Customer Reviews

Godard / Spillane

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The toughest barrier in appreciating John Zorn's music remains still the sheer quantity of work he's produced in such a short period of time. Most of it is further plagued with the pretense of "vol. XVII" or "plays the music of...," or any of various cryptically titled ensembles, making it very difficult to discern an entry point to any major concept. Recently being in the mood for some of the more "difficult" titles in my collection, I've decided to give another shot at Zorn's dense discography.

My biggest problem with Zorn's music in the past has been that while everything I've been exposed to I've enjoyed, nothing has really stood above similar talents. His noise/thrash stuff lacks the childlike spark of the Boredoms' own records, his small group improv lacks the revolutionary flare of Ornette Coleman's originals(with the exception of much of Masada, which beautifully integrates traditional jewish music), and his film works are rarely fully successful as independent compositions. Regardless, all of his music is very well executed, and simply SOUNDS "important" despite it's considerable pretenses. I knew that sooner or later I would find a small handful of recordings that put everything else into perspective.

It's taken a bit of research, but I think I'm catching on. This disc, Godard/Spillane, stands as a truly satisfying and original collection of music that also ties together many of the loose ends I've been so frustrated with. Both of the major works here are free-jazz inspired assemblages that work both as conceptual statements and as fully listenable and enjoyable compositions. Passages of vocal narration and sound effects are inter-spliced with hard bop and cool jazz in the jerky breakneck manner of the Naked City recordings, but are much more successful in accumulating a narrative flow that captivates rather than shocks and assaults the listener. Apart from the music's own strengths, each piece acts as an homage to its respective namesake, memorializing the style and importance of each by incorporating their own methods, Godard through film and Spillane through written word, with Zorn's own distinctive voice. The real remarkable thing about this project is that while nodding to the avant-garde of the past, Zorn actually is progressing as the avant-garde of the present (even though these are relatively old recordings). In other words, this music doesn't sound like mere rehashing of Coltrane and Coleman, which is a rare thing in contemporary jazz.

This is hardly the ultimate John Zorn recording, but it is one that has enriched and rationalized for me much of his other work. Little is said here Zorn's Classical and Klezmer endeavors, but in regard to his Jazz compositions, it's quite definitive.

"Godard/Spillane" is a compilation of pieces written using John Zorn's "file card" compositional technique-- the notion is really quite simple, Zorn immersed himself in a subject matter and produces snippets of music, arranged on index cards (as a matter of convenience originally) and then recorded as snippets that were then juxtaposed together. The two works this is titled after ("Godard" and "Spillane") are reflections on the works of director Jean-Luc Godard and writer Micke Spillane, with a bonus track of a shorter file card composition titled "Blues Noel", a reflection on Christmas.

It should be noted that there is also a release out there on Elektra called "Spillane"-- both this and that album contain three pieces, but only "Spillane" in common, and both have extraordinary value.

"Godard" is probably the ideal subject matter for Zorn-- the director's work is in many ways analagous to Zorn's music and the constant shifts in atmosphere and mood allows a stirring tribute to be painted, with cuts and changes feeling quite natural. The piece is filled with an aggressive nature, with frantic and energetic segments interspersing with just about every element possible from lounge jazz to fierce explosions, marching bands, you name it. Amidst all of it, there's an occasional series of narrations. At one point, it pretty much sounds like someone flipping through a radio station, but it all fits together cohesively. If this is something you can deal with, this might be for you.

"Spillane" is a reflection on the work of Mickey Spillane and the Mike Hammer novels. Zorn takes the noir atmosphere painted by the novels and the music juxtaposes through various passages, from ambient scapes (often featuring narrations by John Lurie and/or Robert Quine) to frantic guitar workouts (featuring Bill Frisell), loungey jazz (cocktail piano from Anthony Coleman) and r&b (check Zorn's alto blowing on the faux-"Night Train" motif towards the beginning of the piece). The net result is a constantly shifting backdrop over which some fine performances are turned by pretty much everyone-- it's like "Torture Garden", only slower, more relaxed, and with more patient development and thematic unity. A lot of people find this to be among Zorn's most powerful work-- I actually find that while it works nicely as an extended and narrative piece, and it certainly sets an atmosphere as well as (if not better) anything else out there, it lacks some of the real immediacy and impact of Zorn's greatest works.

"Blues Noel" is a brief piece Zorn recorded for a Christmas compilation-- again it intercuts different styles, with Zorn's r&b infused sax giving way to odd analog noise then to chanting and so on. Evidentally, it was constructed in consideration of Christmas themes, but quite honestly, I don't hear it (that doesn't change the enjoyability of the music, but...).

All in all, "Godard/Spillane" is an interesting overview of Zorn's file card compositions, but I found overall that within this framework, the material feels like it drags a bit-- it's funny because I really enjoyed "Spillane" on that record but less so on this one. On the other hand, about half the music (and 2/3 the tracks) aren't available elsewhere and it's easier to find then the Elektra issue, so it's definitely a worthwhile purchase, but I'd prbably recommend "Spillane" over this.

I was emotionally subjected to the typical Zorn Tirade. Thanks John - if I get to meet you one day, I'll give you a big kiss.