John Zorn

{{short description|American composer, saxophonist and bandleader (born 1953)}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = John Zorn

| image = Fotografía- Gerardo Luna- Secretaría de Cultura de la Ciudad de México.jpg

| caption = Zorn in 2023

| background = non_vocal_instrumentalist

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1953|9|2}}

| birth_place = New York City, U.S.

| genre = {{hlist|Avant-garde|experimental|avant-rock|jazz|classical|grindcore|avant-garde metal|klezmer}}

| instrument = Alto saxophone, organ, soprano saxophone, clarinet, piano

| occupation = Musician, composer, producer, arranger

| discography = John Zorn discography

| years_active = 1973–present

| label = Tzadik, Avant, DIW, Elektra Nonesuch, Earache, Hathut, Shimmy-Disc, Eva, Toy's Factory, Nato, Lumina, Black Saint, Subharmonic, Parachute, Yukon, Rift

| current_member_of = Naked City, Painkiller, Masada, Moonchild, Simulacrum

| website =

}}

John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conductor, saxophonist, arranger and producer who "deliberately resists category".{{Cite book |last=Cook| first=Richard |author-link=Richard Cook (journalist) |year=2005 |title=Richard Cook's Jazz Encyclopedia |publisher=Penguin Books |location=London |isbn=0-141-00646-3 |pages=685–686}} His avant-garde and experimental approaches to composition and improvisation are inclusive of jazz, rock, Jewish music, hardcore, classical, contemporary, surf, metal, soundtrack, ambient, and world music.Milkowski, B., [http://jazztimes.com/articles/20521-john-zorn-one-future-two-views "John Zorn: One Future, Two Views"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610173848/http://jazztimes.com/articles/20521-john-zorn-one-future-two-views |date=2015-06-10 }} (interview) in Jazz Times, March 2000, pp. 28–35,118–121; accessed July 24, 2010. Rolling Stone noted that {{nowrap|"[alt]hough}} Zorn has operated almost entirely outside the mainstream, he's gradually asserted himself as one of the most influential musicians of our time".Alkyer, F. [http://www.downbeat.com/digitaledition/2013/DB201310/_art/DB1310.pdf First Take: Happy Birthday Mr Zorn], Down Beat, October, 2013, pg. 10.Steamer, H., [https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/john-zorn-jazz-metal-interview-naked-city-1015329/ ‘He Made the World Bigger’: Inside John Zorn's Jazz-Metal Multiverse], Rolling Stone, June 22, 2020.

Zorn engaged New York City's downtown music scene in the mid-1970s, collaborating with improvising artists and experimenting with compositional strategies and arrangements. Over the next decade he performed throughout Europe and Japan and recorded on independent US and European labels. He released The Big Gundown, reconstructing the spaghetti Western, gangster and war movie themes of Ennio Morricone, a formative musical influence, to acclaim in 1986.Zorn, J., [https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/08/arts/music/ennio-morricone-john-zorn.html Ennio Morricone Was More Than Just a Great Film Composer, He was one of the great composers, period.], NY Times, July 9, 2020Rockwell, J., [https://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/02/arts/music-zorn-variations-on-themes-by-morricone.html Zorn Variations on Themes by Morricone], NY Times, November 2, 1986. Spillane and Naked City further demonstrated Zorn's ability to merge and blend musical styles in new and challenging formats.Watrous, P., [https://www.nytimes.com/1988/05/25/arts/review-jazz-spillane-a-blend-of-american-styles.html "Spillane", a Blend of American Styles], NY Times, May 25, 1988.Rockwell, J., [https://www.nytimes.com/1988/02/21/arts/recordings-as-important-as-anyone-in-his-generation.html As Important As Anyone In His Generation], NY Times, February 21, 1988.Pareles, J., [https://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/08/arts/recordings-there-are-8-million-stories-in-john-zorn-s-naked-city.html "There Are 8 Million Stories in John Zorn's Naked City'], New York Times, April 8, 1990.

Zorn spent significant time in Japan in the 1980s and early '90s returning to Lower East Side Manhattan to establish the Tzadik record label in 1995.Burma, M., [http://browbeat.com/browbeat01/zorn.htm John Zorn Interview], Browbeat, Issue 1, 1993Watrous, P., [https://www.nytimes.com/1989/02/24/arts/pop-jazz-john-zorn-takes-over-the-town.html John Zorn Takes Over the Town], NY Times, February 24, 1989.Fordham, J. (1993), The Essential Guide to Jazz on CD, Greenwich Editions: London.Liner notes to Nani Nani (1995), Tzadik: New York. Tzadik enabled Zorn to establish independence, maintain creative control, and ensure the availability of his growing catalog of recordings. He prolifically recorded and released new material for the label, issuing several new albums each year, along with recordings by many other artists.Gordon, T., (2008), [http://www.tedgordon.net/files_TG/tg_senior_essay_final_final_draft.pdf John Zorn: Autonomy and the Avant-Garde] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312005423/http://www.tedgordon.net/files_TG/tg_senior_essay_final_final_draft.pdf |date=2012-03-12 }}; accessed November 15, 2013.

Zorn performs on saxophone with his Naked City, Painkiller, and Masada bands. He also conducts ensembles such as Moonchild, Simulacrum, several Masada-related groups, and encourages musicians toward their own interpretations of his work. He has composed concert music for classical ensembles and orchestras, and produced music for opera, sound installations, film and documentary. Tours of Europe, Asia, and the Middle East have been extensive, usually at festivals with musicians and ensembles that perform his repertoire.[http://www.johnzorn.co.il/index_eng.html John Zorn Festival in Israel 2008 website] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080508215111/http://www.johnzorn.co.il/index_eng.html |date=2008-05-08 }}; accessed September 2, 2008.Kelman, J. [http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=29509 Festival International Musique Actuelle Victoriaville Review] at All About Jazz, May 15, 2008.Moore, C. [http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/Article/361917,adelaide-festival-2014-loud-and-proud.aspx Adelaide Festival 2014: Loud and Proud] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031145525/http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/Article/361917,adelaide-festival-2014-loud-and-proud.aspx |date=2013-10-31 }}, Limelight, October 29, 2014.

Early life and career

=Early studies=

John Zorn was raised in Utopia, Queens and studied piano, guitar and flute at the United Nations International School.{{cite web|url=http://www.milkenarchive.org/people/view/all/863/John+Zorn|title=Milken Archive of Jewish Music – People – John Zorn|work=milkenarchive.org}}[https://www.npr.org/2013/09/03/217195249/at-60-challenges-are-opportunities-for-john-zorn At 60, 'Challenges Are Opportunities' For John Zorn], NPR.org, September 3, 2013.Helland, D [https://web.archive.org/web/20051017142037/http://www.downbeat.com/artists/window.asp?action=new&aid=335&aname=John+Zorn Downbeat.com John Zorn Biography] Zorn's mother, Vera (née Studenski; 1918–1999), listened to classical and world music; his father, Henry Zorn (1913–1992), was interested in jazz, French chansons, and country music; and his older brother collected doo-wop and 1950s rock and roll records.Bourgin, S. M. (ed.),(1996) Contemporary Musicians, Vol. 15: [http://www.enotes.com/contemporary-musicians/zorn-john-biography Zorn, John] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080821023101/http://www.enotes.com/contemporary-musicians/zorn-john-biography |date=2008-08-21 }} accessed May 26, 2008 Zorn spent his teenage years "listening to The Doors and playing bass in a surf band" while also exploring the experimental and avant-garde music of György Ligeti, Mauricio Kagel and Karlheinz Stockhausen and listening to cartoon soundtracks and film scores.Put More Blood Into the Music (1989)

Zorn taught himself orchestration and counterpoint by transcribing scores and studied composition under Leonardo Balada before enrolling at Webster College where he attended lectures by Oliver Lake.Milkowski, B. (1998) John Zorn interview in Rockers, Jazzbos & Visionaries New York: Watson-Guptill PublicationsWendell, E. [http://www.jazz.com/encyclopedia/zorn-john Encyclopedia of Jazz Musicians: John Zorn] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131108211830/http://www.jazz.com/encyclopedia/zorn-john |date=2013-11-08 }}; accessed October 9, 2013 While at Webster he incorporated elements of free jazz, avant-garde and experimental music, film scores, performance art and the cartoon scores of Carl Stalling into his first recordings and discovered Anthony Braxton's groundbreaking solo album For Alto which inspired him to take up the instrument.Bartlett A [http://www.seattleweekly.com/1999-06-23/music/zorn-of-plenty.php Zorn of Plenty] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071103081140/http://www.seattleweekly.com/1999-06-23/music/zorn-of-plenty.php |date=2007-11-03 }} Seattle Weekly, June 23, 1999.Zorn, J (1995) liner notes to John Zorn: First Recordings 1973 New York: Tzadik. "I'm not going to sit in some ivory tower and pass my scores down to the players." said Zorn, "I have to be there with them, and that's why I started playing saxophone, so that I could meet musicians. I still feel that I have to earn a player's trust before they can play my music."

Leaving Webster after three semesters, Zorn lived on the West Coast before returning to Manhattan where he gave concerts in his apartment and other small NY venues, playing saxophone and a variety of reeds, duck calls, tapes, and other instruments.Pareles, J., [https://www.nytimes.com/1983/12/04/arts/concert-sounds-of-staley-and-zorn.html Concert: Sounds of Staley And Zorn], NY Times, December 4, 1983 Zorn immersed himself in the underground art scene, assisting filmmaker Jack Smith with his performances and attending plays by Richard Foreman.Blumenfield, L. [https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/2014/03/08/iconic-new-york-composer-john-zorn-celebrates-his-60th-australia/1394197200 Iconic New York composer John Zorn celebrates his 60th in Australia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160421201652/https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/2014/03/08/iconic-new-york-composer-john-zorn-celebrates-his-60th-australia/1394197200 |date=2016-04-21 }}, The Saturday Paper, March 8, 2014.

=Early compositions and recordings=

Zorn's early major compositions included many game pieces described as "complex systems harnessing improvisers in flexible compositional formats".Zorn, J. The Game Pieces in Cox, C. & Warner, D., Eds. (2004) Audio Culture: Readings in Modern Music, Continuum Press: New York ({{ISBN|0-8264-1615-2}})Duckworth, W. (1999) Talking Music, Da Capo Press ({{ISBN|0-306-80893-5}}) pp. 444–476 These compositions "involved strict rules, role playing, prompters with flashcards, all in the name of melding structure and improvisation in a seamless fashion". Zorn's early game pieces had sporting titles like Lacrosse (1976), Hockey (1978), Pool (1979), and Archery (1979), which he recorded and first released on Eugene Chadbourne's Parachute label.Poop, C. E. [http://www.pukekos.org/2011/01/eugene-chadbournejohn-zorn.html Pukekos Website], January 28, 2011Roussel, P. (2013) [http://nyds-discographies.com/zorn.htm John Zorn Discography] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171024210534/http://nyds-discographies.com/zorn.htm |date=2017-10-24 }}, accessed November 1, 2013 His most enduring game piece is Cobra, composed in 1984 and first recorded in 1987 and in subsequent versions in 1992, 1994 and 2002, and revisited in performance many times.Kozinn, A [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE3DA1F3DF930A3575AC0A96F948260 John Zorn and 'Cobra'] NY Times, September 3, 1989Ross, A [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE0D71E38F936A25750C0A965958260 Music and Plenty of It: 12 Hours' Worth In Fact] NY Times March 15, 1993Ratliff, B [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C01E0D81E3FF936A3575BC0A960958260 Stretching the Boundaries of the Things Musicians Do] NY Times, August 5, 1996

In the early 1980s, Zorn was heavily engaged in improvisation as both a solo performer and with other like-minded artists. Zorn's first solo saxophone recordings were originally released in two volumes as The Classic Guide to Strategy in 1983 and 1986 on the Lumina label.Proefrock, S. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-classic-guide-to-strategy-mw0000186775 Allmusic Review: The Classic Guide to Strategy], accessed November 1, 2013 Zorn's early small group improvisations are documented on Locus Solus (1983) which featured Zorn with various combinations of other improvisers including Christian Marclay, Arto Lindsay, Wayne Horvitz, Ikue Mori, and Anton Fier.Layne, J. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/locus-solus-mw0000178650 Allmusic Review: Locus Solus], accessed November 1, 2013 Ganryu Island featured a series of duets by Zorn with Michihiro Sato on shamisen, which received limited release on the Yukon label in 1984.Layne, J. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/ganryu-island-mw0000058805 Allmusic Review: Ganryu Island], accessed November 1, 2013 Zorn has subsequently reissued these early recordings.{{Cite web|url=http://www.tzadik.com/catalog.php?view=date|title=Tzadik Complete Catalog|website=Tzadik.com}}

File:John Zorn Münster 1990.jpg

=Breakthrough recordings=

Zorn's breakthrough came in 1986 with the acclaimed The Big Gundown released on Nonesuch Records.Yanow, S. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-big-gundown-john-zorn-plays-the-music-of-ennio-morricone-15th-anniversary-edition-mw0000192585 Allmusic Review: The Big Gundown]; accessed November 1, 2013 The album was endorsed by composer Ennio Morricone, who said: "This is a record that has fresh, good and intelligent ideas. It is realization on a high level, a work done by a maestro with great science-fantasy and creativity ... Many people have done versions of my pieces, but no one has done them like this".Morricone, E. in liner notes to The Big Gundown – 15th Anniversary Edition Tzadik: New York.

Zorn followed with Spillane in 1987, his second major-label release, featuring performances by Albert Collins, the Kronos Quartet, and the sprawling title track, an early "file-card" composition.Watrous, P. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE5DF1439F935A2575AC0A965958260&scp=8&sq=John%20Zorn&st=cse "John Zorn Makes Radical Turn Chic"], nytimes.com, September 16, 1993. This method of combining composition and improvisation involved Zorn writing descriptions or ideas on file-cards and arranging them to form the piece.Cook, R. & Morton, B. (1992), The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD, LP and Cassette, Penguin Books. Zorn described the process in 2003:

I write in moments, in disparate sound blocks, so I find it convenient to store these events on filing cards so they can be sorted and ordered with minimum effort. Pacing is essential. If you move too fast, people tend to stop hearing the individual moments as complete in themselves and more as elements of a sort of cloud effect ... I worked 10 to 12 hours a day for a week, just orchestrating these file cards. It was an intense process.Service, T. [https://www.theguardian.com/music/2003/mar/07/classicalmusicandopera.artsfeatures "Shuffle and Cut"], The Guardian, March 7, 2003.

Zorn's file-card method of organizing sound blocks into an overall structure largely depended on the musicians he chose, the way they interpreted what was written on the file cards, and their relationship with Zorn who stated "At the end of the day, I want players to say: this was fun—it was a lot of fucking work, and it's one of the hardest things I've ever done, but it was worth the effort."

Three further releases on Nonesuch followed; Spy vs Spy in 1989, Naked City in 1990, and Filmworks 1986–1990 (1992) before Zorn broke with the label.

Music

{{quote box

|width = 25em

|border = 1px

|align = right

|bgcolor = #c6dbf7

|quote = All the various styles are organically connected to one another. I'm an additive person—the entire storehouse of my knowledge informs everything I do. People are so obsessed with the surface that they can't see the connections, but they are there.

|salign = right

|author = —John Zorn}}

= Jazz =

Zorn demonstrated his hard bop credentials as a member of the Sonny Clark Memorial Quartet, recording Voodoo in 1986.Yanow, S. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/voodoo-mw0000649443 Allmusic Review: Voodoo], accessed November 1, 2013. News for Lulu (1988) and More News for Lulu (1992) featured Zorn, Bill Frisell and George E. Lewis performing compositions by Clark, Kenny Dorham, Freddie Redd, and Hank Mobley.Yanow, S. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/news-for-lulu-mw0000196614 Allmusic Review: "News for Lulu"]; accessed November 1, 2013.Yanow, S. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/more-news-for-lulu-mw0000262657 Allmusic Review: "More News for Lulu"]; accessed November 1, 2013. He recorded Spy vs Spy featuring hardcore punk versions of Ornette Coleman's compositions in 1989.Rockwell, J. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DEED61030F931A1575BC0A961948260 Zorn & Berne Downtown], nytimes.com, August 22, 1987.Yanow, S. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/spy-vs-spy-the-music-of-ornette-coleman-mw0000653640 Allmusic Review: Spy vs Spy]; accessed November 1, 2013. According to Cook, "Zorn's admirers often consider him a masterful bebop alto player, but when he does perform in something approaching that style his playing has little of the tension and none of the relaxation of the great beboppers, often sounding more strangulated than anything".

=Film music=

Zorn stated that "After my record The Big Gundown came out I was convinced that a lot of soundtrack work was going to be coming my way".Zorn, J. (1992) liner notes to Filmworks 1986–1990 Tzadik: New York While interest from Hollywood was not forthcoming, eventually independent filmmakers like Sheila McLaughlin and Raúl Ruiz sought his talents.Layne, J. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/filmworks-1986-1990-mw0000233217 Allmusic Review: Filmworks 1986–1990], accessed November 6, 2013. Filmmaker Walter Hill rejected his music for a film to be called Looters.{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105636/trivia |publisher=IMDb |title=Trespass (1992) Trivia |access-date=August 28, 2021}} Although Zorn's score did not make the final cut he used the money he received to establish the record label, Tzadik, on which he released Filmworks II: Music for an Untitled Film by Walter Hill in 1995.Layne, J. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/filmworks-ii-music-for-an-untitled-film-by-walter-hill-mw0000647867 Allmusic Review: Filmworks II: Music for an Untitled Film by Walter Hill]. Accessed November 5, 2013. Zorn also produced a series of commercial soundtracks for the advertising firm Wieden+Kennedy, including one directed by Jean-Luc Godard, a long-term Zorn inspiration.Zorn, J. (1997), liner notes to Filmworks III: 1990–1995 Tzadik: New York. Zorn used his film commissions to record new ensembles like Masada and the Masada String Trio. From the mid-1990s, Zorn composed film music for independent films dealing with BDSM and LGBT culture, documentaries exploring the Jewish experience, and films about outsider artists. In 2013, after releasing 25 volumes in his Filmworks Series, Zorn announced that he would no longer be releasing music for film.{{Cite web|url=http://www.tzadik.com/index.php?catalog=7643|title=Welcome to Tzadik|website=Tzadik.com}}

= Hardcore: Naked City, Painkiller and beyond =

Zorn established Naked City in 1988 as a "compositional workshop" to test the limitations of a rock band format.Zorn, J. (1993) [http://www.wnur.org/jazz/performance/zornfest/zornfest-p-zorn.html liner notes to Zornfest program] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509145949/http://www.wnur.org/jazz/performance/zornfest/zornfest-p-zorn.html |date=May 9, 2008 }} Featuring Zorn (saxophone), Bill Frisell (guitars), Fred Frith (bass), Wayne Horvitz (keyboards), Joey Baron (drums), and vocalist Yamatsuka Eye (and later Mike Patton), Naked City blended Zorn's appreciation of hardcore punk and grindcore bands like Agnostic Front and Napalm Death with influences like film music, country or jazz often in a single composition.Carla Chiti (1998), John Zorn in Sonora. Itinerari Oltre il Suono: John Zorn. Italy: Materiali Sonori Edizioni Musicali. The band performed pieces by film composers Ennio Morricone, John Barry, Johnny Mandel and Henry Mancini and modern classicists Alexander Scriabin, Claude Debussy, Charles Ives, and Olivier Messiaen and recorded heavy metal and ambient albums.{{Cite web |last=Quietus |first=The |date=2020-02-17 |title=Early Reflections On Life In The Information Age: John Zorn's Naked City Turns 30 |url=https://thequietus.com/opinion-and-essays/anniversary/naked-city-john-zorn-review-anniversary/ |access-date=2024-06-16 |website=The Quietus |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |date=2023-10-09 |title=The organised chaos of John Zorn's Naked City |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/organised-chaos-of-john-zorns-naked-city/ |access-date=2024-06-16 |website=faroutmagazine.co.uk |language=en-US}}

In 1991, Zorn formed Painkiller with Bill Laswell on bass and Mick Harris on drums.Huey, S. [http://www.allmusic.com/artist/pain-killer-mn0000744399 Allmusic Artist Biography: Painkiller], accessed November 4, 2013 Painkiller's first two releases, Guts of a Virgin (1991) and Buried Secrets (1992), also featured short grindcore and free jazz-inspired compositions.Huey, S. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/buried-secrets-mw0000110846 Allmusic Review: Buried Secrets]. Accessed November 4, 2013. They released their first live album, Rituals: Live in Japan, in 1993, followed by the double CD Execution Ground (1994), which featured longer dub and ambient-styled pieces.Rikard, M. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/execution-ground-mw0000120854 Allmusic Review: Execution Ground]. Accessed November 4, 2013. A second live album, Talisman: Live in Nagoya, was released in 2002 and the band was featured on Zorn's 50th Birthday Celebration Volume 12 (2005) with Hamid Drake replacing Harris on drums and guest vocalist Mike Patton.{{Cite web|url=http://www.tzadik.com/index.php?catalog=5012|title=Welcome to Tzadik|website=Tzadik.com}}

Both bands attracted worldwide interest, particularly in Japan, where Zorn had relocated following a three-month residency in Tokyo.Goldberg, M. [http://www.bombsite.com/issues/80/articles/2501 John Zorn Interview] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102203635/http://bombsite.com/issues/80/articles/2501 |date=2013-11-02 }}, BOMB Magazine, Issue 80, Summer 2002.

File:Mike Patton-1.jpg: Mike Patton (facing away) and Trevor Dunn]]

In 2006, Zorn formed the voice/bass/drums trio of Mike Patton, Trevor Dunn, and Joey Baron as "a compositional challenge, as a song cycle, songs without words" as he decided "I want to work with Patton more; Patton was very hungry to do more work together. ‘OK, so let's start it with just bass, drums, and voice".Walters, J.L. [https://www.theguardian.com/music/2006/jun/21/popandrock1 John Zorn: "Crowley at the Crossroads"], The Guardian, June 21, 2006. Rolling Stone said that Moonchild was "a band that, much like Naked City, mutated radically across its lifespan as Zorn kept raising his compositional bar. While it touched on similar extremes as that group... its episodes are more sustained, its structures more conventionally songlike" noting "For the first five of Moonchild's seven albums, released from 2006 through 2014, Patton utilized his full whisper-to-scream range while operating entirely without lyrics".

=Concert music=

As Zorn's interest in Naked City waned, he "started hearing classical music in [his] head again."McCutchen, A. (1999) The Muse that Sings: Composers Speak about the Creative Process Oxford University Press: New York, p. 167. Zorn started working on compositions that drew on chamber music arrangements of strings, percussion and electronic instruments. Elegy, a suite dedicated to Jean Genet, was released in 1992.Butler, B. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/elegy-mw0000883240 Allmusic Review: Elegy], accessed November 4, 2013.

The establishment of Tzadik allowed him to release many compositions which he had written over the previous two decades for classical ensembles. Zorn's earliest released classical composition, Christabel (1972) for five flutes, first appeared on Angelus Novus in 1998.Proefrock, S. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/angelus-novus-mw0000380852 Allmusic Review: "Angelus Novus"]; accessed November 4, 2013. He credits the composition of his 1988 string quartet Cat O' Nine Tails (commissioned and released by the Kronos Quartet on Short Stories) to awakening him to the possibilities of writing for classical musicians. This composition also appeared on The String Quartets (1999) and Cartoon S/M (2000) along with variations on "Kol Nidre", inspired by the Jewish prayer of atonement which was written at the same time as the first Masada Book.Tommasini, A [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9902EEDC163CF936A35751C1A9679C8B63 "Finding, and Savoring, A Muse in 'McHale's Navy'"], nytimes.com, December 5, 2001.

Aporias: Requia for Piano and Orchestra (1998) was Zorn's first full-scale orchestral release featuring pianist Stephen Drury, the Hungarian Radio Children's Choir and the American Composers Orchestra conducted by Dennis Russell Davies.Layne, J. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/aporias-requia-for-piano-orchestra-mw0001028126 Allmusic Review: Aporias: Requia for Piano and Orchestra]; accessed November 5, 2013.

Much of Zorn's classical work is dedicated or inspired by artists who have influenced him:

Duras: Duchamp (1997) contains tributes to Marguerite Duras and Olivier MessiaenProefrock, S. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/duras-duchamp-mw0000914071 Allmusic Review: Duras: Duchamp], accessed November 5, 2013
Songs from the Hermetic Theatre (2001) features compositions dedicated to Harry Smith, Joseph Beuys, and Maya DerenJurek, T. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/songs-from-the-hermetic-theatre-mw0000128274 Allmusic Review: Songs from the Hermetic Theatre], accessed November 5, 2013
Madness, Love and Mysticism (2001) featured Le Mômo, inspired by Antonin Artaud, and Untitled, dedicated to Joseph CornellJurek, T. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/madness-love-and-mysticism-mw0000586700 Allmusic Review: Madness, Love and Mysticism], accessed November 5, 2013
Chimeras (2001) was based on Arnold Schoenberg's atonal composition, Pierrot Lunaire{{Cite web|url=http://www.tzadik.com/index.php?catalog=7085|title=Welcome to Tzadik|website=Tzadik.com}}

Several of Zorn's later concert works drew inspiration from mysticism and the works of Aleister Crowley in particular; Magick (2004) featured a group called the Crowley Quartet.{{Cite web|url=http://www.tzadik.com/index.php?catalog=8006|title=Welcome to Tzadik|website=Tzadik.com}} A 2009 performance of the album's centerpiece Necronomicon was described as "... frenetic vortexes of violent, abrasive motion, separated by eerily becalmed, suspenseful sections with moody, even prayerful melodies. The music is sensational and evocative, but never arbitrary; you always sense a guiding hand behind the mayhem".Smith, S. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F00E7DB1631F937A35757C0A96F9C8B63&scp=2&sq=John+Zorn&st=nyt Music in Review], NY Times, April 4, 2009.

Later works expanded to include vocal and operatic works; Mysterium released in 2005 featured Frammenti del Sappho for female chorus;Sanderson, B. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/mysterium-mw0000390882 Allmusic Review: Mysterium], accessed November 5, 2013 Rituals (2005) featured Zorn's opera composed for the Bayreuth Opera Festival in 1998;Sanderson, B. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/rituals-mw0001412828 Allmusic Review: Rituals]; accessed November 5, 2013. and La Machine de l'Être composed in 2000, premiered at the New York City Opera in 2011, and recorded for the 2012 album Music and Its Double.Woolfe, Z. [https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/20/arts/music/john-zorns-machine-de-letre-and-city-opera.html?pagewanted=all To Get to City Opera, Mr. Downtown Practiced Eclecticism], NY Times, March 16, 2011{{Cite web|url=http://www.tzadik.com/index.php?catalog=8092|title=Welcome to Tzadik|website=Tzadik.com}}

Zorn's concert works have been performed all over the world and he has received commissions from the New York Philharmonic, Brooklyn Philharmonic and BBC Radio 3.liner notes to Madness, Love and Mysticism (2001) Tzadik: New York{{cite web|title=BBC SSO explore the kaleidoscopic world of John Zorn|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/orchestras/bbcsso/about/news/john_zorn.shtml|publisher=BBC|access-date=January 14, 2013}}

=Masada books=

Conversations with Joey Baron led Zorn to explore and embrace Jewish culture. A further file-card composition Kristallnacht (1992) reflected on the Night of Broken Glass that violently and destructively targeted Jews in Germany and Austria in 1938.Pareles, J. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE0DE1F3BF93AA25751C1A964958260&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fZ%2fZorn%2c%20John "Evoking a Terrible Night in 1938"], nytimes.com, December 19, 1992.Layne, J. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/kristallnacht-mw0000885296 Allmusic Review: "Kristallnacht"]; accessed November 4, 2013.

Several movements used the Phrygian dominant and Ukrainian Dorian scales common to klezmer music.Paeles, J. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9407E4D91439F933A15751C1A963958260 Old and New in a Jewish Festival], nytimes.com, December 20, 1995.Yaffe, D. [http://nymag.com/nymetro/arts/music/pop/reviews/415/ Learning to Reed], New York Nightlife, April 5, 1999. Zorn set himself the task of writing 100 compositions using the scale within a year.Kaplan, F. [http://www.slate.com/id/2089105/ John Zorn's Joyful Jazz], Slate, October 3, 2003.

== Book One ==

File:John zorn masada.jpg: Joey Baron (drums), Greg Cohen (bass), Dave Douglas (trumpet), John Zorn (alto saxophone)]]

In 1993 Zorn engaged Baron along with Dave Douglas (trumpet) and Greg Cohen (double bass) to provide musical cues for Joe Chappelle's first film Thieves Quartet (later collected on Filmworks III: 1990–1995) and established the first Masada group to perform his recent compositions using the instrumental lineup and improvisational approach of Ornette Coleman's pioneering free jazz quartet.Ratliff, B. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9903E3DA1638F932A25755C0A96F958260 True to '60s Rhythms and Jewish Culture], NY Times, June 11, 1999.[https://www.cyclicdefrost.com/2014/03/greg-cohen-interview-by-bob-baker-fish/ Cyclic Defrost, Greg Cohen: “Telepathic transmissions, humour and joy.” Interview by Bob Baker Fish]

Within three years, the number of compositions had grown to 205 and became known as the first Masada Book. Zorn explained:

{{blockquote|The project for Masada was to create something positive in the Jewish tradition something that maybe takes the idea of Jewish music into the 21st century the way jazz developed from the teens and 1920s into the '40s, the '50s, the '60s and on ... My initial idea was to write a hundred tunes. And then I ended up writing over 200 for the first book and then performed it countless time for years.Pehling, D. [http://www.ktvu.com/bayareamusicscene/18902349/detail.html KTVU.com Talks To Saxophonist John Zorn], March 10, 2009. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090430195343/http://www.ktvu.com/bayareamusicscene/18902349/detail.html|date=April 30, 2009}}}}

In 1996, Zorn released Bar Kokhba featuring Masada compositions recorded by a rotating group of musicians.Gilman, M. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/bar-kokhba-r307394 Allmusic Review: Bar Kokhba] accessed November 6, 2013. Two ensembles arose from this album: the Masada String Trio, composed of Greg Cohen (bass), Mark Feldman (violin), and Erik Friedlander (cello); and the Bar Kokhba Sextet which added Marc Ribot (guitar), Cyro Baptista (percussion), and Joey Baron (drums), both of which were featured on 1998's The Circle Maker.Layne, J. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-circle-maker-mw0000382830 Allmusic Review: The Circle Maker] accessed November 6, 2013. The Masada String Trio were also featured on Zorn's Filmworks series, as part of his 50th Birthday Celebration, and released two albums as part of the Book of Angels project, Azazal and Haborym.Jurek, T. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/filmworks-xi-2002-vol-1-secret-lives-mw0000660452 Allmusic Review: Filmworks XI: Secret Lives] accessed November 6, 2013.Westergaard, S. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/masada-string-trio-50th-birthday-celebration-vol-1-mw0000137540 Allmusic Review: 50th Birthday Celebration Volume 1] accessed November 6, 2013.{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/azazel-book-of-angels-vol-2-mw0000170189|title=Azazel – Book of Angels, Vol. 2 – John Zorn | Songs, Reviews, Credits|website=AllMusic}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/haborym-masada-book-2-book-of-angels-vol-16-mw0002006163|title=Haborym (Masada Book 2: Book of Angels, Vol. 16) – Masada, Masada String Trio, John Zorn | Songs, Reviews, Credits|website=AllMusic}} In 2003, Zorn formed Electric Masada, a band featuring Zorn, Baptista, Baron, and Ribot, along with Trevor Dunn (bass), Ikue Mori (electronics), Jamie Saft (keyboards), and Kenny Wollesen (drums) releasing their debut live album from Zorn's 50th Birthday Concert series and a double live CD recorded in 2004.Fordham, J. [https://www.theguardian.com/music/2003/jul/22/jazz.artsfeatures John Zorn], The Guardian, July 22, 2003. In 2019, Zorn formed the New Masada Quartet with Julian Lage (guitar), Jorge Roeder (bass), and Kenny Wollesen (drums).{{Cite web |title=John Zorn (New Masada Quartet), Julian Lage, Jorge Roeder, Kenny Wollesen @ Village Vanguard in New York on 11/03/2019 |url=https://www.ohmyrockness.com/shows/356002-john-zorn-new-masada-quartet-julian-lage-jorge-roeder-kenny-wollesen-village-vanguard |access-date=2022-09-27 |website=Oh My Rockness |language=en}}

A Tenth Anniversary Series of Masada recordings was released by Zorn beginning in 2003. The series featured five albums of Masada themes including Masada Guitars by Marc Ribot, Bill Frisell, and Tim Sparks; Masada Recital by Mark Feldman and Sylvie Courvoisier; Masada Rock by Rashanim; and two albums featuring various artists, Voices in the Wilderness and The Unknown Masada.

File:Bar Kokhba 2014.jpg with Marc Ribot, John Zorn, Cyro Baptista (left to right)]]

== Book Two ==

In 2004, Zorn began composing the second Masada Book, The Book of Angels, resulting in an additional 316 compositions.Ratliff, B. [https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/12/arts/music/12zorn.html?ex=1176609600&en=4684794c17d50f19&ei=5070 A Most Prolific Composer Opens His Book of Angels], NY Times, September 12, 2006.Gilbert, A [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/05/29/PKGG5CS1SG1.DTL&type=music Music on the Edge] San Francisco Chronicle, May 29, 2005. Zorn explained:

{{blockquote|After 10 years of performing the first book, I thought "Maybe it'd be nice to write some more tunes." And I wrote 300 more tunes. When I started writing those it was "Let's see if I can write a hundred songs in a month this time." I've been working on these scales and playing these tunes all this time. In the back of my head somewhere are lodged all kinds of new ideas. Let's see if I can come up with 100 tunes in a month instead of in a year. So in the first month, I popped out a hundred tunes; the second month, another hundred; in the third month, a third 100 tunes. I had no idea that was going to happen.}}

Zorn released thirty-two volumes of Masada Book Two compositions performed by many varied artists.Phipps, D. [https://www.allaboutjazz.com/paimon-book-of-angels-volume-21-mary-halvorson-tzadik-review-by-don-phipps Album Review: Mary Halvorson: Paimon: Book Of Angels Volume 32], All About Jazz, December 13, 2017Wolk, D. [http://www.mtvhive.com/2013/05/29/masada-metheny-zor "Pat Metheny Mingles in the Weird World of John Zorn"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150913092457/http://www.mtvhive.com/2013/05/29/masada-metheny-zor/ |date=2015-09-13 }}, MTVHive.com, May 29, 2013. The titles of many Masada Book Two compositions are derived from demonology and Judeo-Christian mythology.

The Masada quartet performed at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in March 2007 for what were billed as their final concerts.Ratliff, B. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9806E3D71031F930A25750C0A9619C8B63&n=Top%2FReference%2FTimes%20Topics%2FPeople%2FZ%2FZorn%2C%20John Barricades to Storm, Whether or Not Any Guards Were on Them], NY Times, March 13, 2007. Zorn reformed the band as a sextet with Uri Caine and Cyro Baptista in 2009 saying:Milkowski, B. [http://jazztimes.com/articles/24597-john-zorn-the-working-man John Zorn: The Working Man] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090426054100/http://jazztimes.com/articles/24597-john-zorn-the-working-man |date=2009-04-26 }}, Jazz Times, May 2009.

{{blockquote|I felt like we kind of hit a plateau a little bit with it in 2007 and I said, "Well, maybe the quartet is really done. Maybe we've accomplished what we can accomplish. Maybe it's time to put this to bed." And then I was asked by the Marciac Jazz Festival to put together a slightly larger group. They asked me what if I added a couple of people to Masada and I said, "I can't add anybody to the quartet. The quartet is the quartet, that's what we do." But then I thought, "Well, if I was going to add someone I would probably ask Uri and Cyro." So we tried it at Marciac and it was unbelievable. We didn't even have any rehearsal time. I just passed the charts out and said, "OK, just watch me because I'll be conducting. Let's just do it." And it was one of those magical clicks on the bandstand that sometimes happens. So yeah, this band is taking off again. After 15 years of doing this music, we can still find new things.}}

Zorn's Masada compositions and associated ensembles have become a central focus of many concerts and festivals and he has established regular 'Masada Marathons' that feature various bands and musicians performing music from the Masada Books.Chinen, N. [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/20/arts/music/20zorn.html "Exploring the Topography of John Zorn's Continent"], nytimes.com, February 19, 2010.

== Book Three ==

Zorn completed the third Masada book, titled The Book Beriah, in 2014.{{Cite news|url=https://jazztimes.com/features/john-zorn-introduces-his-third-book-of-masada-compositions/|title=John Zorn Introduces His Third Book of Masada Compositions – JazzTimes|work=JazzTimes|access-date=2017-12-18|language=en-US}}

=The Dreamers=

Zorn released one of his most popular albums, The Gift, in 2001, which surprised many with its relaxed blend of surf, exotica and world music.{{Cite web|url=http://www.tzadik.com/index.php?catalog=7332|title=Welcome to Tzadik|website=Tzadik.com}} On February 29, 2008, at St Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn, Zorn premiered The Dreamers, which saw a return to the gentle compositions first featured on The Gift and established the band of the same name.Chinen, N. [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/03/arts/music/03zorn.html?_r=1&oref=slogin "Twangy Tones and Vibes in a Fistful of Nostalgia"], nytimes.com, March 3, 2008. The Dreamers released their second album, O'o, in 2009, an album of Zorn's Book of Angels compositions in 2010 and a Christmas album in 2011.Jurek. T. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/oo-mw0000821182 Allmusic Review: O'o], accessed November 26, 2013[http://www.allmusic.com/album/masada-book-2-the-book-of-angels-vol-14-ipos-mw0001962206 Allmusic entry: Ipos: Book of Angels Volume 14]; accessed November 26, 2013{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-dreamers-christmas-mw0002214428|title=A Dreamers Christmas – John Zorn, The Dreamers | Songs, Reviews, Credits|website=AllMusic}}

Other work

File:Zorn-Barbican.jpg and George E. Lewis at the Barbican Tribute to Derek Bailey, 2006]]

= Tzadik Records =

In 1992, John Zorn curated the Avant subsidiary of the DIW label with jazz producer Kazunori Sugiyama and released several Naked City recordings on the label as well as many other albums featuring Zorn affiliated musicians including Derek Bailey, Dave Douglas, Erik Friedlander, and Marc Ribot.{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/label/9613-Avant|title=Avant|website=Discogs.com}}

In 1995, Zorn established the Tzadik label, allowing him to record and release his continually expanding catalog and works by others. Zorn stated "I do feel that it’s a lot easier to keep your head clear from greed if you’re not involved with major corporations. When I was working with Nonesuch for a short period, I got wrapped up with the same shit of like, “Why does Bill Frisell have a bigger budget than me?” I mean like, that’s something to think about? I could feel greed growing in me like a cancer. And for me, it’s very hard to deal with.."

The label's releases are divided into series:

The Archival Series features Zorn's recordings exclusively, including re-releases of several albums that appeared on other labels, Zorn's film work, and recordings from 1973 onwards;
The 50th Birthday Celebration Series is 11 live albums recorded in September 2003 at Tonic as part of the month-long concert retrospective of Zorn's work;
The Composer Series features Zorn's music for "classical" ensembles along with work by many other contemporary composers;
The Radical Jewish Culture Series features contemporary Jewish musicians;
The New Japan Series covers Japanese underground music;
The Film Music Series features soundtracks by other musicians (Zorn's Filmworks recordings are featured in the Archival Series);
The Oracle Series promotes women in experimental music;
The Key Series presents notable avant-garde musicians and projects;
The Lunatic Fringe Series releases music and musicians operating outside of the broad categories offered by other series; and
The Spotlight Series promotes new bands and musical projects of young musicians.{{Cite web|url=http://www.tzadik.com/|title=Welcome to Tzadik|website=Tzadik.com}}

Tzadik also releases special-edition CDs, DVDs, books and T-shirts. Since 1998, the designs of Tzadik releases have been created by graphic artist Heung-Heung "Chippy" Chin.{{Cite web|url=http://chelseaartgalleries.com/The+Proposition/The+Awakening+of+the+Empyrean+Dominion.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307192933/http://chelseaartgalleries.com/The+Proposition/The+Awakening+of+the+Empyrean+Dominion.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 7, 2008|title=Heung-Heung Chin: The Awakening of the Empyrean Dominion at The Proposition|date=March 7, 2008}}

= The Stone (music venue) =

Zorn's earliest New York performances occurred at small artist-run performance spaces including his own apartment. As his profile grew, he became associated with several Lower East Side alternative venues such as the Knitting Factory and Tonic. On Friday April 13, 2007, Zorn played the final night at Tonic before it closed due to financial pressures.Sisaro B [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/31/arts/music/31toni.html Avant-Garde Music Loses a Lower Manhattan Home], NY Times, March 31, 2007.Chinen N [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/16/arts/music/16toni.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1177064206-+g6lzFQXmKKla6Q0sYyxOg Requiem for a Club: Saxophone and Sighs], NY Times, April 16, 2007.{{Cite web|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/music/0715,romano,76313,22.html|title=Dead Again|website=Village Voice|date=April 9, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070622075815/https://www.villagevoice.com/music/0715,romano,76313,22.html|archive-date=June 22, 2007}}

Zorn was the principal force in establishing The Stone in 2005, an avant-garde performance space in New York's Alphabet City which supports itself solely on donations and the sale of limited-edition CDs, giving all door revenues directly to the performers.Ratliff B [https://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/05/arts/music/05ston.html?ex=1176609600&en=47ba8be442427636&ei=5070 For Jazz Musicians and Fans, a (Tiny) Room of Their Own], NY Times, April 5, 2005 Zorn holds the title of artistic director and regularly performs 'Improvisation Nights'.Fitzell, S.P. [http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=16972 The Stone: John Zorn's Latest Downtown Venture], All About Jazz, April 7, 2005. Zorn feels that "The Stone is a unique space and is different from Tonic, the Knitting Factory, and most of the other venues we have played at as there is no bar ... so there is NO pressure to pack the house with an audience that drinks, and what night you perform has nothing to do with your power to draw a crowd or what kind of music you might play".Eisinger, D. W. [http://alteredzones.com/posts/2164/artist-profile-john-zorn/ Altered Zones Artist Profilë: John Zorn] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131204041652/http://alteredzones.com/posts/2164/artist-profile-john-zorn/ |date=2013-12-04 }}, accessed November 25, 2013. On January 10, 2008, Zorn performed with Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson at a special benefit night at The Stone which was also released on The Stone: Issue Three on CD.{{Cite web|url=http://www.tzadik.com/index.php?catalog=0004|title=Welcome to Tzadik|website=Tzadik.com}} In December 2016 Zorn announced that The Stone would close in February 2018 but that he was hopeful that a new location could be found, stating "Venues come and go, but the music continues on forever!"Chinen, N. [https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/27/arts/music/the-stone-john-zorn-closing.html The Stone Announces Its End Date], NY Times, December 27, 2016 By March 2017 Zorn had negotiated with The New School to move The Stone to Greenwich Village.Woolfe, Z. [https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/01/arts/music/the-stone-music-space-to-the-new-school-john-zorn.html The Stone, an Influential Music Space, to Move to the New School], NY Times, March 1, 2017 On February 25, 2018, the last performance was held at the original venue and Zorn moved operations to The New School's The Glass Box Theatre on the basis of a handshake deal.Russonello, G. [https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/27/arts/music/the-stone-john-zorn-new-school.html John Zorn's Club the Stone Begins a New Life on the Other Side of Town], NY Times, February 27, 2018

=50th and 60th birthday concert series=

In September 2003, Zorn celebrated his 50th birthday with a month-long series of performances at Tonic in New York, repeating an event he had begun a decade earlier at the Knitting Factory.Pareles J [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE7DA1431F930A3575AC0A965958260&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fZ%2fZorn%2c%20John%7CZorn's 40 Years of Restless Music] NY Times, September 3, 1993Price, E & Roussel, P [http://www.wnur.org/jazz/performance/zornfest/ Zornfest pages at WNUR] at www.wnur.org {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071010093640/http://www.wnur.org/jazz/performance/zornfest/|date=October 10, 2007}}Ratliff, B. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9905EFDA173BF93AA3575AC0A9659C8B63&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Subjects/M/Music Fluttering Rat-a-tats to Celebrate a Birthday], NY Times, September 9, 2003. He conceptualized the month into several different aspects of his musical output. Zorn's bands performed on the weekends, classical ensembles were featured on Sundays, Zorn performed improvisations with other musicians on Mondays, featured his extended compositions on Tuesdays and a retrospective of game pieces on Wednesdays.Zorn, J. (2003) 50th Birthday Celebration program A total of 12 live albums were released on his 50th Birthday Celebration Series.Davis, F. [https://archive.today/20130209000805/http://www.villagevoice.com/music/0412,davis2,52239,22.html Overcoming Irony, John Zorn Goes for the Heart, Not for the Easy Kill], Village Voice, March 23, 2004

File:Zorn@60@Met.jpg

Zorn's 60th birthday celebrations encompassed concerts across the globe from festival appearances to unique events in art galleries and unusual venues across 2013 and into 2014.Sisario, B. [https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/14/arts/music/turning-60-john-zorn-sees-his-eclecticism-as-a-musical-norm.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Lionized, but Restless as Ever], NY Times, July 10, 2013. The first concerts under the Zorn@60 banner were performed at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis in April 2013.Schell, J. [http://blogs.walkerart.org/performingarts/2013/04/10/if-you-dont-catch-it-its-gone-zorn60/ If You Don't Catch It, It's Gone: Zorn @ 60], Walker Art Centre Green Room, April 10, 2013 This was followed by performances at the Museum of Modern Art and Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.{{Cite web |url=http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/events/17463 |title=MoMA Events |access-date=2013-10-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105054513/http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/events/17463 |archive-date=2013-11-05 |url-status=dead }}Smith, S. [https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/25/arts/music/john-zorns-sacred-voices-at-the-guggenheim-museum.html Under Installation, Vocal Colors], NY Times, June 24, 2013. The European leg of Zorn@60 commenced at the Barbican Theatre in London in July 2013.Kilbey, P. [http://www.bachtrack.com/review-barbican-john-zorn-at-60 How it's done: John Zorn celebrates his 60th birthday at the Barbican], Bachtrack, July 16, 2013 Festival appearances in Belgium, Poland, Spain and Germany followed soon after.Terrie, S. [http://demening.be/muziek/gent-jazz-2013-john-zorn-at-60/ Gent Jazz 2013: John Zorn at 60], DeMening, July 14, 2013{{Cite web|url=https://www.jazzarium.pl/aktualnosci/john-zorn-na-warsaw-summer-jazz-days-2013|title=John Zorn na Warsaw Summer Jazz Days 2013|website=Jazzarium.pl}}[http://jazzalchemist.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/zorn60-at-warsaw-summer-jazz-days-2013.html Zorn@60 at Warsaw Summer Jazz Days 2013], (Free) Jazz Alchemist, July 9, 2013{{Cite web|url=http://www.moers-festival.de/en/|title=moers festival 2018|website=Moers-festival.de}}Weir, B. [http://www.jazzjournal.co.uk/magazine/630/review-san-sebastian-jazz-festival Review: San Sebastian Jazz Festival] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102051126/http://www.jazzjournal.co.uk/magazine/630/review-san-sebastian-jazz-festival |date=2013-11-02 }}, Jazz Journal, accessed October 7, 2013 These were followed by concerts in Victoriaville, Canada.Woodard, J. [http://www.downbeat.com/default.asp?sect=news&subsect=news_detail&nid=2222 Avant-Garde Artists Thrive Annually at Victoriaville] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102055450/http://www.downbeat.com/default.asp?sect=news&subsect=news_detail&nid=2222|date=2013-11-02}}, Down Beat, September 27, 2013 Returning to New York City other concert appearances occurred at Alice Tully Hall and Lincoln Centre.Sahr, D. [http://seenandheard-international.com/2013/08/01/waving-a-wand-the-magic-of-john-zorns-quartets/ Waving a Wand: The Magic of John Zorn's Quartets], Seen and Heard International website, August 1, 2013Schweitzer, [https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/20/arts/music/john-zorn-performing-at-alice-tully-hall.html It's His Party, He Can Play With Elbows if He Wants], NY Times, July 19, 2013.

Zorn undertook another of his celebrated Masada Marathons at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts in August.Pareles, J. [https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/17/arts/music/john-zorn-gets-a-masada-marathon-for-his-60th-birthday.html A Fraction of a Repertory Is Enough for a Celebration of Productivity], NY Times, September 16, 2013. Further New York City concerts in September included performances of music for film at the Anthology Film Archives, classical works and Cobra at the Miller Theatre, a day-long concert at the Metropolitan Museum of Art[http://www.spin.com/2013/09/john-zorn-mike-patton-met-museum-of-art/ Watch John Zorn and Mike Patton Terrorize the Met Museum for 11 Hours... in 77 Seconds!], Christopher R. Weingarten Spin, September 30, 2013 and a performance of improvised duets with Ryuichi Sakamoto.Smith, S. [https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/27/arts/music/zorn60-honoring-john-zorn-opens-at-the-miller-theater.html A Stage Buckling With New-Music Luminaries Has Space for Orchestral Scores], NY Times, September 26, 2013.Smith, S. [https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/03/arts/music/john-zorn-fills-metropolitan-museum-with-music.html?src=recg Surrounding Art With the Sounds of 60], NY Times, October 2, 2013.HC [http://www.popmatters.com/review/175702-john-zorn-ryuichi-sakamoto-zorn60-4-october-2013-japan-society-new-y/ John Zorn + Ryuichi Sakamoto], PopMatters, October 6, 2013 In October, the International Contemporary Ensemble performed a retrospective of Zorn's classical music at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.Reich, H. [https://www.chicagotribune.com/2013/10/24/celebrating-john-zorns-60th-with-plenty-of-ice/ Celebrating John Zorn's 60th, with plenty of ICE], Chicago Tribune, October 24, 2013 The final Zorn@60 concerts were performed as part of the Adelaide Festival in Australia in March 2014 featuring a four concerts covering the breadth of his compositional and improvisational range.McBeath, J. [https://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/music/zorn-and-co-display-dazzling-versatility/news-story/9de8f018398915af44cafdb13cd8aebd?sv=dd1f4a78ee0637d893ce82a169d67bc8 Zorn and co display dazzling versatility], The Australian, March 13, 2014Whittington, S. [https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/entertainment/adelaide-festival/adelaide-festival-review-2014-zorn-in-oz-zorn60/news-story/e722fd9393a6d71b758addb98fb1a863 Adelaide Festival review 2014: Zorn in Oz – Zorn@60], The Advertiser, March 16, 2014

=''Arcana'' (book series)=

In 2000, Zorn edited the book Arcana: Musicians on Music featuring interviews, essays, and commentaries by musicians including Anthony Coleman, Peter Garland, David Mahler, Bill Frisell, Gerry Hemingway, George E. Lewis, Fred Frith, Eyvind Kang, Mike Patton and Elliott Sharp, on the compositional process.Zorn. J. (editor) Arcana: Musicians on Music, Hips Road: New York (2000) ({{ISBN|1-887123-27-X}}) Zorn released the second volume of Arcana: Musicians on Music in the summer of 2007. According to the preface by Zorn, "This second installment of what will be a continuing series of books presenting radical, cutting-edge ideas about music is made, like the initial volume, out of necessity."Zorn. J. (editor) Arcana II: Musicians on Music, Hips Road: New York (2007) ({{ISBN|0-9788337-6-7}}) New volumes have since been released; the eighth volume was published in September 2017.

=In other media=

Zorn also appeared on the 1985 Henry Hills film [https://vimeo.com/209395933 Money] about the financial struggles of Manhattan avant garde artists during the age of Reaganism.[https://www.henryhills.com/films/money Money|Henry Hills]

Awards

In 2001, John Zorn received the Jewish Cultural Award in Performing Arts from the National Foundation for Jewish Culture.Merkin Concert Hall [http://www.kaufman-center.org/press/archive_old_unsorted/MCH/Zoom.Zorn.6%201.pdf Composer John Zorn to Present Chimeras at Merkin Concert Hall], press release, May 8, 2002 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080228174214/http://www.kaufman-center.org/press/archive_old_unsorted/MCH/Zoom.Zorn.6%201.pdf |date=February 28, 2008 }} In 2006, Zorn was named a MacArthur Fellow.Lee, FR [https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/19/arts/19geni.html?_r=1&oref=slogin This Years MacArthur Awards Cover Many Fields] NY Times, September 19, 2006{{Cite web|url=http://www.macfound.org/site/c.lkLXJ8MQKrH/b.2066197/k.3F6D/2006_Overview.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060928171826/http://www.macfound.org/site/c.lkLXJ8MQKrH/b.2066197/k.3F6D/2006_Overview.htm|url-status=dead|title=2006 Overview – MacArthur Foundation|archive-date=September 28, 2006}} In 2007, he was the recipient of Columbia University's School of the Arts William Schuman Award, an honor given "to recognize the lifetime achievement of an American composer whose works have been widely performed and generally acknowledged to be of lasting significance."Columbia News (2007) [http://www.columbia.edu/cu/news/07/03/Zorn.html Composer John Zorn Garners William Schuman Award], March 2007

In 2011, Zorn was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame by Lou Reed, and was awarded the Magister Artium Gandensis, an honorary degree from the University of Ghent.[http://www.kask.be/index.php?/agenda/artikel/magister_artium_gandensis_2011_naar_john_zorn/ University of Ghent Hogeschool website] accessed August 31, 2011 {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008160648/http://www.kask.be/index.php?%2Fagenda%2Fartikel%2Fmagister_artium_gandensis_2011_naar_john_zorn%2F |date=October 8, 2011 }} In 2014, he received honorary doctorates from The State University of New York and the New England Conservatory of Music.[http://necmusic.edu/music-john-zorn-35-year-retrospective The Music of John Zorn: A 35-Year Retrospective] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180506022058/http://necmusic.edu/music-john-zorn-35-year-retrospective |date=2018-05-06 }}, New England Conservatory, accessed August 1, 2016[http://necmusic.edu/honorary-doctor-music NEC Honorary Doctor of Music], New England Conservatory, accessed August 1, 2016[http://patch.com/new-york/harrison/purchase-college-2014-commencement-celebrates-creativity-and-achievement Purchase College 2014 Commencement Celebrates Creativity and Achievement], SUNY, accessed August 1, 2016

Discography

Filmography

Money (1985), a "manic collage film" by Henry Hills on "the early days of "language poetry" and the downtown improvised music scene."[http://www.henryhills.com/films/money/_text.txt Cf. website of filmmaker Henry Hills. Retrieved June 16, 2013] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131010085603/http://henryhills.com/films/money/_text.txt |date=October 10, 2013 }}
Put More Blood Into the Music (1987), documentary by George Atlas on New York avant garde music, aired Sunday March 12, 1989, as episode 292 of The South Bank Show.
Step Across the Border (1990), documentary on Fred Frith.
A Bookshelf on Top of the Sky: 12 Stories About John Zorn (Tzadik, 2004), film portrait by Claudia Heuermann.
Masada Live at Tonic 1999 (2004), concert film.
Celestial Subway Lines / Salvaging Noise (2005), experimental documentary by Ken Jacobs with soundtrack by Zorn and Ikue Mori.
Sabbath in Paradise (Tzadik, 2007), documentary by Claudia Heuermann on Jewish musical culture in New York's avant garde Jazz scene in the 1990s.
Astronome: A Night at the Opera (2010), an opera by Richard Foreman, music by John Zorn.
Zorn I (2016) by Mathieu Amalric
Zorn II (2018) by Mathieu Amalric
Zorn III (2022) by Mathieu Amalric

Bibliography

Zorn, John (editor). Arcana: Musicians on Music. Hips Road: New York 2000, {{ISBN|1-887123-27-X}}.
Zorn, John (editor). Arcana II: Musicians on Music. Hips Road/Tzadik: New York 2007, {{ISBN|0-9788337-6-7}}.
Zorn, John (editor). Arcana III: Musicians on Music. Hips Road/Tzadik: New York 2008, {{ISBN|0-9788337-7-5}}.
Zorn, John (editor). Arcana IV: Musicians on Music. Hips Road/Tzadik: New York 2009, {{ISBN|0-9788337-8-3}}.
Zorn, John (editor). Arcana V: Musicians on Music, Magic & Mysticism. Hips Road/Tzadik: New York 2010, {{ISBN|0-9788337-9-1}}.
Zorn, John (editor). Arcana VI: Musicians on Music. Hips Road/Tzadik: New York 2012, {{ISBN|0-9788337-5-9}}.
Zorn, John (editor). Arcana VII: Musicians on Music. Hips Road/Tzadik: New York 2014, {{ISBN|0-9788337-4-0}}.
Zorn, John (editor). Arcana VIII: Musicians on Music. Hips Road/Tzadik: New York 2017, {{ISBN|0-9788337-3-2}}.
Zorn, John (editor). Arcana IX: Musicians on Music. Hips Road/Tzadik: New York 2021, {{ISBN|0-9788337-2-4}}.
Zorn, John (editor). Arcana X: Musicians on Music. Hips Road/Tzadik: New York 2022, {{ISBN|0-9788337-1-6}}.

References

External links

{{Commons category|John Zorn}}web

[http://www.thestonenyc.com/ The Stone website]
[http://www.hipsroadedition.com/ Hips Road Edition: Concert music of John Zorn, including score and mp3 samples]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20050220003101/http://artofthestates.org/cgi-bin/composer.pl?comp=60 Art of the States: John Zorn]
{{IMDb name|0957958}}
[http://nyds-discographies.com/zorn.htm Discography of John Zorn by Patrice Roussel (to June 2013)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171024210534/http://nyds-discographies.com/zorn.htm |date=2017-10-24 }}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20081024174734/http://www.thewire.co.uk/articles/217/?pageno=1 John Zorn Primer The Wire Issue 156 Feb 1997]
[http://www.improv.hu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=360&Itemid=40 John Zorn interview (Hungarian)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080229025131/http://www.improv.hu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=360&Itemid=40 |date=2008-02-29 }}
Brackett, John. [http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=84773 John Zorn: Tradition and Transgression]. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2008. {{ISBN|978-0-253-22025-7}}.
[https://archive.org/details/IMP_2007_11_15 John Zorn Q&A Session]
John Zorn radio interview by Chris Comer: chriscomerradio.com/john_zorn/john_zorn8-24-1999.htm