Known For
Sound
Born
Sep 02, 1953
Place of Birth
Manhattan, New York, USA
Credits
69 titles
John Zorn
Biography
John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, arranger, record producer, saxophonist, and multi-instrumentalist with hundreds of album credits as performer, composer, and producer across a variety of genres including jazz, rock, hardcore, classical, surf, metal, soundtrack, ambient, and improvised music. He incorporates diverse styles in his compositions, which he identifies as avant-garde or experimental. Zorn was described by Down Beat as "one of our most important composers". Zorn established himself within the New York City downtown music movement in the mid-1970s, performing with musicians across the sonic spectrum and developing experimental methods of composing new music. After releasing albums on several independent US and European labels, Zorn signed with Elektra Nonesuch and received wide acclaim with the release of The Big Gundown, an album reworking the compositions of Ennio Morricone. He attracted further attention worldwide with the release of Spillane in 1987 and Naked City in 1990. After spending almost a decade travelling between Japan and the US, he made New York his permanent base and established his own record label, Tzadik, in the mid-1990s. Tzadik enabled Zorn to maintain independence from the mainstream music industry and ensured the continued availability of his growing catalog of recordings, allowing him to prolifically record and release new material, issuing several new albums each year, as well as promoting the work of many other musicians. Zorn has led the hardcore bands Naked City and Painkiller, the Jewish music-inspired jazz quartet Masada, composed 613 pieces as part of the three Masada songbooks that have been performed by an array of groups, composed concert music for classical ensembles and orchestras, and produced music for opera, sound installations, film and documentary. Zorn has undertaken many tours of Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, often performing at festivals with many other musicians and ensembles that perform his diverse output.
Known For
Filmography
Zorn III (2018 – 2022)
Self
Zorn I (2010 – 2016)
Himself
John Zorn: The Hermetic Organ Volume 10 - Bozar, Brussels
Himself
Generació Kibbutz
Music
Zorn II (2016 – 2018)
Himself
The Viking of Sixth Avenue
Self
La ronde
Music
Astros em Rotação
Music
Well Then There Now
Writer
KiyaKiya
Music
15 Scenes: 254 Shots
Writer
Bare Room
Writer
Arcana
Music
Schmatta: Rags to Riches to Rags
Music
Ray Bandar: A Life With Skulls
Music
Kikoe
Belle de Nature
Music
The Last Supper
Music
Astronome: A Night at the Opera (A Disturbing Initiation)
Music
Boy
Music
365 Day Project
Self
Bhima Swarga: The Journey of the Soul from Hell to Heaven
Executive Producer
The Treatment
Original Music Composer
Friday May 4, 2007: John Zorn – Cobra Part Two
Self (prompter)
Monday April 16, 2007
Self (prompter)
Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis
Self
Notes on Marie Menken
Music
Workingman's Death
Original Music Composer
Celestial Subway Lines/Salvaging Noise
Music
Invitation to a Suicide
Original Music Composer
Masada: Live at Tonic 1999
Himself - Alto Saxophone
Between Science and Garbage
Executive Producer
Shaolin Ulysses: Kung Fu Monks in America
Music
Secret Lives: Hidden Children and Their Rescuers During WWII
Music
A Bookshelf on Top of the Sky: 12 Stories About John Zorn
Self
Despite Treblinka
Music
In the Mirror of Maya Deren
Music
Nightwindows
Music
Sabbath in Paradise
Himself
The eye
Music
The Port of Last Resort
Musical
Latin Boys Go to Hell
Original Music Composer
Anton, Mailman
Music
Mechanics Of The Brain
Music
The Black Glove
Music
Hollywood Hotel
Music
Tears of Ecstasy
Music
Zigrail
Original Music Composer
Credits Included: A Video In Red And Green
Music
The Elegant Spanking
Music