Record Reviews

JOHN ZORN ~ COBRA HATOLOGY 580 (Barcode: 752156058021) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1985 - 1986 Released: 2002 This is a long overdue reissue of the legendary album by American musician / composer / bandleader John ZornFind albums by this artist, one of the most iconic figures of the late 20th Century Avant-Garde and music experimentation scenes. "CobraFind albums with this title" is one of the earlier monumental works by Zorn, which established him as a member of the "major" league of contemporary composers, such as Morton FeldmanFind albums by this artist, Frederic RzewskiFind albums by this artist, Karlheinz StockhausenFind albums by this artist and other icons of the "new" serious contemporary music. Many of the compositional devices used by his contemporaries are present here, as the music is basically a freely improvised collage of sounds made by electronic, electric and acoustic instruments and human voices. In places it is similar to musique concrète, in others to an ambient soundtrack, and so on, changing constantly. However, what sets it apart from most Avant-Garde music is an intrinsic connection to Jazz and Rock, evident clearly at places, especially in phrases played by the electric guitars (played by Bill FrisellFind albums by this artist, Arto LindseyFind albums by this artist and Elliott SharpFind albums by this artist. This album includes two quite different versions of the music, the earlier one recorded live and the slightly later one recorded in the studio. It´s fascinating to compare the two, as they are truly revealing as to the process of music creation in an improvised environment. This is not an easy listening experience and it was never intended to be one – total open-mindedness is absolutely required, but the intellectual reward is exhilarating and elating. Come on you brave-hearted…

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

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