesuch
Original Release Date: 2/20/1990
Re-Release Date: 2/8/1990
Genres: Alternative Rock, Jazz, Special Interest, Pop, Rock, Soundtracks, Metal
Styles: Avant Garde & Free Jazz, Progressive, Progressive Rock, Thrash & Speed Metal
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPCs: 075597923827, 075597923810, 075597923841

Synopsis

Amazon.com
It's hard to find a contemporary musician more eclectic than alto saxophonist John Zorn. Whether investigating the affinity between traditional Jewish music and jazz with his band Masada, or performing soundtrack music for Japanese porno films, Zorn has consistently proven himself a fearless seeker of new frontiers. On Naked City, Zorn combines covers of such movie themes as Ennio Morricone's "The Sicilian Clan," Jerry Goldsmith's "Chinatown," John Barry's "James Bond Theme," and Johnny Mandel's "I Want to Live" with his own noir-inflected originals, and a "Peter Gunn"-like cover of Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman" is thrown in for good measure. The results are like a trip to the drive-in for a bad double-feature--if the drive-in is on Mars. The band, which features Zorn stalwarts Bill Frisell on guitar, Wayne Horvitz on keyboards, Fred Frith on bass, and Joey Baron on drums, is remarkably confident and wide-ranging. --Fred Goodman

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CD Reviews

Staggering Display of Musical Mastery- One of Zorn's Best...
Matthew Jaworski | Detroit, MI | 12/07/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)

"John Zorn hails from New York and has been one of the most interesting and exciting figures in contemporary music for years. He appears to be of limitless talent, acquiring quite a reputation for his wild eclecticism. That eclecticism is wildly abundant on this fine, fine album, as Zorn and Company rage thru the music of Ornette Coleman, Henry Mancini, Ennio Morricone, John Barry, and of course Mr. Zorn himself. They blaze through jazz, swing, blues, free jazz, noise, rock, thrash, and surf- often in the same song. This is great music for today's attention-span addled human. In fact, I think this would actually be a great album for youngsters with an interest in jazz to listen to. It is fast moving, often changing, and definitely never boring. I haven't listened to this CD for awhile (until today), and I forgot how enthralling it is.

`Naked City' was my first John Zorn album and it remains my favorite (along with his Occult masterpiece I.A.O.). This wonderful disc starts out with `Batman'; Zorn's uptempo envisioning of what Batman's theme should sound like- and it totally kicks ass. This is followed by Morricone's `The Sicilian Clan'. Zorn's saxophone sounds great on this track (and I usually HATE the saxophone). Next up is `You Will Be Shot', a nifty Zorn original that changes just about every ten seconds; touching on rock, noise/thrash, and blues/swing. I could go on and on; fruitlessly attempting to describe track after track. That however is beginning to seem increasingly pointless as I listen to this spectacular album. It sounds so cliché, but one must truly listen to this album for themselves to have any kind of understanding for how much ass it kicks.

One of the things that Mr. Zorn seems to have a knack for, is assembling the right band for the right project (much in the same way Miles Davis did). The band that he put together for `Naked City' was absolutely perfect, and up to the task of tackling these diverse, high energy arrangements. Bill Frisell on guitar, Wayne Horvitz on keys, Fred Firth on bass, and Joey Baron on skins were the perfect partners in crime for this wicked creation. I would've loved to catch this amazing band live.

This is a hell of an album. I own LOTS of music, and this is by far one of the most diverse releases I have. Not many bands could pull off the ridiculous changes present here. On paper, this should be a mess. However thanks to John Zorn's vision and skill (and that of his band mates) this works wonderfully- way better than it should. If you are interested in Zorn and have yet to delve into his intimidating and massive catalogue, this is a great place to start. If you are a fan of Zorn, you undoubtedly have this excellent and timeless release."
This Great Band Changed my Life
John McDonough | Jersey City, NJ | 07/27/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Well, at least my view of music. A genre-busting album that doesn't sit still, showing the influences of hardcore punk, jazz, free improvisation, country and the cartoon music of Carl Stalling. Maybe the kitchen sink as well. What other CD boasts covers of both Ornette Coleman's Lonely Woman and the James Bond theme? I must have seen this currently defunct band 20 times and they never disappointed, always playing something new. Like music from the film "The List of Adrian Messenger. Who else but Zorn would find this stuff? It's time for a reunion tour. I'm going through withdrawal."
Like falling into a vat of ice water unexpectedly
John McDonough | 08/25/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a shock to the system the first time you hear it, then at some point the humor in the music becomes more evident. Zorn has an interesting mind, and unlike the jazz dullards who exhibit technique for its own sake, has something to say and a unique, powerful way of saying it. I think that this album is hilarious and bracing, the way that having an avalanche fall on you is bracing. Not for your elderly maiden aunt as background music--this one demands your full attention, and jazz needs more music like that these days."