Reviews (page 3 of 8)
Can't say I eas ghe biggest fan, bit is has moments. But it's albums like this one that made me start this list and there are too few of them so can't rate it any lower. I'm here for this stuff
This is an assault on the senses. And i kinda like it. Im not going to get on my soap box and preach to the world that this is the best thing ever made but I see the vision and I do respect it. Its jazz obviously. But the pace and frantic nature is unlike anything ive heard in the space. Not that im a jazz guy all that much. I like what ive heard but its not my go to. It does calm down a bit after maybe the 1st six or eight tracks. But its still at a 10 rather than an 11. The way they layer like 3 different solos on top of each other and they have thos dissonance to them its a mind fuck for real. Just coll as hell if not a bit confusing. But I guess thats the point to be challenging at a mile a minute. And it succeeds 100%. Not sure how often im putting this back on but I get it. The energy is undeniable
The first half of this was just unrelenting noise, and the second half had some more typical Jazz fare. I didn't hate the first half like some, but I also wasn't that blown away. Favorite Songs: Enfant, Ecars, Feet Music
LOUD NOISES not on Spotify what the fuck mad respect
-oh yes some good old free jazz.. people on here are gonna hate this one lol -as much as i enjoy the genre and the work of Ornette Coleman, this is a bit of a baffling choice for what is presumably one of the few free jazz albums on here. just kinda felt like a bunch of random stuff, which i suppose it is -appreciative of the insane talent it had to take to create this though -Favorites: Ecars, Mob Job
#212/1001 🇺🇸 I'm happy that i got to listen to this. I'll be honest 3 tracks in and i could absolutely see why there is so much hating here. It sounded like a drum full of angry wasps. But then after a while you start to listen deeper and appreciate that there is some serious playing on here. It would be amazing to hear this performed live. Its an assault on the senses and i get the same adrenaline rush from hearing this i did in my teens discovering post-hardcore bands like Jesus Lizard and Big Black. I can't justify a 5, as its not something that i would enjoy listening to on a regular basis but it absolutely deserves its place here. Best Tracks: Enfant, Feet Music, Broadway Blues, Mob Music.
Is this acid jazz or jazz you listen to on acid?
Some albums are not easy to listen to, not for the subject matter, but simply because the form of the music is so far outside of your regular comfort zone. Extreme forms of thrash metal or avant garde experimental pieces are the usual examples, but in this case it’s a John Zorn with a blast of free jazz riffing off pieces by Ornette Colman as seen though the lens of thrashcore punk. These are all short tracks and the first impression is of a relentless sonic assault, but this definitely repays giving it your full attention so that you can make sense of what is happening. Listening on headphones is a must, not least because you will probably get some funny looks from anyone else who hears this, but also because there are two alto saxophones at work here on opposite sides of the sound stage - Tim Berne on the left channel and John Zorn on the right. The effect is a little bit like the classic duelling banjos piece, where they lay down challenges and try to top each other (or sometimes just see who can honk the loudest). Nice!
5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background The opening brings back memories of the frenetic saxophone jam section in Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade's 'Whamola'. And for that...3 stars.
Not sure when I'd listen to this again, but I'm glad it exists. Some songs sound like a nonstop rock and roll big finish. Some songs are surprisingly focused and melodic. It's very technically impressive, and the whole free jazz thing is kinda cool.
My ears want to reject this cacophony wholeheartedly but my brain cannot. It's too brave, too interesting: I've never heard anything like this, jazz produced with the aesthetics and tempo of hardcore punk and it's better than it's inspirations.
I had to find this album on youtube as it wasn't on Spotify. For others, its (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCHB5LLPQ3s&list=RDzCHB5LLPQ3s&start_radio=1). This free from jazz is the type of jazz that makes people dismiss all of jazz because there doesn't seem to a leading melody and everyone seems to playing their own things. I know its all related and sometimes I don't get how, but I liked this. I don't know the exact setting is should be listened to though.
Makes Trout Mask Replica feel like easy listening
The drums on this album are so forward and primal. Would give 3.5 stars if I could.
Not on Spotify. Busy jazz
I like Ornette Coleman. I like John Zorn. There’s some neat stuff on this album. But I do not see myself returning to this album. I heard it. Before I died.
A few things knock this one down a couple pegs. You can’t stream it anywhere but YouTube, and honestly it just runs together after awhile. But there’s some good stuff, and I mean Ornette Coleman is pretty great.
Вероятно, большое удовольствие играть музыку выдающиеся композиторов-исполнителей-новаторов. Не фанат Орнетта Коулмана. Но авторское исполнение считаю изящнее, и разнообразнее ремейка. Это как с фильмами: Фильм Игрушка Франсуа Вебера 1976 года - незабвенная классика, за комедией положений скрыта история об одиночестве, детстве, несправедливости. И ремейком 2000-х - беззубая пародия с голливудским хэппиэндом. Зато, делали с заделом на Оскар? Тройка. Всё одинаково и скучно. В отличие от оригинала. Тройка за то, что дали возможность вспомнить и послушать оригинал
I This album appears for me on a day I had to go to the airport. I was running late and had to speed to make up time. As I was anxiously weaving through traffic at 5 in the morning, this album became my internal monologue. Ball of messy nerves music, but it definitely fit the mood correctly.
63/100. John Zorn reimagines Ornette Coleman with some fast-paced avant-garde free jazz. Some of the tracks I find really good, while others were a little too messy for me. But I enjoyed it. I can imagine their arms burning after jamming so freaking hard. At the start of the album, I thought this would be a rough listen, but I enjoyed it more and more the longer it went on.
Mensen op deze site zijn echt zeikerds af en toe zeg. Ja het is wat buiten de gebaande paden, maar ook weer niet zo bijzonder. Je wordt er op den duur wel echt ingezogen en dan wordt het een, best fijne, waas aan geluid.
Frazzled!
Day925 - i embraced the chaos and enjoyed the madness
Chaotic
I like the concept, kinda an auditory assault
nicht in Amazon Music
Unavailable on Apple Music
I respect it for what it is. Great musicians. But not something I would choose to listen to again. It's a very low 3.
He has over 200 albums available on Apple Music but not this one! The second half is a lot more listenable and I quite enjoyed it
6.5/10
I've heard some John Zorn stuff and also some Ornette Coleman stuff too. So I suppose I know enough to expect the unexpected. I don't believe I've ever heard of this album though. This was more musical than I expected and thus more enjoyable.
This is pretty wild but somehow I like it. It’s hard to listen to but this makes it more interesting.
Ecars
This is a tough one. Firstly, I couldn't find this recording easily, so I gave up, and listened to Zorn's recent project--early music featuring my son's favorite guitarist, Julian Lage, and somebody else. (update: listening to it now) Personally, I love this incredible din. I loved Ornette Coleman's recordings back when, and I owned and repeatedly played a recording by John Zorn + Yamantaka Eye ca. 2000, which was another insane din, this time with more screaming. I find it enjoyable to get into Mr. Zorn's race car with no idea where we're going, and then try to follow where's he's leading. A musical rollercoaster with no brakes and no seatbelts--fun! I would gladly go to any and all John Zorn performances I could access, here in the desert Southwest... but I can't recall when he last came through. Mostly because I've not been looking for this kind of sonic deluge for a long while. But hell, I just went to a sludge-metal show played by super-high white dudes in silly shaman costumes wailing on hand-built oboes, so... heck, I'm game!
Interesting
I recently saw a band open up for Jon Spencer - just a drums and sax. This is better than that
Chaos jazz. An auditory attack. For some reason, the name made me think this might be a movie soundtrack, but it's definitely not! Although it's not the easiest thing to listen to - seriously chaotic, and also somehow violent - it's actually pretty cool, and by no means completely unlistenable. It sounds like the musicians are fighting each other (like, physically, with their instruments), and then there will be a moment where it all comes together and everyone's on the same page for a few seconds. The short length of each track makes it easier to digest, but since they're all similarly harsh, the album as a whole is fatiguing. It's hard to imagine a scenario where one would listen to the whole thing in one sitting outside of a project like this. I wouldn't be at all surprised to find this album has very low rating here, and I can't fault anyone for hating it. When people say they hate jazz, is this the kind of thing they're thinking of? I have a soft spot for alto sax, so I appreciate the creative use of the instrument here. I also appreciate that it feels true to the heart of what jazz is - improvisational, free-form, yet somehow controlled beneath the apparent disorder. Honestly, I prefer something like this to smooth jazz. Still, I'd be much more onboard if it were a 20-minute album (and it's not long to start with). I came away from it feeling like I have a hangover. I'm looking forward to inflicting this upon friends/enemies in the car 2.5-3
Mad jazz but without an annoying jazz drummer. I don't know what it is, but I don't hate it. It's not an easy listen.
John Zorn is that crazy ass white boy
Like a nonstop horn band whacking the crap out of their instruments. If the feeling of turning in an essay at the last minute had a sound, it’d be this album.
The 10th worst rated album on the website. Actualy, im kinda exicted to hear it instead of the 100th fucking british new wave album. Oh its not on apple music wtf. Nor spotify. Atleast its on YouTube. Ok just listened to the first song... Holy I dont think im ready for the rest of this album... This is the kind of shit that only pretensious music snob (force themself to) like. I saw a review saying it was "a beautifull chaos" but honestly, I would cut the second word. "Ecars" is the song that sounded the most like a song. I have no clue how to rate this. All the songs sounds the same. Its like they putted a toddler on the drum and bass, asked them to play whatever the fuck they want, while 2 saxophone are having sex. Its a mess! And if it was the goal, he succeded. Doesnt deserve such a low rating, I dont think its good but I cant say that I wasnt entertained by the weirdness. Wich makes it atleast a 2.5/5. Why am I not surprised that a collab between this guy and Lou Reed exist.
I have a very begrudging respect for this, for some reason. It's like being raped by someone who is actually very good at sex. or sax, in this case.
The opposite of easy listening in both a good way and bad way.
You know that scene from Tarzan where the apes bang on the pots and pans they find in the humans‘ camp?
I usually like experimental music and I have enjoyed both ornette Coleman and John Zorn but this album just feels kind of like stuff thrown together 5/10 Favourite: Ecars Least Favourite: Chippie
Bit mad, but mad is good! First time listening to thrash jazz
чо МеЛоМаНы выкусили? это или всё-таки электрический стул? бл задумка ведь реально классная. это ж такой стёб. кто это блять всерьёз оценивает камон.
Feel conflicted on this, really like it's attempt to do something interesting and brave but it just is a difficult listen. Feels harsh to judge it on just one impression when there's lots of depth here. I appreciate doing something different but an album this challenging probably isn't suited to this bulk approach of blasting through the entirety of postwar popular music.
Who knows when I’ll ever put this on again but it certainly deserves its place. A unique fusion of punk and jazz that sounds as you’d expect. It does feel close to the Contortions with the assaulting saxophone. I could see this being in a tense scene of Whiplash or the Bear. Rating: 2.6
interesting... I guess this is how every jazz album sounds to people not familiar with jazz music in general. I like listening to Miles Davis, Weather Report, etc. but this is too much for me. also i am missing the "groove"... great musicians nonetheless.
I would’ve liked to hear this, but it wasn’t actually on Spotify. So I listened to some other John Zorn, which I liked a liked a good deal. Anyway, I have no idea if this record is any good, so I’ll leave it at an uninformed 3.
yeah it really is experimental / free form jazz. it really starts off kinda jarring but u do kinda get use to it the more it goes on, it's something that i've personally never experienced before but i'm glad it's something i have. chaotic good.
no esta en spotify y tampoxo es la gran cosa
Wow c’est quelque chose! Objectivement je trouve ça très cool mais subjectivement ça me créé de l’anxiété ben raide! Quelle cacophonie. La 2e moitié me semble plus controlée par contre
Any Mike Patton fan runs into John Zorn, he’s a huge influence on Mr. Bungle and a frequent collaborator. Jazz, hardcore, bits of Jewish folk, the mix is weird and rarely easy. Here, Zorn speed-runs Ornette Coleman. Chaotic, sharp, exhausting. Might be smart, but not that very pleasant to listen to after a while.
I read somewhere that this album sounds like an orchestra falling down the stairs and that's exactly right.
Decent. Some interesting sounds.
Not on AM
i don't really like the idea of John Zorn. This guy, that's a saxophonist doing a lot of performances, with chaotic and weird interpretations, with weird esoterica, mystical and even BDSM symbology in his works. With satanic and strange imagery. That has a following and a reputation of doing music that's relegated to fringe and niche communities of insufferable people on the corners of internet. But, this album is weirdly entertaining to me. It's my first intentional dive to some form of chaotic/free form jazz. And I liked it. Kind of helped me to tune out and don't overthink that much. At the same time, I don't think there's so much merit as people gives to this kind of stuff. I mean, you have to be talented and pretty good in what you do, to be able to perform something like this and make it somewhat cognoscible. But I don't think this is repeatable, or formally an album of songs. It's a personal gripe, but I think that music that falls in that "Theseus" category, where it can't be repeated to the exact bit, is part of a jamming/experimental/ interesting category or a bullshit category. And this album risks heavily on falling in the later one.
auuufff
It seems a lot of people didn’t like this album, and I’d have to disagree with them. I’ll admit the beginning is a lot to take in, it’s very chaotic and over the place. But even the it fits the mood of the album, it’s meant to be chaotic and all over the place. The instrumentals are incredible especially the drums and sax. The second album Is a little easier to listen to if your not a jazz listener, but if you are I think you can find appreciation for the whole album
Niet heel memorabel
aha es isch so fr free jazz und uhuere streng und d drums sind mega 80er? OKAY OKAY OKAY? es isch soooo streng haha. okay mitelrwiile hani spass ich gseh d songs nöd eso well halt youtube well es nöd streaming aber bruudi igendwie gohts schono blöd. bi bi feet music (Alec moment) und sie killeds echt. aso zemefassog: extreeem streng aber au zum teil wild und geil. 3.
Good I guess?
Favorite track(s): WRU, Good Old Days, Ecars, Feet Music I'm frankly astonished John Zorn made it on this list in any capacity. Should've been by way of Electric Masada but whatever.
I liked this way more than I thought I would. Enjoyed the furious energy of it, and the fun groove of the middle bit. Down side: too much nonmelodic squeaky bouncing around.
436/1089 - Well this is niche. Not particularly interesting either with the normal-head to free jazz to normal-head formula repeated nearly 17 times. I swear I'm generally a fan of jazz but these album picks on the generator are not very good. It's like a rock fan's understanding of jazz/what a rock fan would find digestible.
Appreciate the musicianship but waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too frenetic for me.
I'm pretty sure this can easily pass as a Dillinger Escape Plan interlude. Also, I have an insane urge to see if there are any live recordings of any of these songs and check them note by note besides the studio version. It's insane to just think that they can replicate this chaos, but they play jazz so they really might be able. It was so chaotic that it got me laughing, it made my head hurt, and somehow I liked it. It's just insanity. I feel like if I consider myself not stressed enough one day, I can put this on and go back to my normal stressed self. WHY DO I LIKE THIS CRAZINESS??
WRU Ecars Feet Music Broadway Blues https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vhe3vSe-mmw
My controversial opinion is that this album is actually very listenable, even if it isn't particularly good
chaotic ahh hell
Free jazz suffers from the same lack of restraint that some of the screamier metals do. If you are always on 11, it inevitably loses its impact. Respect for his marching to his own drumbeat and all, but still becomes background music
At least it's different. I found the dissonant parts made the digestible parts hit harder. 5.9 Fav track: Feet Music
Terrible
Very interesting experiment. I don't think it quite works all the time but I like it.
This was just chaos. Noisy. Experimental. I think this one would definitely require more than one listen to fully enjoy.
I have SO MANY thoughts and comments that I must get through. 1. I legit had to take breaks listening to this album. It occupied my entire brain, and I gotta tell you, I’ve never felt so much mental clarity in my life than those breaks from this album. 2. This must be music that the Joker listens to on his day off to unwind. 3. This is like one of those things that stands out as a talking point. Like an extremely flashy watch or a middle piece of a table that is so absurd that people bond over talking about it and it serves as a great ice breaker. 4. I wonder if this is how my mom feels when I listen to “screaming music”. 5. The back half of this album is much more stable than the front half (kinda) 6. This album makes me question everything. Why are we here? How do magnets work? What choices in my life did I make that ultimately led me to listening to this album? Closing thoughts. No music has ever made me feel this sort of chaotic energy. This is a very unique experience that I have never felt before while listening to music. I don’t think I’ll ever stop thinking about this album, but I’ll probably never want to listen to it again.
It's the end of a long evening. I've been DJing to a packed dancefloor, but it's time to pack up and go home. How do I get everyone to leave? Rah rah rah squawk squeak scrumble! That did the job nicely. Thank you Mr Zorn! The sound of cats fighting and drums falling down flights of stairs. I quite enjoyed it!
W.R.U. 2.8 Chronology 2.8 Word for Bird 2.8 Good Old Days 3 The Disguise 3.1 Enfant 3.3 Rejoicing 3 Blues Connotation 3 C. & D. 2.7 Chippie 2.9 Peace Warriors 3 Ecars 3.2 Feet Music 3.4 Broad Way Blues 3.2 Space Church 3 Zig Zag 3 Mob Job 3.2 Score: 3.023529412
These guys can play up a storm and the idea of thrash grindcore jazz is fascinating. The tracks are short and are all individually brilliant. But because they're so relentlessly aggressive, listening to the album straight produces diminishing returns. But include this in a playlist set to random and it will certainly add a little piquancy. But now go and listen to Ornette Coleman's "Free Jazz", which is the album that should have been on this list, and see why these guys are paying tribute to him. (Spoiler: Because Ornette is better)
Not the worst album on this list. Wild.
Listened to a playlist containing all the ostensible songs (minus a couple) but which was much longer than the album length. Enjoyed it a lot.
Meh
Was initially thinking a 2 for how chaotic it was, but upped to a three because it got easier to listen to while still being crazy as hell.
Would have been less if it wasn’t for the second half of the album.
Impressive but not as essential as the original 2.5
I sued to listen to Nake City in high school so I'm aware and can somewhat get John Zorn. I understand how it can be head as annoying and unlistenable, but I just gid it sometimes.
No saxophone has ever gone harder.
Enjoyed more than I thought and Jesus CHRIST the musical talent in display is crazy
This is a dense listen. It’s not for me, but I am glad this list exposes me to this kind of thing.
I wish all the music on the list sounded like a one-man band clattering down the stairs. My heart is racing. Why is everyone playing their instruments at the same time in wildly different rhythms and keys? Why does nothing match? Why are two different saxophonists freestyling, one on the right and one on the left audio channel? Intense and unrelentingly violent. I don't know what this is based on, I don't understand what this is. For that reason, I quite like it. One of the most provocative albums on this list. In parts unlistenable. In parts, highly amusing. The drumming sounds like gunfire.
Pretty tough to really listen to this, free jazz can just seem like chaotic noise at times. For the most part I was interested in the first 300 seconds or 1 minute of a song and then it just got weirdly monotonous.
En tribute-skiva alltså på listan. Men det är å andra sidan vanligt i jazzen att man tolkar andras låtar. Colemans verk får ett härligt stök och bök här, kanske rent av lite punk. Bra och hårt arbetande tutare. Lite mer dynamik hade inte skadat. Trummorna går på rött mest hela tiden.
Punkig jazz. Tänker direkt på JH3. Intensivt, inget att slölyssna på. Klart underhållande i kortare perioder. Hittade en spellista med Colemans original. Trots att Coleman var en frijazzpionär så låter originalen närmast smooth jazz i jämförelse med Zorn.
Despite being a fan of jazz and challenging music, Ornette Coleman has always escaped me. However, John Zorn is helping me come around to it. Zorn channels hardcore/extreme music to transcribe Coleman's free jazz into what are essentially punkified jazz songs. I didn't know what to expect from this album, and I've been unsure of Zorn in the past, but I see now that my anxieties were for naught. The compositions blend seamlessly into the next, making for what feels like swift listening; a positive when the compositons can be quite busy and bombastic. You kind of have to love the cacophony if you're going to enjoy Spy Vs. Spy.
Ahhhhhhhhh
I think I couldnt have had a worse setting to listen to this, Friday morning in the office, with the volume low(ish) so my co-workers cant hear. This feels like the kind of album you need to crank the volume on, I genuinely could see myself really loving this album, just in a better setting. I am a little bit familliar with free jazz, but I dont think Ive heard it like this before. The drums are so thunderous on this one, and I really love the screechy saxaphones. But then when the double bass can be heard, creates slight moments of peace, and then jumps straight back into the cacophony of sound. Im giving three stars for now, but thats more due to a poor experience, I will come back and probably revise my rating later.
This is a hard one to rate. Confronting, chaotic at times but with brilliant musicianship and hardcore energy. But, would I listen to it again? Probably not.
i found this on youtube and it sounded like someone hit a bus filled with luggage from a band trip 3/5
if i had to sum up this album its like cuphead final boss but crazier. this wasn't as bad as i thought it would be.
Not available on Apple Music
Overall Rating - 3.00/5 (6.00/10). Nothing that was necessarily awful, but not really anything good, either.
Listened through YouTube. I’d classify this as stressful jazz. Not your typical coffee shop jazz for sure. The term avante garde as far as I’m aware just means we didn’t want to fit in your boxes definition of the genre. Kerri didn’t want to listen to it. But I listened with Jessalyn while delivering the Christmas Cheer Hamper to the family. Would I listen to it again? Probably not…. But this is different from all the other jazz, so I’ll give it that. It was a fun listen but definitely not first thing in the morning. When my family said to shut it off.
I dunno, I don’t think this is entirely without merit
Blistering, abrasive front half leaves the back end tough to appreciate. Very cool sounds but I think the structure of the album could be mixed around to give some push and pull rather than saturating your ears for 20 minutes.
~this album was not on Spotify so this review is for their album Road Runner (For Accordion) by Claudio Jacomucci~ Honestly pretty confused by this one, when I look at the artists albums list on Spotify they all are labeled as being by another artist. Regardless I chose this one because it sounded the most interesting and I was actually very impressed to hear a full concert from an instrument that mostly gets played by drunk novices around a campfire
The art of improvisational jazz where each musician plays whatever the fuck the want at their own pace abd taste and somehow manages to keep it fresh amd interesting because of the what the fuck is going on here? what are they doing? What are they thinking? The this sucks intrusion woth the wait no this sounds different and so random its good and I can't really know whats up or whats coming in the next interval. A ugly beautiful thing not many can pull off
Man, I alternated between love and hate, appreciation and disdain, and too many other thoughts during this album. Honestly, I feel it should be a 1 or 5, and I can’t figure out which.
Would not play.
Free jazz, punk and thrash The disguise
This is good. I hear it’s supposed to be punk jazz, designed to piss off the purists or whatever, but I honestly came away from it with pretty similar feelings I’d had when I first heard the Ornette albums. Side one was full throttle, side two occasionally offered a very slight easing of the intensity. Obviously this isn’t jazz for a dinner party, but it is a successful musing on and fitting tribute to the work of an artist who stands with the absolute cream of the art form.
Not the kind of thing I’d normally listen to, but the instrumental was insane on this.
A previous reviewer described this as the sound of a jazz orchestra falling down some stairs and i can't beat that for accuracy. I would rather listen to this than average mid 90's college rock/britpop so its an excellent addition to the list.
Respect for the punk rock mentality, the full commitment, and the true originality. But harsh and discordant to the point where I won't end up listening to it many more times.
A interesting selection, combining two genres of music that many would find unlistenable. I can enjoy the mix of Noise Rock and Free Jazz, but would have preferred that the source material be included on this list ahead of any interpretations.
An incredibly chaotic yet still somehow refreshing jazz excursion
Two unavailable albums in a row....thanks to the people who make Spotify playlists with all the songs, I guess. This is super interesting, but not totally my vibe.
I do love when the sax goes crazy, and the drums sound so big and un jazz like it makes the whole thing seem like a nightmare. But the shtick gets pretty old about halfway through. Plus, it's an Ornette Coleman cover album and yet there's no Ornette Coleman. Seems weird
This felt like a Mob Job, but reminded me of the Good Old Days.
I couldn't listen to the album on Spotify. However, I found the description interesting. I might have liked it. Maybe I'll get around to listening to it later.
Blistering and wild, but ultimately a little much without reprieve
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1001 ALBUMS- # 84 Jazzzzzzzzz-orn! Zorn and his entourage of collaborators reinterpret compositions by Ornette Coleman through a very aggressive, high‑intensity lens to zany results! 🤪 The album consists entirely of Ornette Coleman compositions, arranged (or filtered) through Zorn’s avant‑garde, punk‑influenced sensibility. The tracks parade together to make for a seamless acid trip barrage of loud jazz instrumentation relentlessly crashing together. 🎧 Classic Track: One long 💥🎷🎺🥁 John Zorn isn’t merely celebrating Ornette Coleman. He’s weaponizing his music, pushing it to the extreme in both tempo and texture, to reflect the urgency, chaos, and cultural fragmentation of the late 1980s NYC avant-garde scene. Zorn treats Coleman’s compositions as raw material, almost like punk riffs or modular cells, to be detonated rather than delicately handled. The approach is polarizing. Some see it as a bold, radical reimagining; others find it too abrasive. The two saxophones often play the “head” (theme) in unison, then shift into simultaneous improvisation (often sounding cacophonous or fragmented). 🖼️ Album Artwork: A collage of noise! 🎶⚡️ Zorn is uninterested in polish. He leans into sonic ugliness to reveal something deeper — the raw core of Coleman’s ideas: freedom, disobedience, structure-as-fluid. Where Coleman broke jazz open from the inside, Zorn blows it up from the outside- abrasively deconstructed in a method that is truly an unforgettable experience, if you can handle it!
Its just so one note. Loud and abrasive it kind of had the opposite effect. Because there was no real variation it became white noise quite quickly. The only real jolt was the start of the last album when the drum style changed slightly. Basically noise music to study to.
The album comes in raw and unlubed. If you get past the initial friction you can actually start to somewhat enjoy it. 3/5 no i won't return to it
Here’s the thing. If the entire album was only the second half, I guarantee this has a much higher rating. The second half of this album is actually really good. It’s different and avant-garde, but not in an off-putting way. The first half, though, is borderline unlistenable. Actually gave me a headache. And maybe I just think the second half is actually kind of good because of how abysmal the first half was. Also made me think that it would probably have been better to have an actual Ornette Coleman album on here rather than someone else recording his songs. I understand why so many people hate this album, but I also completely understand why it’s here, despite the fact that if anything a record by Coleman himself should be in its place. I can appreciate what it’s doing and that it’s different while still not liking it. And you can’t deny the musicians are incredibly talented. The first half is a 1 but honestly I’d give the second half of this album a 4. Splitting the difference it’s a 2.5 but I’m actually going to round up here because it’s something different, and it’s never boring. I’d rather be exposed to something like this than more British post-punk.
Rating higher due to the cool factor of a jazz album/artist influenced by punk rock
Certainly, one of the albums of all time. 2.5 bumped up to 3.
I only knew of Zorn through his appearance on Violent Femmes' second album, Hallowed Ground, on which his whole deal comes off sounding pretty cool. It still sort of does here too! Unfortunately, here it's 40 minutes instead of the ~30 seconds he gets on Hallowed Ground, and thus way harder to take. I think maybe I enjoy it more than more traditionally well-respected jazz, though? (Of course, I don't care for jazz in general, so that's not saying much)
There must be better experimental jazz out there. I didnt hate it but come on. Loow 3
Found on YouTube. Wild! So this is what two drummers, two alto sax and a bass, all playing full pelt, and all, apparently, doing their own thing, sound like. Not scary in any way, but certainly wild. And cacophonous. And almost entirely tuneless. (I listened to a couple of Ornette Coleman tracks as well, out of interest, and even they are not really my kind of jazz - all a bit free-form, I guess.) This was like free-form on speed. I kind of loved the insane drumming, and I know they're probably all, in fact, hyper-aware of what everyone else is doing, but it would take me multiple listens to even begin to identify any musical patterns - and by then I'd have gone mad.
Bello il jazz come sottofondo
Jazz. Musical chaos. Sometimes it sounded good, sometimes it didn’t.
I can dig it. Seems like Ornette's influence was seemingly massive and I ought to check out his music more.
I couldn't finish it 💔 it's a cool album though. I'm just not that into free-form jazz. but the grindcore of it is super interesting for the first couple songs at least
bastante chachi
sounds like two Looney Tunes characters accidentally got locked inside a free jazz club
3 because its not on spooterfy
Not on Deezer anymore - also a bit too free jazz-y for me
I really got monkeys pawed here for wishing for less American 90s alternative rock... That said I'd still take this of Smashing Punpkins, Nirvana, REM or any of that ilk. Not really fun to listen to but certainly an... experience?
What a wild album. It's like it initially breaks in your ears with pure chaotic noise before moving through some more seemingly "composed" sounding pieces that move between jazz and chaos. I also switched to headphone halfway through, right about the time the album shifts slightly, and that helped immensely to enjoy the base and drums rhythms under the saxophones riffing. I don't know if I'll go back to this album, but I'm glad it exists and I'm glad I gave it a listen.
Not on Youtube music, couldn't listen :(
Ornette Coleman was never known to take his approach to compositions lightly, never making things easy for those who seek to understand how he did his thing. It took some time for him to find like minds and John Zorn, in tribute, felt kinship with him. Spy vs Spy is Ornette's music taken to the absolute extreme, marked by violent, devil-may-care hostility and disregard for pacing and structure, opting for a melodious cacophony that would have those bolting for the door now as it did in 1989 as it did in Ornette's heyday. Free jazz was the change in the century marked by the shape of things to come and Spy vs Spy best represents what the remnants could become if they stuck around.
listened via You Tube. Spotifi made this album unplayable. OK album 3/5
Relaxing
3,5
man this one is going to occupy a weird place. i actually kind of enjoyed this, in a weird way. not the first time i've been exposed to ornette coleman's music so i kind of knew what to expect. the music is chaotic but fun and fascinating to listen to. the intensely wet production here definitely adds to the chaos. lots of squeaks and screaming (almost literally) saxophones here. but also at the same time, i kept checking to see how close i was to being done listening to this one. it's fun but as an entire listen, it does sort of begin to feel like a chore.
Seems to be a rendition of Ornette Coleman. I love Ornette Coleman! The Shape of Jazz to Come is a classic! I'm still going through his stuff but it's great. I don't know John Zorn though. This is one of the lowest in the whole list apparently. I feel like I'm being shot by horns at times. It's fun, just a massive collage of craziness. You'll have no clue where it's going and it still won't make sense when you get there. Just a fun mess of noises. You at least gotta respect the madness, and if you give in to it, you'll have a good time. 70/100
Not on Spotify.
As soon as I hit play I felt like I was in a martial arts film and walked into a room where 100 guys just went all out trying to kick the shit out of me. Just dodging kicks and flipping two guys into each other while fists are flying. That was a great thing to have heard but man that was intense. I would love to see this live. I tried playing around with the playback speed but this is 100% at the right tempo. I don't even know what to say.
This seems like one of those albums that you can use to set a bar for yourself. Jazz has so much room to play. This is obviously like a punk mentality. Over and over it made me think of tap dancing, and that move where it looks like the Dancer will fall forward on their face but they keep catching themselves. I kind of wish it was able to sound a little more varied at times. It had it's moments of conversation between the drums and brass. Interesting.
Bom álbum de Big Band mais experimental. Celest Gumiho.
Interesting and an accomplished doesn’t really mean an enjoyable listen.
I definitely did need to hear this. First track is particularly hard work, but stick with it.
don't trust anyone who tells you that this is bad or too chaotic. the drums are lightning fast but methodical and rhythmic. the two saxophones may be screaming for their lives but they still have their moments of relative calm. it's fun!
I’m usually not a fan of squeaky, avant- garde jazz. So i was surprised by how much i liked this. This album has structure and direction and some incredible sac playing (and harmonizing). Not my favorite music to listen to, but I can see why it’s on this list and I’m glad I heard it. It’s a 3.
It's great for 15 minutes, then I started to lose focus and it became random. John Zorn has made a lot of music in his career. Over 300 albums. And they're all very different. Most of them are easier to listen to than this album. Some of them are even worse. Favorite song: enfant
As the soundtrack to an experimental disaster or war film, this would be 4 stars. Having two drum sets played in sync (a move I highly respect) creates this wall of sound that the saxophones, while always ahead of it, are constantly on the run from it. It creates a highly chaotic sound that is very much its own thing. And then having the audacity to make the
Musically impressive (I think?) but would just never listen to this
Pure jazz chaos. Coincidentally I was watching a video about Jackson Pollock right before listening to this and it’s basically the musical equivalent. It really exudes the energy and feel of New York City without giving anything tangible. Pretty cool! 5/10
***A good album
Not much fun to listen to, but it's got some interesting ideas. I prefer the latter part of the album where there's some actual melody, but mostly feel like this would mean more to me if I was at all familiar with Ornette Coleman's work. I'm not sure how many people ARE familiar with his work, so the lack of context doesn't do this any favors. Part of me thinks it's kinda great though that something this dissonant and out there made the list at all. Ultimately, I respect it but wouldn't listen to it again.
Frenetic
Solid way to start to the morning. Very peaceful and tranquil but active songs to get the day going. Always love random jazz
this was nice to have on as background music for the purposes to come up with a rating for it but idk if I’d choose to just listen to this any other time. Once I started the next song I forgot what the song prior sounded like they all sounded the same to me eventually BUT I FULLY RESPECT IT and think it’s cool & impressive
It's pretty cool, but literally gave me a headache. 3.5/5
Different for sure
good
Well that was a frenetic assault on the ear drums! Talent abounds here and it is used for discordant evil. Occasionally they find a groove where you can settle in and it feels like a port in a storm. Chaos to the max and high energy.
Didn’t hear this, read some of the reviews and will give it a miss. Three stars as a general.
Nog nooit iets van John Zorn gehoord. Een leuk concept om free jazz in korte hardcore-achtige nummers te spelen. Het werkt ook best goed. Ik ben wel wat verrast door hoe 'metal' de drums klinken, met veel reverb. Misschien heeft dat iets met het tijdperk te maken waarin het is opgenomen. "Feet Music" heeft ook al zo'n rare 80s-sound, net als "Broad Way Blues". Het worden een beetje rare sitcom-jingles zo. Ik heb zo'n vermoeden dat Ornette Coleman zelf niet eens in deze lijst staat, wat wel weer typisch zou zijn voor hoe blank de keuzes tot nu toe zijn. Alsof de lijst door Rolling Stone is samengesteld. Misschien dat de schrijver ook wel echt van Rolling Stone is, geen idee wie deze lijst heeft gemaakt eigenlijk.
40+ minutes of aggressive saxophone noodling - I didn’t find this terrible. Although it was tedious at times, it wasn’t actually worse than some of the disco or Brit pop albums on the list.
5 or 2 depending on the day so a 3.2
This was either great or terrible. Definitely glad I listened to it but I doubt I ever will again. The second half gets slightly more listenable but the first half is really... something.
I talked to John Zorn on the phone once for an hour as a prelude for an interview that, after I went out and bought the albums of his he suggested we discuss, elected not to do. Cold, but it's dog-eat-dog for an independent label owner. This was one of the albums he didn't want to talk about, that it had been talked about to death. I will say if you like this explosion of saxophone and drums and joy and rage, it's more of a gateway into Zorn's peculiar sonic world than it is Coleman's. If you plead for it to stop, than neither is likely for you. If you ever thought Oingo Boingo would sound better tumbling down a mountain, get ready!
Not gonna lie I kinda loved the chaos.
On the Venn diagram of people who love experimental jazz on one side and angry, fast punk on the other, there is a microscopic silver of an overlap. And for those people, "Spy vs Spy" is undoubtedly a masterpiece. John Zorn has invented a genre too unstable to really exist, like the Large Hadron Collider smashing particles at near light speed to see what emerges before it disappears a mere fraction of a second later. He called it thrash jazz and like those particles, it had no chance of survival for very long. Having said this, I actually kind of like it in small doses. It's frantic, bizarre, thought provoking. I spent the time listening to this one sketching whatever came to mind, trying to mimic the intensity and constant left turns on this album. Given that I'm unlikely to revisit this album, that should serve as a good reminder that at one time, I did kind of like this beautiful mess of a record.
Not available on Spotify, but judging by his other albums, it's instrumental jazz - good instrumental jazz, but "jazz" and "instrumental " are both strikes for me.
I found this fusion to be a strong joinder of the best parts of punk and jazz. Not something I particularly enjoyed or would return to, but you gotta give points for creatively -- and sheer endurance -- on a project such as this. Listened to: at 5MW. Favorite tracks: idk bc it wasn't on spotify
This was wild and unnecessarily noisy. Is it really possible to love this music?
very energetic! must have been exhausting to play.
first listen it was...definitely avante garde
I didn’t hate it and might have even kind of liked it when it didn’t focus too hard and just let it zen in the background. It was super jarring at first, like a big jazz number that spent five minutes on a big continuous ending, but I started reading a comic book and let it play on some quality headphones at the same time and I found myself occasionally getting sucked into the cacophony and even tapping along
Jazz
I wanted so badly to turn this off, give it a 1 and move on with my life after about 3 seconds. Started and stopped it multiple times over the course of the day. In the end I’m glad I saw it through. That’s the point of this project. This album is an all out assault on your senses. I ultimately listened to it while I was making dinner. The rush of getting ingredients prepped and hitting times was about the only time this album isn’t overwhelmingly uncomfortable. The A side is a punishing wall of sound. It’s what my head felt like cooking while parenting. It was unavoidable. Grabbed my attention with both hands and fixed me to look, refusing to let go. The B side had what resembled traditional Ornette Coleman takes in snippets. I came out of my survival to enjoy and contemplate those moments. Against my better judgement, this one gets a three. It was a statement and an avant guard piece of music that demanded my attention for the duration. I think I need a cigarette.
I dunno if it's genius or terrible I'm hedging my bets and doing a 3 The 2nd half is more palatable than the first Definitely glad i listened to it though
Chaos in music form
Artiste vu en concert dans un festival de jazz. La musique était assez barrée, mais restait écoutable. Dans cet album on retrouve presque uniquement cet aspect barré ! Épuisant sur la longueur, mais toujours inattendu, c'est une pépite d'originalité. Certains morceaux sont plus construits et donc plus "accessibles" (ecars, Feet music, broadway blues, Mob Job), mais ils restent l'exception. Il ne rejoindra pas ma collection (trop chaotique à mon gout), mais j'ai apprécié la découverte, et pourrais le ré-écouter. =>3/5
Intense saxophone and drums. Tracks were similar.
i consider myself a fan of mr. bungle, so i am somewhat familiar with this type of throw everything against the wall chaos, mixing genres that most wouldn’t consider would go together. but an entire album of this with no vocals? this is not for the faint of heart. an auditory adventure, indeed.
What the actual fuck? I could not stop laughing at how bad this was, so in a way it put me in a good mood. OTOH i ended up with a headache. Never again!
Wild and frenetic. Glad it’s on the list and I’m glad to be aware of it but it won’t be joint my “easy listening” collection
This is wild, experimental, visionary, groundbreaking, and close to unlistenable. I can appreciate that this is important for the development of jazz, and looking this guy up, I see he collaborated with thrash metal dudes, which kind of makes sense. But I probably won't be listening to this album ever again. And I typically like jazz and even some thrash metal. Maybe if I developed a meth addiction I'd listen to this at 4am. Ecars was pretty good, all that being said, and the closest thing to a track with melody on the album.
Absolute noise
Album 672 of 1001 John Zorn - Spy Vs. Spy: The Music Of Ornette Coleman (1989) Rating : 3.75 / 5 That is some intense jazz. Described as "noisy, chaotic, and aggressive, blending elements of free jazz, thrashcore, and grindcore", this is not your structured jazz. The album is a tribute to Ornette Coleman, performed in a hardcore punk style for which Zorn was known.
totally didn't understand this album, but I read a great review that gave good context/perspective.
Total fucking cacophony: Check 80's, but non-shitty production: Check Isn't New Wave: Check Isn't Britpop: Check Isn't Random 1967 Hippy Music: Check Isn't Boring: Check You can all hate, but this is a sigh of relief after most of the duds on this list.
Overraskende fed! Det lød mere som et jazz album end jeg forventede Jeg fandt det fulde album på YouTube uden reklamer og med under 2000 views, jeg elsker når listen går fuld obskur
Pænt hård plade, trommerne lød virkelig fedt. Ikke så frit/strukturløst som jeg havde frygtet.
Can’t listen…
When I saw this come up my first thought was why on earth would you put an album of Ornette Coleman covers instead of an Ornette Coleman album? Then it comes in swinging so ok. Now I just wonder why there isn't an Ornette Coleman album, not so much why this. I think this would be incredible to see live. Would have liked this more if there were more slow and spacious pieces in between. Will probably come to regret not rating it higher. music: appreciated. (⌐□_■)
Couldnt find so gave a 3
Completely mental. Experimental Jazz Grindcore
This is weird, but some of it is pretty approachable (maybe not for other people, but I'm pretty flexible). It alternates between zany in a great way and zany in a dunno what is going on way. This might grow on me over more listens, honestly. 3.33/5
Finally (almost a month later) got round to tackling this album on YouTube as it is not available on Spotify - which kinda makes me want to give this album an extra star... something cool about having to work just a little bit harder to access this music. I did make the mistake, for the first time, of reading a brief critique of the album... but I do agree with what Scott Yanow said: "The performances are concise... The lack of variety in either mood or routine quickly wears one out". It is an exhausting album to stay at pace with and to interpret, but there is an odd charm that comes with that consistency and stubborness to conform back to some sort of norm. However, I really would've liked at aleast one or two tempo changes - the most it does during C. & D. Cool wee number with LOTS of ALTO Sax sounding as though it is being strangled and rattled over and over again. Overall, pretty intense but also pretty impressive skill on display from everyone involved - the drumming sounds like one hell of a workout that not even a marathon runner could endure. I want to give it three... fuck it I will - cool album.
What a wild ride
An Interesting album.
Not easy to get into this. The early tracks were an ache. Switched to headphones and the sax separation became clear and is pretty bold. The later tracks are more accessible.
Albumi #125, 05.12.2024 John Zorn ei ollut tuttu artisti ennestään. Tai näin oletin, kunnes hoksasin että Zorn vaikutti Naked City-kollektiivissa. Muistan 90-luvun alussa kuulleeni Naked Cityn nimikkoalbumin ja se aiheutti minussa silloin lähinnä hilpeyttä. Tätä levyä ei löytynyt Spotifysta, joten kuunteleminen tapahtui YouTuben kautta. John Zorn tulkitsee tällä albumilla Ornette Colemanin jazz-sävellyksiä hardcore punk / trashcore sovituksina. Mielenkiintoinen kuuntelukokemus. Melkoista meteliä, joka etäisesti muistuttaa jazzia.
Not on Tidal. Heard on Spotify.
Unfortunately I couldn't find this one on Spotify.
I really enjoyed this, which was odd as I'm not usually a fan of avant-garde jazz. Maybe it was the hardcore/ thrash approach to the compositions. The first few tracks were great, then it started to get a bit less intense, but came back near the end. I probably wouldn't go out of my way to listen to this again, so a strong 3 stars is my rating.
Up its own arse but we’re all already there anyway.
A cacophony without a doubt. I feel both delighted and assaulted. Around Ecars I really started to dig it. I give it both one star and five stars simultaneously. Making this, I suppose a 3. Which is isn't, nothing "just ok" about this album, but what can you do. Interestingly I was given this album directly after Adam and the Ants Kings of the Wild Frontier, another two drummer band. That one is pure gold.
While this never becomes"normal", it does sort of become less insane the further it goes. Or never gets to anything melodic. This was intentionally unlistenable. And I respect that.
No está en spotify. Lo he oído un poco y parece free jazz (interesante).
Thrashcore Jazz? I dig it. Fave: Good Old Days, Feet Music
I feel attacked! Interesting, but not something for a regular Saturday.
There has been a couple of truly WTF albums on this list ( Captain Beefheart, looking at you), and this definitely belongs. And as insane as this album is, I don't actually hate it like I was bracing to. It starts at 11 and stays at 11 the whole time, with a furious drum background and dueling saxaphones just wailing for 45 mins straight. Despite this, it actually sounds decent and unique for much of the run time. It's like walking into the middle of a jam band 14 min song and you stepped in at the peak of the build up, but then it stays there for 45 mins. I wouldn't ever willingly listen to this again, I don't think, but I will think about it for some time this week. My favorite that stuck out to me was Feet Music. Strange stuff.
5.5/10
JAZZ
Tough one to be honest
Pure chaos. A little too avant for my liking but good stuff overall. Not on spotify which is my preferred platform so added challenge of dodging ads listening to it.
Strange but kind of fun. Would have liked to listen to Coleman’s versions to compare side by side. Overall I liked it, but it is a very niche album. 3/5 Might listen again
This album is literally insane. And it's not on any streaming music service. I feel like this already encapsulates the manic / frantic feeling of modern living in a good and bad way. This would clear out a party room but the playing is so impressive and the compositions are so fast paced that it's just impressive on that front alone. For Parks and Rec fans, this feels like the clip where Leslie is being interviewed by their local public radio station and they have a segment called \"jazz plus jazz = jazz\" where they just play two bebop records at the same time. Unforgettable but may not listen to very often so people think I'm normal.
I can see how this album may have influenced bands like Mr Bungle. Chaotic and expressive, a beautiful mess. It’s something worth experiencing for sure but it’s not something I’d give multiple listens to.
I'm excited to see this one. He has such a massive catalog, and I love Zorn about 75% of the time. This one is decently wild. Not quite Naked City. This guy definitely influenced Bungle. I'm still trying to work through his full catalog, which seems impossible, so I can now mark this one off the list. I like the structured chaos. I'll give this a 3.
Take a jazz song and give it to five musicians; two playing sax, one playing upright bass, and to more playing drums. Tell them to simultaneously improvise that song, but do it as blisteringly fast as their musical ability allows. Then do that over and over again for 40 minutes, or so. It's hard to listen to but also oddly enthralling. Not sure I'd like to hear it more than once though.
Free jazz is nuts! Gotta give props to these guys and their skills
2nd attempt at this.. To listen to this in one go is a bit much. I found taking nibbles in 5 min chunks works a bit better. It also help if you have the ability deconstruct music, set the drums aside and focus on the rest. I'm actually going to come back to this again because there is something here. Right now I'm thinking a 2.5 but an extra 1/2 point for the complete crazy idea of doing this.
I started listening to the 1001 albums on my morning run. I think this was my fastest time ever. A blast. Put these songs down as the least likely to be covered on Glee.
It's hard to deny the musicianship and skill that this album exhibits. However, it's hard for me to stay engaged with the freeform jazz genre altogether. Aside from the lack of lyrics (never been the issue for me), a lot of the rhythms sound the same 45 minutes into an hour-plus long album, and the solos just tend to ramble. I usually note "Notable Tracks" in my reviews, but when each drawn-out song is indeterminable from the other, it's hard to differentiate. Again, the technical ability of each of these artists is undeniable, but this genre as a whole just isn't for me. 5/10
I SURVIVED. What a ride. The reviews are hilarious. I felt like I was laundry or produce being cleaned and processed by machines. Feels so purely expressive and raw that it's beautiful about it. Can you imagine being in the room or playing and coming through the other end of this? Would be like returning from another dimension. Maybe coming back would be a disappointment. I also love that this is them playing someone else’s music haha. Was Ornette honored or offended? I deeply appreciate how undoubtedly talented folks are not afraid to commit to being ugly and imperfect. It actually seems to create its own perfection. Damn. Well, either way I'll never forget day 154 of this project. Gives me exactly what I want out of this project: exposure to stuff I would have never heard (or felt) otherwise. I'm sweaty. Feels ironic to give this a 2.5 since it's probably so polarizing but it has verily chopped my psyche in half.
Aggressive jazz. Punk bebop. Thrashcore alto sex duets. It got me looking into the careers of both John Zorn and Ornette Coleman, so that’s a good thing. Man, was it weird. I enjoyed it more than some hardcore punk that I’ve heard on this list and more than most jazz albums. I’ll have to be in the right mood to go back, but I’m glad it’ll be here when I’m ready for it.
This is the type of music I prefer live and would give it a 5/5 all day long. I’m not sure why I can’t get into it as much listening at home or from the car. But the music is great and I think it’s a cool idea for someone to play a bunch of music from other greats (looks like John Zorn has a ton of albums so this is likely why).
I was unable to listen to this album as I could not find it anywhere.
This is wild
Un album vraiment chaotique. Plus mélodieux que ce que dans mes souvenirs, mais ça reste très expérimental, très aggressif, très excessif. C'est quand même fascinant comme album, mais ça prend de la patience et/ou être ouvert à ce genre de son pour passer au travers. 6/10
It's definitely something. My initial thoughts were two bands playing 2 different songs simultaneously. After reading that it was indeed two drummer, and two saxophonists, it made more sense. This is very experimental, free jazz. It's difficult to listen to, it sounds like noise. I'd I listened to it a few more times, I would probably like it more. It's definitely for a very niche audience
Reading the context from other reviewers gave me a better appreciation. This is tough, and was even better on the second go.
The musicality and syncopation of this album was impressive but the opening track WRU kind of made me feel like I needed some Ritalin. For jazz aficionados I could see where this album would leave them dancing in the aisles. I did enjoy it, particularly The Disguise. I just don’t know how often I would seek this one out.
Oh, you want music fed to you with itty bitty tiny spoon? God forbid you listen to anything that's too challenging! We simply can't have that! God, you people need to get a grip. I don't profess to be an expert on jazz in any way, but innovation tends to inspire provocation, and sometimes that's desperately needed for any meaningful change to occur. Were you people this irked by Coltrane or Mingus or even Ornette Coleman himself? Not that I'm comparing John Zorn to those three in terms of aesthetic quality, but all four certainly have (had) a vision and all four are (were) interested in pushing the genre forward. And to that end, jazz was now in dialogue with other genres and subgenres. It simply had to be in order to remain relevant and interesting. So why not attempt to strike communion with punk and post-punk? Maybe this is not music that you are listening to while you go out on your evening constitutional or when you're flipping pancakes with your kids, but if you're seeking to gain an appreciation of outsider culture, of avant-garde contours, and how music is a powerful tool for agitation, then this would be more than suitable. If I had a criticism, it would be that volume (and in a sense, violence) is usually most effective in very short doses. At times, the overwhelm is the point (like in say, 'Metal Machine Music'), but more often than not, it can then lead to apathy. Lovely album art. Get a grip. B+
Chaos
Well, I did get kind of a kick from listening to this. "Thrash jazz" is an objectively funny genre term. It's certainly different than anything else I've heard so far. Kudos to the drummers on this beast in particular. Having the saxophonists mixed to opposite channels is an interesting choice too. It's certainly not a leisurely listen. I wouldn't even call it recreational. I'm also bummed out that I often can't really hear the bass, although apparently one is present. Highlights: Enfant, Blues Connotation, Ecars, Feet Music
never go full experimental
That.. sure was an album.
Ef eitthvert ykkar var að velta því fyrir sér hvernig pönk jazz hljómar, þá myndi ég segja að það hljómi eins og 40 mínútur af ruslatunnuendi.
Strangely compelling, but extremely tiring as your ears constantly try to adapt and search for structure and melody in a sea of chaos.
Very impressive stuff, I could definitely feel the energy and talent of the musicians as they blasted their way through each song. While I do laud those that employ anarchist freedoms, I’m not a fan of jazz
Woah! This is not what I expected, I don’t hate it although it does get a little bit noisy at times. Good background music for chilling or working.
Fun mix-up to jazz, classical. First time hearing of him. Like it!
Extra star for not caring in the slightest whether or not anybody would buy their music.
This album is technically very impressive, even if it isn’t exactly the kind of jazz I tend to listen to. I would definitely not say no to this live, though I feel as though I’d be a husk by the end as the energy would blow me away.
It is STRIKING how powerful the tom drums and other floor drums just PUNCH through your headphones. Especially since they’re being banged on so constantly. I would love to know how one ends up liking this music as casual listening, how many holes you have to go through. Very interesting, very frenetic
Unable to listen on any services, so I’ll drop a three star.
By far the most bizarre one I've got
Jag tvekade till en början efter att ha läst lite recensioner ifall om jag skulle leta upp det (fanns inte på Spotify) men när jag väl letade upp det så fastande jag lite. Trodde inte jag skulle lyssna på hela och det han jag tyvärr inte men det jag hörde, vilket var nästan hela plattan iallafall, var helt sjukt. Det var som om de hade dragit upp allt på max, alltså det går inte att göra det värre än såhär. Bara jazz kan ha sånt här kaos. Men ibland så fanns det lite normalt mitt i kaoset och det gjorde hela skiten lättare att lyssna på. Det var en ganska rolig lyssning egentligen så det får denna pluspoäng för.
An assault on the ears with lulls just long enough to prepare you for the next assault. There is plenty of quality and enjoyability here for this to not be on the lowest ranked albums though.
Pretty interesting listen. Instrumental sax and drums album Standout songs: Broadway blues Space church Zig Zag
This is strange and weird but like…I’ve never heard anything like it before. It’s an odd mix of jazz and hardcore. I think I sort of enjoyed it but it’s really hard to tell with something so obscure.
Couldn’t find this particular album but I did find some of his other music. I like. Interesting.
Free jazz… ik weet hier bijster weinig van. Heb het album geluisterd, en ben er wel aardig doorheen gekomen. Paar goeie momenten die ik wel kon waarderen, vond de intense drums nice maar verder klonk ook veel als hetzelfde. Een 3 want idk wat ik echt moet geven.
Really out there. I've had the good fortune of seeing Ornette live with his band and with the Grateful Dead and I appreciate what he and Zorn have done for jazz. That said, it's difficult listening hour for sure! I don't mind some atonal stuff, but this was a bit much.
Mmmmmm....Jazz. Great. Really great.
Never heard anything like this, it was so hard to get into, and yet so attracting and somehow even relaxing. It's like you listen to the chaos and stop bother, like immersing into some smoke cloud or . I'd say, you have to have a right mindset to make through this album. I'm a mess myself, so this music got into me quite easily.
Ce n'est pas un album qui ne s'écoute que d'une oreille. Il faudrait pouvoir à la fois démêler ce qui se joue concurremment et l'oublier pour ne saisir que l'ensemble
I kind of like C and D, Chippie, and Ecars
3.75
This album sounds like bebop and punk are in a street fight for their lives. The initial impression is one of chaos, but upon a closer listening, it's revealed to be very controlled chaos. The dual saxophone and dual drum kit approach give the album a sense of urgency though the drums have a bit too much reverb on them and overpower the saxophones at times. The songs are short and to the point and just when you think the song is spiraling out of control, the musicians catch a groove and end the song abruptly.
Abrasive in a mostly unfun way, but very interesting checking in on what jazz looks like as the 90s are approaching. Miles Davis had given us prog-infused jazz, but art moves on and now we’re firmly in the world of what punk does to the thing
Can appreciate the musical skills necessary for this, but this level of jazz is a bit hard for me to listen to.
Can you imagine being in the studio while everyone was blasting away. Must have been so much fun! Is it good music, no. The drums feel like they're trying to trip up the sax players at times. I would be giddy if I were a fly on the wall. So many huge smile moments! However, I'd need a break after about 3 songs. Then I'd go back for more. OK, Spy vs. Spy #14 is hilarious! I don't know why it cracked me up. Do I want to hear this over and over, no. But it's fun for one or two rounds.
Favourite tracks: feet music
3 is probably a bit generous, but it’s worth persevering with
Jazz is a mystery to me. It is at once a magical expression of orchestrated chaos and a perplexing musical dialogue of toddler gibberish. Pure nonsense at times but sure beauty at others. There is a time and a place for it in my life. I just haven’t figured it out yet. lol
Im more of a Bill Evans and Kenny Dorham style of jazz listener. Less of a fan of this style but appreciate its complexities.
Alllllll that jazz
I don't know why this is so hated here. It sucks less than most of the jazz on this list. I love the drumming, its borderline menacing. No individual song goes on too long and into masturbatory territory. In the end it's still jazz and there's a limit to how much I can enjoy that genre.
It's a cool mess, but it is still a mess. Only the most hard core Jazz fans could appreciate this interpretation. Ornette Coleman does free-jazz - when musicians attempt to change or break down jazz conventions, such as regular tempos, tones, and chord changes (Wikipedia). One song is fine, the whole album is just too much all at once! 3/5
I know it's Jazz... But it's a little too Jazzy for my liking... Great musicians though. Fair play.
The contrast with the chaos really makes those brief moments of harmony feel much sweeter. The drums are way too boomy, and make pretty much the entire album sound bad.
Goodf
Apple Music did not have this, so I listened on YouTube. Pure chaos. Not much else to say besides it belongs on this list. I haven't heard anything quite like this before. Two saxophones, two drummers, and one bass?
I'm slowly getting into jazz
It grew on me but this was very unique
This is 41 minutes of fucking intense free form jazz. Ornette Coleman's music is taken and cranked to 11, with and almost metal or punk sensibility to the songs. I can't imagine this intensity allowing for extended play so it almost makes sense they are fairly short songs. Good Old Days is my favorite since it has a consistent hook that's discernable throughout, but Feet Music has a slower, almost rock beat to it.
If two saxophones and two drums ganged up and beat the hell out of you, this is what it would sound like. Relentless, bruising and totally hardcore. A bit much but man the drumming is incredible. Props to Joey Baron and Michael Vatcher. I didn't hate this.
Tour de force, tvö trommusett, tveir saxófónar og bassi. Aldrei dauð stund, bókstaflega. Hér er allt á yfirsnúningi. Fyrstu þrjár mínúturnar eru erfiðastar en svo verður þetta áhugavert. Já, gæti spilað þetta aftur einhvern daginn.
When I first started the record I thought to myself, "this isn't jazz. This is a hardcore album". Upon reading the wikipedia article, it became clear that it's not an accident. In fact it's the whole concept of Spy vs Spy. The production is exciting throughout. The drums sound killer! I have no familiarity with the originals so my enjoyment of the versions on this album are not what they could be, but I still loved the thrash and frenetic energy of the recording.
Alright I’ll be real, wasn’t expecting hardcore jazz. Not mad at it though.
Very nice
Idk
I actually had a slight headache when I started this. Somehow, I couldn't get myself to stop it. The headache ended up going away! Like the music absorbed it? Still, I can't imagine listening to this except on rare occasions. The weirdest part of the album was Feet Music when it went all 'normal'. I think the artist of cover also did a cover for Coldcut that same year. Hope that album's on the list.
Skronky. It's great, but it's not the most accessible jazz album ever.
Ornette coleman is one of the more controversial but interesting jazz cats. He formulated a system of music called harmolodics which he could never quite explain but was to do with removing the limitations of key, rhythm, tempo and harmony. So, this explains this. John zorn is an excellent interpreter of coleman and a great avany grade composer in his own right. This is an excellent interpretation with a-list musicians of the highest quality. Dimery clearly doesn’t understand this type of stuff. I suspect he read some reviews and felt oh this better go on. 1 star for it being here. 5 stars as a work of music. 1 star for its danceability. 3 stars.
Proof that music is best live. They are... totally smashing it with improv; yes a great performance and in tune collaboration... if you can handle it. there are some very good build ups drops and crashendos in this polyphony. great to drop in and experince this briefly, and I was also glad I could get out when I wanted to after a few tracks, without losing my cover charge. a document in jazz high energy improv. yet not something I'm like to go back to ... so very hard to give it a number. 5 for quality, 2 for wanting to listen again, 3.5 overall? not fair.
John Zorn - from another planet. I’ve got 4 Coleman cd’s & 1 lp, & I thought they were difficult enough listening, but Zorn makes Coleman’s music even more challenging. Mind you, I only have 1 Zorn cd - The Big Gundown - where he plays the music of Ennio Morricone - and that’s a much more relaxing listen than Spy Vs. Spy. Still, I got through this, without knowing any of the Coleman originals, because none of them are on any of the 5 releases I own. I wonder if knowing the originals would help? I don’t mind the cacophonous approach up to a point, although I reckon the AllMusic reviewer, Scott Yanow totally nails it : "The performances are concise with all but four songs being under three minutes and seven under two, but the interpretations are unremittingly violent. The lack of variety in either mood or routine quickly wears one out". I really liked Feet Music & Mob Job, the 2 longest cuts here. Anyway, I’m gonna go back to this one day when I’m totally off my face & see what that’s like.
The "I listen to everything" kind of people are crying in a corner right now.
Is not longer available on Spotify, was unable to listen to it
I mean I guess I should have known punk jazz was a thing. Music like this feels like it's to be experienced, and not enjoyed. Two drummers in a band is always intense, and on this album just the beginning of chaos.