John Zorn
John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conductor, saxophonist, arranger and producer who "deliberately resists category". His avant-garde and experimental approaches to composition and improvisation are inclusive of jazz, rock, Jewish music, hardcore, classical, contemporary, surf, metal, soundtrack, ambient, and world music. Rolling Stone noted that "[alt]hough Zorn has operated almost entirely outside the mainstream, he's gradually asserted himself as one of the most influential musicians of our time".
His 1986 recording The Big Gundown which re-orchestrated Ennio Morricone's spaghetti Western, gangster and war movie themes gained critical acclaim. He continued to merge and blend musical styles in new and challenging formats on following releases Spillane and Naked City. The Naked City project along with Zorn's Painkiller recordings attracted alternative and hardcore metal audiences. Zorn's Masada project blending orchestration and ethnic influences expanded over two decades to encompass hundreds of compositions performed by scores of diverse ensembles and recorded by Zorn.
Zorn's extensive recordings have been released through his independent Tzadik Records since 1995. Zorn has composed concert music for classical ensembles and orchestras, for opera, sound installations, film and documentary. His live peformances are often highlighted at festivals where several musicians and ensembles perform his repertoire.
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