John Zorn

United States

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Sound in a sentence: "A dense tapestry of sound punctuated by sharp dynamics and sudden shifts that keeps listeners on edge while demanding active engagement."

John Zorn matters as a transformative figure in avant-garde music, reshaping how listeners engage with sound. His approach often dismantles traditional genre boundaries, inviting audiences into a complex world where improvisation and structured chaos intertwine. By challenging preconceived notions of what music can be, Zorn has created a sonic space that encourages exploration and redefinition of artistic expression. Zorn's process is marked by an innovative blend of compositional rigor and spontaneous performance. He utilizes an expansive array of techniques and instruments, employing everything from graphic scores to unconventional ensembles. This unique methodology allows for each performance to feel like a fresh collaboration, where the unexpected reigns supreme and the listeners are taken on an unpredictable journey through sound. In his songwriting, Zorn frequently grapples with themes of identity, existentialism, and cultural critique. His voice oscillates between stark sincerity and playful irony, often employing narrative elements that provoke thought while simultaneously embracing abstract concepts. This duality enhances the listener’s experience, creating layers of meaning that resonate long after the music has stopped.

John Zorn

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Discography

Albums ()

The Hermetic Organ, Vol. 12: The Bosch Requiem

The Hermetic Organ Vol. 11: For Terry Riley

The Hermetic Organ Vol. 6: For Edgar Allan Poe

Nove Cantici Per Francesco D’Assisi

The Book Beri'ah

The Book Beri'ah

In a Convex Mirror

The Urmuz Epigrams

The Hermetic Organ, Vol. 5: Philharmonie de Paris

The Interpretation of Dreams

There Is No More Firmament

The Garden of Earthly Delights

Paimon: Book of Angels Volume 32

Buer: Book of Angels Volume 31

Midsummer Moons

49 Acts of Unspeakable Depravity in the Abominable Life and Times of Gilles de Rais

The Hermetic Organ, Vol. 4: St. Bartholomew's

Madrigals

Commedia dell'arte

The Classic Guide to Strategy: volume 4

Flauros: Book of Angels Volume 29

Sacred Visions

Simulacrum

The Hermetic Organ, Vol. 3: St. Paul's Hall, Huddersfield

Hen to Pan

The Song Project Live at Le Poisson Rouge

John Zorn’s Olympiad - Volume 1

Gomory: Book of Angels Volume 25

Cerberus: Book of Angels Volume 26

Pellucidar: A Dreamers Fantabula

The Testament of Solomon

On Leaves of Grass

Fragmentations, Prayers and Interjections

The Alchemist

Psychomagia

The Hermetic Organ, Vol. 2: St. Paul's Chapel, NYC

Transmigration of the Magus

The Last Judgment

Valentine's Day

The Song Project

Aguares: Book of Angels Volume 23

In the Hall of Mirrors

Myth and Mythopoeia

Shir Hashirim

In Lambeth

On the Torment of Saints

Dreamachines

The Mysteries

Lemma

Filmworks XXV: City of Slaughter/Schmatta/Beyond the Infinite

Music and Its Double

The Concealed

A Vision in Blakelight

Rimbaud

The Hermetic Organ

Templars: In Sacred Blood

Nosferatu

The Gnostic Preludes

Mount Analogue

A Dreamers Christmas

At the Gates of Paradise

Enigmata

The Satyr's Play / Cerberus

Nova Express

Interzone

What Thou Wilt

Ipsissimus

Filmworks XXIV: The Nobel Prizewinner

The Goddess – Music for the Ancient of Days

Dictée/Liber Novus

Late Works

Chimeras

In Search of the Miraculous

Mycale: Book of Angels Volume 13