John Zorn - "The Song Project" Vinyl, Box Set of Six 45 rpm Singles, Colored Vinyl, Limited Edition (Tzadik)

Photographs cannot express or expose the beauty of this beautifully designed package from the world of John Zorn.  "The Song Project" is a box set of six 45 rpm colored vinyl singles, that comes with a booklet with photos as well as lyrics/introduction by one of the key figures in this project, Jesse Harris.   Zorn commissioned or asked Mike Patton, Harris, and Sofia Rei, to not only sing but also write lyrics to music written and recorded by Zorn and from his vast catalog of goodies.  I'm not clear if Zorn chose the songs, or if the singers went through the catalog to choose the music pieces to collaborate on, nevertheless an interesting and well-developed project.

Zorn strikes me as a community.  Which sounds egotistical, but the way it works is that Zorn carefully picks his artists to work with.  None of them are 'studio' musicians, many of them are composers/artists in their own right, but also are willing to collaborate with Zorn and whatever system he puts in place.  Zorn is the producer/composer/arranger.  Still, I feel each singer/lyricist and musician stamps their own identity to the project.  Zorn's aesthetic is not to close down the world, but to open it up to new possibilities and adventures.  It's impossible to pigeon-hole Zorn musically because he is all over the map, and that is very much part of his appeal/aesthetic.  For one to discover him, the listener will have to really put time into it, because his landscape is huge.  Which again, is part of the Zorn aesthetic. 

"The Song Project" is twelve songs, which could easily be one vinyl 12" album, but there is something special about getting up and down toward the turntable to turn the record over, or go to the next 45 rpm disc.  When I hear this box set, I'm hearing an album, not separate twelve songs.   I played all the vinyl in order, but if one chooses to (of course) they can mix it up - but for me, it's a consistent piece from the first single to the last.  There are three singers, and sometimes the other sings harmony or backup to the other.  Same musicians are on all the tracks, and Zorn is set as the conductor/arranger as well as the composer of the music.  The singers are responsible for the lyrics and in most cases sing their own work along with Zorn's music.  Sean Lennon wrote one of the lyrics, and that is sung by Patton and Rei.  There are traces of thrash/noise/rock, but the majority of the pieces are melodic and beautiful.  It's pop music made by adults and a great band of musicians.  

Oddly enough, this box set reminds me of my dad's (Wallace Berman) Radio Either series, which was also a box set of his verox collages.   One can look at them separately as pieces of work, but in actuality, it is one work in separate pieces.  For me, the singles, although separately issued in the box (with each one with a Zorn artwork cover) can be apart from the box set.  It's one work of art, and I think the format of putting them out as singles in a set that's in a box is very much of an object as well as how one approaches the material on this project.   Heung-Heung Chin did the design work, and the backing band is pretty much The Dreamers, who I wrote about before on this blog.  

John Zorn's The Dreamers - "The Gentle Side" Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Picture Disc, 2010 (Tzadik)

When I hear or read the two words put together John.  And then Zorn.  One is going on an adventure and never knows what turns or exits on that road will be.  You just hold on for dear life and go with the Zorn flow.  Zorn composed, conducted, and arranged "The Gentle Side" with his band The Dreamers, which by the way is a perfect name for a group that does this type of music.  Which is dreamy of course, but it has traces of jazz, exotica, and lounge, but not in a gimmicky fashion.  The Dreamers is profound music made by great musicians, which I need to credit: Marc Ribot on guitar, Jamie Salt on keyboards, Trever Dunn on bass, Joey Baron on drums, Cyro Baptista on percussion, and on vibraphone Kenny Wolleson.

Ribot's work on "The Gentle Side" is a combination of surf, cinematic noir, and maximum taste in adding his sound to the mixture, which is always a soft groove.  All the musicians play as if they are one brain but with many arms and hands.   This I think is due to Zorn's approach to these songs on the album.  They are written compositions, and I don't know the working method to "The Gentle Side" is,  but it's very sophisticated lounge music that is true to its tradition. There is an edge that lurks underneath the surface.  A tension that swims in the under-currents of the songs and arrangements.  That's the beauty of this album.  Also, Zorn writes strong melodies.  The Dreamers take that aspect and expand on it as jazz musicians focusing on an idea or concept.   They never make a false move, and of course, there is great respect for the composer and his work.   Also noted is the great graphic design from Heung-Heung Chin.  It's lovely to watch this picture disc go round and round on one's turntable.

Jun Togawa (戸川 純) - "Suki Suki Daisuki (好き好き大好き) Vinyl, LP, Album, Japan, 1985 (HYS)

Without a doubt one of the great albums from the 1980s, and a work that is still as fresh as the first day of spring.  For one, the production does yell out the 1980s, but like Sun Records is from the 1950s, this is almost a militant version of that era.  Jun Togawa is a vocalist that is very difficult to explain because she is a rare artist that goes beyond her limitations of the pop (Japanese) world.  Most Japanese pop music exists to please, but there is something dark and disturbing about the Togawa sound, which is hyper-emotive and one feels traces of Bi-polar expressions within its groove.  

One thing that is very noticeable is that a Jun Togawa recording is very unique.  There is nothing like it in this world.  To make comparisons is always a fun sport, but I'm not sure if comparing her to other artists would be accurate.  Saying that "Suki Suki Daisuki" has traces of French Yé-Yé sound, but updated to the 80s, and she does cover Serge Gainsbourg's  "Comment te dire adieu," yet it sounds very much like her own material.   The song is sung in Japanese, and I'm not sure if it's just translated lyrics from French to Japanese, or she may have written her own words to the song.  The sound is more Togawa than Gainsbourg, yet respectful of the original melody/song.  

She also does a beautiful, but a bizarre cover of "Angel Baby" the great Rock n' Roll ballad of the 1950s originally recorded by Rosie and the Originals.  The original version is a fantastic time-piece of out-of-this-world pop, and Togawa does this song in English, that reminds me of Yoko Ono if she did a cover of this song.  I'm not saying that due that they are both Japanese women, but their voices have a similar vocal range.  Togawa can go for the lower notes to the highest, and she is an amazing singer. In the nutshell, I think of her work as a combination of Sparks, Yoko Ono, French Yé-Yé with a touch of Kate Bush ambition.   I know that both John Zorn and Jim O'Rourke think of her work highly, and it's a shame that she is not better known in the West.  Then again, I suspect that she could care less about the music market outside of Japan.  Truly a unique music artist.  Also, she did the design work for this album, and it's a great package. 

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Ennio Morricone - "Crime and Dissonance" CD, Compilation, 2005 (Ipecac Recordings)

Ennio Morricone is the most magnificent composer in the 20th century.   He does film work, and of course, a film composer is an integral part of the film aesthetic, but I often feel that Morricone's music is usually more important than the actual films he worked for.  It allowed him to experiment, mix music genres, and make awesome (soundtrack) albums.  Mike Patton, a superb singer for various groups and sessions, has his own label, Ipecac, and here he has put together the more experimental and moody works in one package.  It's an excellent introduction to Morricone's inner-world and avoids a lot of his famous melodies, but a focus here on his more experimental touches. 

If you take the entire works of Morricone, it can be divided into sections.  The spaghetti westerns,  Mafia/crime narratives, high-comedy or farces, soft-sex films, and horror.  This collection consists mostly his work on horror films as well as crime.   As a package, it is going to either attract one to listen more, or you may run away from the speakers.  If you stay, you're going to be awarded many hours of pleasure, if you track down the original editions of these masterful soundtracks.  

Beside Patton, John Zorn is the only other artist to capture the whole spectrum of Morricone's work.  He initially did an album of his music, and that was my first introduction to this Italian composer.  It's a love affair that never ends. 

Ennio Morricone - "Escalation (Colonna Sonora Originale) Vinyl, LP, Reissue, Yellow Vinyl (Dagored)

Originally recorded in 1968, and a soundtrack to Roberto Faenza's film "Escalation," this is Ennio Morricone serving the boss.  Very 1968 in parts especially with the sitar orientated cuts on side one.  Being Morricone, there are choruses mixed with flute, an electric guitar that sometimes resembles a John Zorn game composition.   The genius of Morricone is how he can even think of mixing genres and instruments on one piece of music.  His imagination is as extensive and endless as a highway in the Texas desert.  The music borders on the avant-garde, but the melodies kick in, and it becomes an odd hybrid of both worlds.  Once again, Bruno Nicolai did the orchestration. The album is on yellow vinyl, for those who like their vinyl pretty, and in a limited edition of 500 copies. 

John Zorn - "Naked City" CD, Album, U.S., 1990 (Nonesuch)

When I was living in Japan in 1989/1990, it was impossible to go to a good music store and not run into a large John Zorn section.  Zorn at the time had a Japanese label and was living in Osaka.  Me, having a lot of time on my hands, started to investigate the world of Zorn, which is (and still) like jumping into Alice's rabbit hole.  One never knows what they will find at the end of that hole.  The one CD I purchased was Zorn's "Naked City," which is also the name of his all-star band.  Fred Frith on bass (mostly known as a guitarist), Bill Frisell on guitar, Wayne Horvitz on Keyboards, and Joey Baron on drums Zorn on sax, with the Boredoms' Yamatsuka Eye on vocals.   At the time, I thought this would be a good introduction to the world of John Zorn, and I still think it's a great starter to the Zorn aesthetic. 

"Naked City" is a mishmash of different music styles.  Listening to the album for the first time is like going from one neighborhood to another and not being able to distinguish the differences between the areas, due to the speed of the journey.   Ultra hyper, noisy, and extreme melodic beauty all at the same time.   I never really heard music like this before, and hearing it in a foreign (at the time) land added a unique sense of intensity for me.   The very first Zorn album I purchased was in the 1980s, and it was his tribute/take on Ennio Morricone's music.  This was my first introduction to the world of Morricone, so it's interesting to be introduced to the iconic Italian genius through the medium of another genius Zorn.  

All the pieces here are short, and a burst of energy.  Even Georges Delerue's "Contempt" theme which is a beauty of a melody is done at a faster pace.   I have seen the Godard film but was never aware of the music piece till I heard this recording.  Now, I'm obsessed with getting any version of this melody on vinyl.  That with the theme of "Batman," The James Bond Theme," Mancini's "A Shot in the Dark," and the great "The Sicilian Clan" by Morricone.   Zorn, without a doubt, introduced me to the world of soundtracks.   The Morricone tribute album opened the door, and "Naked City" nailed me down for life. 

The Zorn compositions on the album are soundtracked based, but with distinct experimental or free jazz traces, but still held consistently by the insanely tight playing by the band.  So here you have music of great beauty, punk rock, experimental, and free-form jazz, with a touch of noise, courtesy of Eye the vocalist.   A great album with fantastic graphics (normal with Zorn's recordings) and for me, a wonderful introduction to not only to Zorn's compositions and playing but to the deep-end world of soundtrack music.