Naked City

Now, let me explain myself. I bought Naked City in the summer before my freshman year in High School. My father, a former professional, now part-time jazz trombonist played jazz around the house 24/7 and I enjoyed it but didn't really listen to it that much myself. I went to several summer camps focused on jazz improv and I tended to be pretty decent without really listening to the music. The music that I did listen to was hardcore punk rock. The kind where the more bands you know that no one else did, the cooler you are (ever heard of Demon System 13, INDK...yeah thats right). I was a lot more open-minded than others who listen to that music but I still didn't care too much about other music.

Then I listened to Naked City and I was blown away. Someone had bridged the gap between jazz in all of its forms and hardcore. This was some scary s---! All of a sudden I started buying jazz cds like crazy and I have never looked back since. Thanks John for making me an open-minded listener and allowing me to be an individual!

I really appreciate John Zorn. I would say that I LOVE John Zorn, but the simple truth is I don't know the guy. But I do know his music. I haven't liked everything that he has done, but I have always appreciated the intent to realize a very personal and, often powerful, musical vision that pushes foward with exuberance and confidence. He is a true visionary and innovator and I strongly encourage the purchase of any of this artist's work. If you look into it, you will see that this prolific composer has recorded a whole world of music for you to discover. This is just one great record, but do not, by any means, take this particular recording to be a representation of his body of work.

Onto "Naked City." For those that do not know, Naked City is a band, and that band's first record is self-titled. John Zorn writes and/or arranges all of the pieces, as well as playing saxaphone along with Joey Baron (drums), Bill Frisell (Guitar), Wayne Horvitz (sp?) and Fred Frith (Bass). Each of these musicians have solo careers and are composers in their own right, but have come together to help Zorn realize his distinct vision.

The styles touched on on this record include Surf Rock, Jazz (be-bop, straight-ahead, bossa, etc...), Rockabilly, Honkeytonk, Hardcore/Grindcore/Thrash, and a lot of other words that don't mean a whole lot. Sometimes these styles all come together in one 30 second song. Sometimes it is a bit like changing channels but, to my ears, these composistions all make perfect sense. I think that "Naked City" is the perfect post-modern music. It captures the organized chaos that is our everyday existence, and turns it into art. There is a sardonic, cartoonish quality to this music. Zorn has claimed that Carl Stalling was a big influence. But in Zorn's soundscape, the cynicism runs deep. I can hear the ire in these pieces and in his own playing. It is frenetic and at times abrasive, but it is also often very delicate. Ten minutes of sporadic channel changing suddenly opens up into the piercing sincerity of the piece, "Contempt" in which Zorn sounds like he is trying to kill himself with his saxaphone - melodrama at it's best.

Well, I have embarrassed myself enough trying to describe this record. I hope can influence someone to give it a try. It does get very chaotic by the end, as the song titles get uglier, but the whole record makes a very strong statement the way it's layed out. Sit back and surrender to the soundtrack of tomorrow - angrier, faster - chewin' it up and spittin' it out. I have seen them live and it is is so much fun to watch guys like Joey Baron and Bill Frisell play this, often, violent music. Joey Baron is just Mr. Smiley and Frisell is his usual overly reserved self.

After you have listened to this one, check out "Grand Guinol." It starts off with beautiful arrangements of Debussy and Scriabin, and then ends with some of the most intense and ugly Hardcore you have ever heard. Much of this music is impossible to describe so, give it a listen.