
John Zorn
Biography
John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, arranger, record producer, saxophonist, and multi-instrumentalist with hundreds of album credits as performer, composer, and producer across a variety of genres including jazz, rock, hardcore, classical, surf, metal, soundtrack, ambient, and improvised music. He incorporates diverse styles in his compositions, which he identifies as avant-garde or experimental. Zorn was described by Down Beat as "one of our most important composers". Zorn established himself within the New York City downtown music movement in the mid-1970s, performing with musicians across the sonic spectrum and developing experimental methods of composing new music. After releasing albums on several independent US and European labels, Zorn signed with Elektra Nonesuch and received wide acclaim with the release of The Big Gundown, an album reworking the compositions of Ennio Morricone. He attracted further attention worldwide with the release of Spillane in 1987 and Naked City in 1990. After spending almost a decade travelling between Japan and the US, he made New York his permanent base and established his own record label, Tzadik, in the mid-1990s. Tzadik enabled Zorn to maintain independence from the mainstream music industry and ensured the continued availability of his growing catalog of recordings, allowing him to prolifically record and release new material, issuing several new albums each year, as well as promoting the work of many other musicians. Zorn has led the hardcore bands Naked City and Painkiller, the Jewish music-inspired jazz quartet Masada, composed 613 pieces as part of the three Masada songbooks that have been performed by an array of groups, composed concert music for classical ensembles and orchestras, and produced music for opera, sound installations, film and documentary. Zorn has undertaken many tours of Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, often performing at festivals with many other musicians and ensembles that perform his diverse output.
Filmografi
Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis2007 · Self
Rising Tones Cross1985 · Himself
Zorn II (2016 – 2018)2018 · Himself
365 Day Project2007 · Self
Put More Blood Into the Music1988 · Himself
Zorn I (2010 – 2016)2023 · Himself
The Revenge of the Dead Indians1993 · Himself
Zorn III (2018 – 2022)2024 · Self
A Bookshelf on Top of the Sky: 12 Stories About John Zorn2002 · Self
Step Across the Border1990 · Self
The Viking of Sixth Avenue · Self
Friday May 4, 2007: John Zorn – Cobra Part Two2007 · Self (prompter)
Masada: Live at Tonic 19992004 · Himself - Alto Saxophone
John Zorn: The Hermetic Organ Volume 10 - Bozar, Brussels2022 · Himself
Monday April 16, 20072007 · Self (prompter)
Kikoe2009 ·
Sabbath in Paradise1998 · Himself
John Waters
Taylor Mead
Lee Ranaldo
Jonas Mekas
Kim Gordon
Thurston Moore
Ken Jacobs
Nick Zedd
George Kuchar
Steve Shelley
Martin Scorsese
Ray Winstone