646. John Zorn - Spy vs. Spy: The Music of Ornette Coleman (1989)
















Track Listing

1. WRU
2. Chronology
3. Word For Bird
4. Good Old Days
5. Disguise
6. Enfant
7. Rejoicing
8. Blues Connotation
9. C And D
10. Chippie
11. Peace Warriors
12. Ecars
13. Feet Music
14. Broad Way Blues
15. Space Church
16. Zig Zag
17. Mob Job

Review

Do you like Ornette Coleman? Do you like Ornette Coleman as he would sound by a band falling down a high cliff while still trying to keep focused on the music? If you answered yes to question number two, this is the album for you.

I will not pretend to enjoy listening to this, that is a job for music snobs. I will say, however, that I can understand where this is coming from and why it is successful at achieving its objectives. Applying hardcore punk to Jazz is not easy, but Zorn approached it successfully.

There is a simple sense of unrestrained aggressiveness and freedom here that is very primal and very, very noisy. I admire it for sheer exuberance, but I don't really want to listen to it again. I got it John, good one, I like the concept, now shut the fuck up.

Track Highlights

1. Feet Music
2. Mob Job
3. Peace Warriors
4. Rejoicing

Final Grade

7/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

Beginning in 1986 Zorn participated in several projects focused on modern jazz composers which highlighted his saxophone style. These included Voodoo (1986) by The Sonny Clark Memorial Quartet, with Wayne Horvitz, Ray Drummond and Bobby Previte and Spy vs Spy (1989) featuring hardcore punk-informed interpretations of Ornette Coleman's music performed by Zorn and Tim Berne on saxophones, Mark Dresser on bass and Joey Baron and Michael Vatcher on drums.

There are no videos of this on youtube.. I wonder why... so you get the actual Ornette Coleman doing Lonely Woman: