Reviews (page 5 of 8)
first listen it was...definitely avante garde
This is just noise
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
I'm a jazz fan but I never liked Ornette Coleman's music so I'm not going to like it any better if John Zorn is playing it. This is anti-music, unbearable and unlistenable. Aimless, self-indulgent crap is still crap no matter who is playing it. Truly horrible.
Jazz
dogshit
Yeah, nah. I have already some troubles with getting into jazz but this? Like, it isn't offensive to my ears but it definitely goes on one of them and comes out of the other.
Okay so I had to find this on YouTube bc it’s not streaming which is fine, but reading the title of the album and a quick glance at what its background is, I’m obviously expecting pretty standard jazz. So I sit down, press play, and immediately hear the most aggressive, loud, explosion of sound I’ve heard in some time. It’s like an audio slap in the face. I think I literally sat back in my seat in disbelief. Then, a little over a minute later (because these songs are played as quickly as possible), the second song starts. It sounds exactly the same as the first. A minute or so later, the third song starts. It happens again. By the fourth or fifth track, I’m literally laughing because I know each track is going to start exactly the same and sound essentially the same. It’s like they knew they had to play a full concert but also had a movie to catch in like an hour, so we’re just plowing through as fast as they could. But at a certain point I got what they were doing. I can’t say I liked it, but I got into their wavelength enough to sit through the whole album and crack up of the audacity of recording this. So it certainly made me feel something! And for that, I will bestow it 2 stars.
I'm a little envious I wasted my life not becoming a famous jazz musician by banging on drums as loud and fast as possible for 40 minutes straight. Maybe there's still time.
I didn't like this one. I actually enjoy Ornette Coleman's music. Free jazz is an all time classic and I genuinely casually listen to it. But I don't get this one. Some of the hooks are nice, the Saxophones are quality players. But the mix doesn't make any sense. The magic of the original Coleman mixes it the space between the instrumentals that helps to listen to each of the individual lines that the musicians play. Here non of this is present. The drums are so fucking loud... and the bass so quiet. Not enough space between the Saxophones, i just don't get it... A bit of a let down. And why two alto saxes?? Ornette will always throw a trumpet or bass clarinet in the mix. Disappointed with this one. I'll had a point because Coleman's music here is showen love, and is played with passion.
Love Ornette Coleman and John Zorn is born on my birthday. Best matching album of my lifetime.
Can’t find.
Lmao
Way to experimental, just noise
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.
fun
Triggered my fight or flight.
Noisy chaos disguised as jazz. Had to use my fancy anxiety instead of the every day kind.
2,5
Had zin in rustig muziekje Dit was geen rustig muziekje Werd er erg onrustig van Nee niet voor mij
Love me some Zorn
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
is it something I’m glad to have heard - possibly. Is it something I’d willingly listen to again - no.
Not on Spotify or apple music
Another tough one to find AND listen to. Sound likes what? I have no idea.
disgusting
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
Unlistenable.
Unlistanble, no cohesion or structure what so ever
Zorn is certainly a provocateur – or troll, in today's parlance – and one has more than enough time to wait out exploratory, out-there and even the most atonal and non-traditional sort of jazz and art rock, but this too often feels a dissonance too far, which is no fault of OC's. The attack does now and then cohere into something recognizable as not noise, but it's still punishing in the main. Rounding up just because it's jazz and not metal.
Intense saxophone and drums. Tracks were similar.
Unfortunately for the tasteless haters and losers on this website, this album rips. Good for sitting in traffic.
Gave up after about 4 tracks
Nicht abspielbar.
I finally got this album on the 1001 Album Generator, and it’s definitely one of the most disliked albums on there. Honestly, I don’t see why, compared to a lot of other John Zorn albums, or even avant-garde and experimental music in general, this one is pretty straightforward. This album is essentially Zorn’s reimagining of Ornette Coleman’s free jazz compositions, but filtered through his own chaotic, high-speed avant-garde style. Rather than a traditional tribute, Zorn’s take is aggressive, noisy, and packed with punk energy. Zorn plays alto saxophone alongside Tim Berne, while Joey Baron handles drums. Baron, a longtime Zorn collaborator, is highly respected in avant garde circles. As for Ornette Coleman, I know his name well, but I haven’t really explored his music yet. Hopefully, I’ll finally get around to it one day.
I hear chaotic dueling saxophones and an occasional hint of a tune
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.
I dug this. I love Ornette Coleman and a strange noise filled album featuring riffs on his sound was just a fun listen.
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!
Intense jazz. Hard for me to handle most of this, was exhausting.
This is just unlistenable atonal noise. When I say I really hate jazz this nonsense is exactly what I'm talking about. This is getting-Noriega-to-leave-the-embassy level noise.
I like jazz but this is too chaotic
I 100% understand why this is a bottom 10 album (10 at the time of writing) on this list. Reviews like "what the actual fuck" and "Sounds like drums beating saxophones" are 100% accurate, and made me laugh. Funnily enough, I, going in blind, decided to listen to this album (of all the ones to pick) while trying to lay down to start to go to sleep. I will say though, maybe it caught me on a good day, and especially after 10-15 straight albums of middling of the pack psychedelic albums, one off 2000's pop albums (Looking at you Ceelo) or British wannabes from different eras, trying to emulate Oasis, Blur, The Beatles, or even Radiohead. (Not to say there aren't great versions of these things listed) but this was incredibly refreshing to hear, even if sonically, it wasn't nearly as accessible. This is by far my biggest positive stray from the pack in terms of rating, and after all, is that not what this project is for?
I was awoken at 4am by my apartment's fire alarm and somehow that wasn't the worst sound I heard today.
Not on Spotify
Hard listen, but as someone who loves thrash, punk and hardcore AND jazz, this one worked for me. Cool experiment. Worth listening to. Probably won't come back to it but I enjoyed it.
++*: Enfant ++: W.R.U., Chronology, Word for Bird, Good Old Days, Blues Connotation, C. & D., Chippie, Peace Warriors, Ecars, Feet Music, Broad Way Blues, Mob Job +: The Disguise, Rejoicing, Space Church, Zig Zag 9,7/10
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
Całkiem przyjemne. Takie 4/5. Zupełnie się nie znam, ale mi się podobało.
Well this isn't on Spotify, but I'm going to listen to a few songs on youtube.
Not for me
I don't feel like I NEEDED to listen to this.
Absolute madness but the ears adjust so it's worthy of being on the list
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.
This album is what happens when you tell kids they can be anything they want when they grow up. It's like they handed a bunch of grade school kids instruments and told them to play the Jazz album the teacher just played for them.
I try not to be too negative on albums because I believe that all music is art, but this was shit. Maybe I don't understand a certain message or theme that it's trying to convey, and I don't really care. I know for damn sure that I'm not listening to this album any more than I have just to find some, "meaning." My ears need a break and a few tissues to stop the bleeding.
Yeah, this is horrible noise.
Absolute noise
Somebody tell Ornette her record collection is broken. This is the kind of music I fear people hear in their heads when I say I like Jazz.
Nah man. Just nah
This Jazz was too jazzy
A little too chaotic for me
Been a while since ive heard a true 1 star. Simply unlistenable. A 180 second concept drawn out over 2460 seconds
Best Song: Good Old Days. Started out with a killer groove, had a great bass solo, descended into a satisfying cacophony, and then came back to land on that groove again. Worst Song: Space Church. This one definitely felt like one of those songs that was all wailing intro and outro, but with no actual song in the middle. Overall: This is pretty fucking rad. Sure it sometimes sounds like noise, but it's always a very musical noise. I can imagine that your perception of this album really depends on your mood at the time of listening, because it sometimes feels like it's equally optimized to both induce and relieve anxiety, but when you're in the right mood it feels like someone pressure-washing the inside of your skull, finding all sorts of nooks and crannies that you didn't even know existed, let alone needed to be scratched. Factory reset music.
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.
Finally, some jazz that doesn't suck ass!
It is a lot of noise, but within the noise there is a tight rhytmn that activated my almond.
totally didn't understand this album, but I read a great review that gave good context/perspective.
Yeah bro let's write an album where you play the same exact fast drum/cymbal beat for an hour straight and I'll play the trumpet like I'm in 8th grade band
BUNS HOLY SHIT
Pre-listening thoughts: you know what? Hell yeah. I am so glad that today’s album is going to be dogshit. And you know why? Because I have had so much new music of my own discovery in my rotation, I don’t have to make space for anything else new right now. I can spend these 24 hours relishing some other great albums while giving this album the one time pass over it deserves. But I will also say before listening to this that I have taken so many music history classes that I DO in fact know who Ornette Coleman is. I have never seen a class recoil the way people did when professors would play Ornette Coleman’s music after playing Miles Davis or John Coltrane. It is very freeform as is, without John Zorn’s input. So this is going to be a disaster. Post/during listening thoughts: this is exactly what I expected 😭. It’s freeform jazz, just with more noise. The two drummers were… a choice, but the latter half of this album is occasionally listenable (at least as listenable as its source material). I still would never sit down and listen to this again. 1.5/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: no Fav tracks: Feet Music Least fav tracks: pretty much the entire first half
Not mad I listened to it.
Not as good as the Beatles
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.
Yeah nah this sucks. It’s just noise for 40 odd minutes, half of it doesn’t even really sound like music. Feet Music was okay but it’s very difficult to get through all the songs before it. Everything else was pretty much utter crap.
Once again reminding me that I don't appreciate jazz. As I described to Devon, this sounds like you set a large group of toddlers loose on a roomful of musical instruments after you fed them speed. I found it very unpleasant to listen to. Rating: 1
Can’t list to
What do you want to know, just ask and I’ll tell you , but please….please don’t make me listen to more of this.
I have never listened to John Zorn before and, looking at his extensive discography, there is a lot to catch up on. Unfortunately, I couldn't find this album on my streaming services, so listened on an 'ok' YouTube stream but I'm intrigued. It is definitely not easy-listening, but worth the work. I found it difficult to get into Ornette Coleman and am still not hugely familiar with his work, even those albums I own, and I am not sure this 'tribute' makes it any more accessible, but it does make me want to explore both artist and composer further. The music is Avantgarde jazz with a hardcore punk/metal aesthetic and the band - two saxophones, bass and two drummers - make a glorious noise, powerful. It reminds me of what Imperial Triumphant have been doing in the metal scene. Best to sit in front of the speakers and let the force of this album hit you in the chest. I'd like to find a decent copy on vinyl.
Literally sounds like if someone took a group of middle school band kids and made them play Sing, Sing, Sing (Benny's Goodman version, the best version). Not mad at it being on the list, but I don't like it...like at all, besides some swing moments.
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.
Chaotic. Was fun at first, but lacks any kind of variation.
Can’t listen…
Fuuuuuuuuuuck no.
Stramba ma geniale al tempo stesso.
Algoritmo blessami di nuovo, ti sprono
Manca una struttura che dia un senso non basta saper suonare bene
No.
Couldn’t access
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. (⌐□_■)
Once more I consulted with my Jazz Guy father in law, to see if he had any thoughts of John Zorn. He said: “The man is disturbed.” Loved this. The first time they break from noise into a few bars of kind of normal jazz, and then back into noise, had me jumping up and down like an animal. Almost every star here is for the record itself. But maybe like 1/4 of a star is because it made me think about Spy vs Spy, which also rocks.
Props to whoever can make it through this
What am I missing? It sounded like instruments screaming at each other.
Painful listen. Not sure how this is supposed to be enjoyable. Couldnt even make it halfway.
Jeg elsker at sådan noget lort her eksistere. Det får alt andet til at være tålligt. Klokke klar 1er. Og jeg var aldrig i tvivl.
Så er der fandme smadre-jazz! Er Punk-Jazz en genre? Er Jazzcore? Jeg er ikke i tvivl om hvor bands som Black Country, New Road, Squid og Black Midi har fået noget af deres inspiration fra. Det er total smadret jazz, til tider fuldstændig umelodisk på en måde der minder mig om Einstürzende Neubauten, men modsat de tyske pioneres debutalbum fandt jeg det her mega sjovt.
Couldnt find so gave a 3
Bof
The Good: one of my favorite cartoons from the Mad Magazine era. The Bad: no madcap spy stuff... The Ugly: ... No clue who John Zorn is. No clue how I'm supposed to enjoy the music... though I tried, and will try again. From reading other commentary it seems this music needs additional listening, or maybe one of the million other albums which he's published
Experimental free jazz. Not an easy listen. Listened on YouTube for 10 mins then skipped through later bits. Art yeah. Great album nah.
LMAO WTF
Completely mental. Experimental Jazz Grindcore
What a bonkers album. So many times when these guys get rolling it sounds like a jazz quartet falling down the echo-y stairwell of a tall building, but in a really good way! Considering free jazz can so often just be an unlistenable mess, this album manages to be extremely entertaining, so I kind of loved it. 4.4/5
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
This making it on here, but nothing actually by Ornette Coleman, is the perfect summary of the 1001 Album list.
This album is nuts. Totally diabolical. I was really confused at first, so I had to read about it. And then I realized this is totally a hardcore album. I thought I was getting cool jazz, and yes, this is definitely cool jazz. But really... this is feels like Minor Threats first album if it were jazz. This is like Millions of Dead Cops if it were jazz. The drums are the dead give away. This was rad! For sure this deserves at least 4 Stars, because this is one of the most creative albums I've ever heard but I am certain I won't be returning any time soon.
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.
Not available on Spotify. Who are you , Neil Young. Even Neil is back
What a wild ride
An Interesting album.
Me no likey
uh-oh. the once lowest ranked album on this list. and it is free jazz. instead of listening to this, i'd rather give throbbing gristle or the birthday party a 4 or 5 than listen to this shit, because these two sounds pretty good when compared with this shit. 1/5
Undeniable talent here, but not my genre. Punk jazz, frenetic and chaotic.
Utter dogshit
Truly horrible. Like if grindcore and jazz had a baby, born headfirst into a mountain of cocaine, then proceeded to light itself on fire. Five stars.
I would rather have listened to this after I was dead! Would like to have put no stars
Not available on Spotify but fro lm what I heard on YouTube this is god awful experimental shite
I don't understand jazz.
Not good, no groove
Of all the genres, jazz has the greatest propensity to dip into the self indulgent. This is exactly that.
"Spy vs. Spy: The Music of Ornette Coleman" is the fifth studio album by American composer and saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist John Zorn. This album features the compositions of Ornette Coleman (jazz saxophonist, trumpeter, violinist and composer) performed in a brief, intense style. Another description is music that approaches free-form jazz from the perspective of hardcore punk. The band includes Zorn and Tim Berne on alto sax, bassist Mark Dressler and drummers Joey Baron and Michael Vatcher. "W.R.U." opens with ridiculously fast drums and saxophones. The drums are in the speed metal/thrash category. Oh, it keeps getting faster. "Word for Bird" has layered spiraling saxophones and chaotic drumming. People whistling. I had to play this album on YouTube and they played the video which had men dressed up as "A Clockwork Orange" gang members beating up people. Disturbing and somehow appropriate. "Good Old Days" slows things down a bit initially. A sax intro, underlying drum. More in the bebop category. "Peace Warriors" continues the fast pace. They do a start-stop-start style throughout the song. This is more jazz than punk. All the instrumentalists go off in different directions on the album closer "Mob Job." This is the definition of speed free-form jazz if there is such a thing. For the first half of the album I was like "what the hell is this." Then, for some reason, it clicked and I started to like it. There is no doubt as to technical ability of all these instrumentalists. I felt that the first half of this album is more hardcore punk with horns and the second half is ridiculously fast bebop jazz. Almost every song has some form of chaos in free-form. I have no idea who else might like this. If you like punk alone, I doubt you'll like this and if you like jazz alone, there's no way you're liking this. I guess this is for the open-minded and experimental sort of person.
Not huge into free jazz, and I don’t *love* this, but it’s pretty damn interesting. Could grow on me one day. 2.5/5
Couldn't listen past the fifth song. Very hard listen. Can't recommend unless you're really into avant garde jazz. This type of jazz often sounds like slightly organized noise.
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.
I’m just not into jazz
Moi: Générateur, il manque d’album Jazz dans ta liste Générateur: Il y a plein d’album Jazz dans ma liste Les albums Jazz dans sa liste être comme:
I appreciate the attempt to experiment. But seriously, who the fuck is this music for.
Kan vara den värsta skivan på denna lista. Totalt olyssningsbart.
undeniably cool, but also tough to listen to so i can’t give it more than a 2. some quick snippets of relistenability but other than that doesn’t work in the context of straight up listening. i’m sure it’s perfect for the show
Did I get through the whole thing? Dear lord no; this is an assault on the ears. But I did learn that "thrash jazz" is a thing, so there's that. Who knew you could make punk/noise-rock with saxophones? Neat! But also terrible.
Not my jam, but I really appreciate Zorn being here.
Like they threw an orchestra down the stairs at Whetherspoons. 0 stars.
John Zorn... I was dreading this day. My dad has made me listen to John Zorn before. He's a Jazz collector and buying John Zorn was the biggest regret of his collection because the store didn't allow people to listen beforehand. The majority of this album sounds like they were trying to speedrun recording an album, but not in a fun way. Everyone sounds like they need a chill pill. Well, maybe not the bassist. I can barely hear him over the absolute squealing saxophones. Admittedly, there are some listenable parts, but it's not enough to lift this above a 1. I almost hate the saxophone now.
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.
Ahh I wondered when I would get this. I was nearing the end and with only 18 albums left, I still hadn't seen it. It was the last (I am pretty sure) really low rated album that I hadn't gotten. Honestly... I loved it. Maybe I am just so cynical after 1000+ albums it was different. Not every song worked, but it was trying something and I dug it. Especially the later half of the album. It was just strange enough in a way that worked for me. I get why this wouldn't be for everyone, but for me it worked.
Intense
Up its own arse but we’re all already there anyway.
finally, an album that answers the question "what if the ending of 21st Century Schizoid Man lasted 40 goddamn minutes?"
Not gonna lie… this busted my brain wide open!! Everything that I love!!
So fun and loud and fast. Very cool approach to some good jazz
that was legitness
Hm, eigentlich schade, warum spielt man eine 33er LP auf 78 ab? Andererseits sehr überraschend, ein Saxophon auf Speed zwischen den ganzen Singer-Songwritern und Post-Grunge Bands zu finden. Da hat der Ersteller der 1001-Liste sich wohl im Drogenrausch versehen.
A full noise misch-masch. Not for my ears. I would like to give it a thumb down. Definitely not my cup of tea.
This pace was stressful
Always loved Ornette but this album isn't available anywhere
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.
This album is so cool! I never heard it before but it's WILD! I'm specially fond of music with such characreistics, unorganised, without formal structures. I don't know what's goning on but it's such a fun ride! Straight to 4/5.
I've dipped my toes in the Naked City/Torture Garden pool and know what this Zorn guy is about. Don't really get why this one makes the cut, it's not as dynamic or varied, nor does it have the "what just happened" factor as the more known releases that explore a similar concept. The "everyone overplaying all at once" gets to be a bit much after a few songs, so you get a respite in the beginning of tracks like "Enfant," but alas, after a minute we're off to the races again.
W.R.U. // Good Old Days // Enfant // C. & D. // Mob Job
omg sekamelska eiiiiiiiii eiiiiiiiii...... en voi taputtaa käsiä.. missä käsientaputusmahdollisuus... tämä on niin vitun kiinnostavaa musiikkia mutta en voi kieli ulkona taputtaa rytmiin käsiä... ranteet lörpäkät ei pidä minkäänlaista jäykkyyttä läpsii läpsii kädet läpsii. haukkoo henkeä haukkoo haaaa haaaa haaaa läpsii läpsii läpsii haaaaa haaaaaa haaaaa suu ammenauki avonainen haaaa haaaaa haaa läpsii läpsii haaaa henkeä sisään haaaa haaaa.... noniin ja annetaas oikeeta arvostelua: ymmärsin kaiken täydellisesti ongelmitta, helppoa kuunneltavaa minulle. The only bad thing about this record is I wish the double bass was a little higher in the mix but this can easily be adjusted. HOLY FUCK YES HOLY FUCK YES HOLY FUCK YES HOLY FUCK YES HOLY FUCK YES HOLY FUCK YES HOLY FUCK YES I LOVE ZORN good old days
What the fuck man?
Not available on Spotify
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).
I could not find this one, but as I recall, this must be jazz and I probably wouldn't have liked it anyhow.
The saxophone is often referred to as 'the devil's third horn.' Let's all pray for the soul of John Zorn as he has crossed over into Satan-land. *Bonus stars for using brass to thrash.
Spy v. Spy is an iconic comic from Mad Magazine. Which, it was neat to find out, was created by a Cuban cartoonist specializing in political satire who fled Cuba as Fidel Castro nationalized the Cuban press. Now I have to do my best to forget about John Zorn's "Spy vs. Spy," in the hopes that the chaotic jazz noise will not pop into my head any time I see Antonio Prohías' black and white bomb-obsessed spies. I wish the spies had stuck a bomb in Zorn's saxophone.
It's like everyone in a jazz band is performing their most hard core solo at the same time without paying any attention to what the rest of the band is doing. It is the aural equivalent of flashing, flickering lights and should come with a warning that it can cause seizures. Pure cacophony.
This album reminds me of a specific scene from Kindegarten Cop. Teacher: You know, kindergarten is like the ocean. You never want to turn your back on it. Schwarzenegger enters his classroom to find absolute chaos. Kids running around screaming. Some painting the chalkboard red. Another dumping a bag of flour everywhere. And a kid dancing all over the piano keys. That scene is this album. And then… Schwarzenegger: SHUT UUUUPPPPP!!!! Shut up, shut up, shut uuuuppppp. He refers to them as monsters. I agree.
maybe even a 5 star album, really compelling to me
This is hot garbage. So little, if any, was enjoyable with this heap of trash. I recognize there were two drummers on this album, but never before have I thought music could contain too much drumming! But I don't want to blame the drums solely, because John Zorn must be held accountable for this discordant piece of shit.
Thrashy improv-sounding jazz? Anyone who knows me could have immediately guessed that this would not be my thing. But here we are. What an absolute nonstop cacophony. Couldn't have enjoyed this less.
Thrashcore Jazz? I dig it. Fave: Good Old Days, Feet Music
Looking at all the 1 star reviews from people that think music must be fluffy, friendly and non-challenging like: principal_skinner_pathetic.jpg This is pretty badass, and nowhere near as extreme as some of these reviews make out. I probably couldn't listen to stuff like this every day, and definitely wouldn't want it inflicted on me without choice, but every now and again it's good to listen to something that stretches your boundaries! Fave track - "Feet Music" is probably the most accessible? I enjoyed what "Peace Warriors" did too!
Kind of a lot of ruckus and this shouldn't effect the rating but it was hard to find this album.
Ornette, as deciphered by Zorn??? Greatest trainwreck ever!!! 5 million stars
I am so, so sad that a jazz album is going to go down amongst the closest ones I came to turning off without finishing. Not only is it purposefully cacophonous...the music also sounds very much the same throughout. Really, really disappointing way to present avant garde jazz--you've already broken the structure, can I get some more ideas at least?
Nice to have something with a bit of free jazz about it. I hope there are some of the 60s touchstone stuff for that genre.
1. If they cannot provide links,I am not going to try and search it
What the actual f** … Ok, it is kinda funky … No wait, it hurts … Hm, but I like this bit … No, it’s horrible … Although that was kinda great … No, ears are bleeding again … But not in a bad way … Make it stop … Ok, one more minute A very s/m experience, this one.
I feel attacked! Interesting, but not something for a regular Saturday.
Another album that I thought I was going to hate in the first 30 seconds of listening to it, but that I started to enjoy as it went on. It's a challenging listen for sure, but after giving it a couple of goes, I think it's actually pretty good. It's certainly different and fits more in the theme of a list like this than one of the more mediocre Beatles or Bowie albums.
Hosting a dinner party with people you absolutely hate and want to get rid of as soon as possible? Put this album on and watch them scramble for the door. Oh good they actually like it? Run! For the love of god just run! Forget about your belongings, get of there before they turn you into one of them!
Chaos. But I didn’t actually hate some of it. Simpsons: No
Mad music. It wasn't the worst but can't see myself listening again.
I can see what this is in the worst 20-rated albums on this list. It was described as free jazz, but that is just a fancy way of saying it's not music, it's just noise. If you're looking to increase your stress levels or find yourself overwhelmed by chaotic sounds, you might consider giving this album a listen. If you want to stay relaxed, I strongly recommend steering clear of it.
I have to say it's a real tragady that this is the only foray into Ornette Coleman on this list, The Shape of Jazz to Come definitely feels more deserving of a place on this list than some of the dad rock I've had to slog through. Never heard of John Zorn before but I love that he deliberately resists category and that can definitely be heard in this album. According to Wikipedia the album approaches “free” jazz from the perspective of hardcore punk, particularly taking note of the contemporary innovations of thrashcore and grindcore. I don't fully know what that means but it makes something super interesting to listen to. It's loud, it's chaotic and I love it. Also, two drummers? That's insane in the best way.
Confident I will never listen to this again. But my mouth was agape at the sheer audacity of this album. Very fun
Worst one yet
I’m a big fan of Expressive and Loud Jazz so this definitely hit the spot. Link to YouTube Video I used: https://youtu.be/zCHB5LLPQ3s?si=aSMsJH4sHzX5bNwd
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.
Not my favorite jazz album.
Sounds like a lorry carrying a load of drums and saxophones had a road traffic accident
5.5/10
Probably not what I was looking for when listening to this album. It’s jazz, but frenetic and loud, and all over the place. I think the musicians are doing incredible work, it’s very clever, but it’s not what I’m looking for listening right now, which might adversely affect my low score.
i know intellectually that this is not a 1/5, that the original compositions are beautiful and these rearrangements are very deliberately, thoughtfully abrasive - i know that my reaction to the thing is the record working as intended. but this project is ultimately for my own amusement and reference, and i very much did jump ship after 12 minutes because the listening experience stressed me out real bad.
Not available in my Spotify region, YouTube works. But it’s no loss, this album is not for me
JAZZ
I like jazz, but I'd rather listen to a room filled with 100 cats collectively scraping their claws on a chalkboard than this.
Racket made for dickheads
Not on spotify, probably technically amazing, but not doing it for me. Would rather listen to Ornette Coleman
The sound of my brain falling down the stairs. Jesus what a noise. This may be all virtuoso and stuff but it's bloody awful. Zero out of ten
This is the equivalent of modern art in some ways. It doesn’t make sense to me. I get that are needs to expand and experiment, but sometimes it gets a little ridiculous. This truly is an assault on the ears and while it may be something to listen to before you die. Dear God, please don’t let this be the last thing I listen to before I die!!
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
3.9 1x catchup 11/15/24 on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCHB5LLPQ3s
I started reading the reviews before listening so I knew what I was in for but they had no way to prepare me for this. It is every bit as insane as I was led to believe and more. I listened to the entire thing in 1 sitting without interruption. It’s got really great moments of jazz in this, 5% of the time. The rest is like a firetruck siren and the musicians were in a giant blender. This has altered my ears and my brain permanently. Now I can taste music. Now I can see through time.
I can't compete with the humor of other reviews. If you know Ornette Coleman's music and if you know John Zorn's music, you'll have a pretty good idea what you're getting into with this album. The only real difference between what you'd expect and the actuality is that Zorn's usual Carl Stalling-like jump cutting isn't present. Otherwise, it's exactly as you'd expect. It is aggressively chaotic. As one other reviewer said, this is either a 1 or 5. I'd say it depends on my mood. Today, it's a 5.
Tough one to be honest
This was odd, but I enjoyed it.
Finally a jazz record I really love.
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.
I'm so glad when I get an album like this on the list. Those drums are insane, blowing my ears off. Like hardcore-punk-inspired free jazz. Crazy stuff. Calms itself down a little towards the end but I was engrossed the whole time.
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
очень сложно было добыть, но один раз насладилась (и хватит)
October 12, 2024 HL: "Good Old Days", "Enfant", "Broad Way Blues", "Chippie" Imagine being the double bass player having to compete with two drummers Well, apart from a single listen of "The Shape of Jazz To Come" last year, I can't speak much for the source material. And the other main influences at play, thrash & hardcore punk, are ones I generally avoid if I can help it. Yet all these elements smashed together provides a surprisingly compelling listen. I threw some highlights up there but trying to separate the little pieces from the chaotic whole doesn't really do the experience justice. I may be reading into this, at times, literal noise, but for all that talk about free jazz being intimidating and inaccessible, you don’t need a music education to *get it*. Maybe all one has to do is just Get! in! THE PIT!
At least it’s funny
Makes Throbbing Gristle sound not so terrible.
I like to consider it a blessing in disguise when albums aren’t available on Spotify, and despite the kind offer from another user to send over the tracks, I’ve opted to decline and consider myself saved from a potential ear bleed
Not available on Spotify
Cool guys doing cool guy shit I would definitely blow young John Zorn
horrible!
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.
Wasn't on Spotify.
As a Mars Volta fanatic, I approve of this message.
Pros: * Cool album art * Impressively low 'fucks given' count when it comes to following musical conventions * 'Feet Music' was genuinely enjoyable Cons: * Bit samey * Kinda unlistenable
A lot of nonsense, although the nonsense makes the great moments even greater 5/10
This was pretty cool. I liked it, anyway.
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.
Wild, man! Outrageous! Unlistenable! You know when the band finishes a big number and holds out the last note, and every musician fills time simultaneously until the one final stinger all played together? This album is that long final note of chaos, but played the entire album length. I tried listening to Zorn around the time I was getting more into Mike Patton, both pushing the musical boundaries (especially Patton's solo work). I thought I just didn't understand Zorn at the time, or heard a few bad tracks. I honestly can hear some melodic music by skilled musicians hiding in here in parts of tracks like "Word For Bird" and "Enfant," but as a whole, it's too "everybody solo!" for there to be much cohesion. "Rejoicing" is a highlight here.
I watched "Whiplash," so I know how insane these people are. I'm glad someone out there is doing this kind of thing, but I don't want to have to listen to it. I read another review which said this is music for masochists. I agree, but, well, I'm no masochist. I like to enjoy my music as well as be challenged by it. This is the kind of jazz that makes me feel stupid for not liking it. Like I'm too much of a rube to appreciate it. Well, fuck you, free jazz! If you're so great, then why are you so terrible?! Two stars for technical merit only.
no
Maybe listening to 40 minutes in one sitting was too much for my brain, but in small doses, it may be manageable. Reserving final judgement for when I have the guts to give it another go
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.
I just don’t get it. Jazz isn’t my strong point anyway and I guess this is the jazz equivalent of thrash metal, but I just didn’t get it. I listened all the way through and it’s all atonal noise. It’s a no from me, sorry John.
"The horror... the horror!!!!"
I was going to give this another chance. But it looks like the music gods heard my prayer. Because it has been removed from Spotify. 1/5
unlistenable
Extremely tiring
I always enjoyed Spy Vs. Spy in Mad magazine. People inflicting chaos on each other wordlessly. This album is a lot like that. I generally like jazz so I enjoyed this, but this is some pretty esoteric stuff.
*laughs nervously* what the fuck?
1.5
Could not play on spotify
Sounds like the drums are beating the shit out of the saxophones.
That was a challenging listen, the sort of music they'd torture detainees with at Guantanamo Bay. If the band was there like 'hehe what if we played like a thrash metal band' for one track as a joke yeah fair enough, but leave it at that. The first half is purely the sounds of a jazz band falling down stairs, the second part lets up a little but still not exactly a relaxing listen. I'll give it 2 stars though cos I respect it for going balls to the wall lol.
This has to be a joke, right? Christ on a bike.
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.
If jazz musicians created hardcore punk. Edit: Commented before reading the Wikipedia entry. Well, Zorn nailed it. Gave it an extra star.
They just played all the notes at once for 40 minutes. John Zorn owes me advil.
I think there was one song, maybe 2/3rds of the way through, that was sort of listenable. And that's being kind. The rest is complete garbage. Nothing about this is interesting, compelling, or good. I was listening in the car with one of my kids (I like to torture them at times) and she, at one point, didn't realize that we were on the 7th song of the album because it "all sounded exactly the same."
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
litt for mye jazz
Why the hell is this included? It’s like he went into the studio trying to create music that would drive someone insane within seconds. It felt like random fast saxophone notes paired with someone doing a shitty impression of Alex Van Halen’s drum intro for “Hot for Teacher”. Worst album out of the 800+ recommended so far
Nope no no no. Stress. Seriously, though - I’m so glad this exists and the influence John Zorn and crew (his drummer is SO good!) is remarkable.
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.
Energetic and thought provoking. Coleman’s music enjoys the grit and pace.
Just noise
The first… half? Two thirds? was so chaotic it made me feel stressed. But there were some better moments later on so it redeemed itself a little.
Felt like just a bunch of noise; not my thing.
i haven't heard this, i tried but i couldn't
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.
Yeah, no
Just an obnoxious clashing of saxophone solos layered on top of each other with no consideration for making the music actually sound good.
The first half of Spy Vs. Spy: The Music Of Ornette Coleman is absolutely disastrous, it's like a drum and a saxophone are having a fight but really only in the style of Peter Griffin vs Ernie the Giant Chicken, and it's just the most awful impossible to listen to shit on this list, legitimately painful. The back half is a little more tolerable as it gets away from the assault on the senses just enough to offer some melody and tunefulness, but it's still not very good. A 1 and one of the lowest 1s I could possibly give.
I read a couple of the reviews on the site, and the few positive ones urged me to go in with an open mind, which I very much tried to do. 'Assault on the senses' is absolutely the way to describe the first half of the album, I hadn't expected an improvised jazz record to be so intense but it absolutely does borrow from stuff like thrashcore. As it's not on Spotify, I listened on YouTube with ads, and the dulcet tones of Sean Bean advertising some phone company were a nice bit of light relief. It did improve in the second half, a lot more tuneful but still with a bit of edge. I don't think it's the worst thing we've had, but it's definitely not my cup of tea or particularly good. A 1/5, but could've been worse.
Ich finde dieses Album furchtbar. Mir ist diese Art Jazz zu chaotisch, zu unvorhersehbar. Das schöne ist, dass ich durch diese Liste überhaupt erst auf John Zorn aufmerksam geworden bin. Denn seine späteren Alben sind weniger avantgardistisch und gefallen durchaus auch mir.
the worst I've ever heard
I have only quit on one or two albums on this list so far. This is borderline unlistenable noice. It's technically very impressive spastic jazz. I survived 20 mins and that was enough. It's so chaotic and unpleasant. The drums and woodwinds in particular started to injure my brain. 2 stars for it being impressive albeit awful.
Nicht gefunden
2.5
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).
Nö!
This might be torcher Jazz. Crazy an violent. Has its place, but not for me.
I was unable to listen to this album as I could not find it anywhere.
10 years ago, I would have hated this; however since dipping my toes in the free jazz universe find it fascinating and looking forward to listening to some actual Ornrtte Coleman records
3.5 rounded up really interesting and definitely something i see myself revisiting! a lot to take in tho highlights: enfant, c&d, ecars (feb 13 2026)
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
John Zorn is a jazz saxophonist who is among the most prolific recording artists in history. Spy Vs. Spy is his tribute to jazz pioneer Ornette Coleman, who is known for his free jazz style of improvisation. Zorn has recorded an incredible range of music, and this is some of the most difficult to listen to. The performers are technically talented remarkably so. While it is impressive that they are able to play this work, it is not a pleasant listening experience. It's aggressive, noisy, and frequently dissonant.
I went through a hard bop phase so digging this.
Langsam kommen die guten Sachen…
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.
Listened to this one on Youtube. I guess I'm not a fan of Ornette Coleman. It was a bit of noise jazz and I appreciated the Youtube ad breaks to give my ears a break. Anyway, John Zorn seems cool. The next video that came on was way more enjoyable. My taste is not refined enough to enjoy that kind of music.
What the fuck. I almost cried after realizing that all the songs would sound the god damn same. There is absolutely no way to tell one track from the other. Also, who the hell told John Zorn that he should make music, let alone record an entire album? I hope that person's pillow has two warm sides. There is no actual rhythm to these songs. Every single one of them is a bunch of trumpets and drums and clarinets and saxophones put together and the deaf producer said, "There we go, that's music". I don't think I will ever understand why this album is in the top 1001 albums that I must listen to before I die. I would rather die than listen to this again.
Some parts of this are okay. Some parts are utterly unlistenable. If this was any longer it would be a 1 star
As I near the end of this project, so many times I have had to reevaluate my feelings about jazz, most of them being very positive. I have heard so many amazing albums I have loved! This is the album I will play when asked, "How could anyone hate jazz?" Oh, boy, I hate this so so so much! This is why. Mine ears hurt.
I feel kind of bad, because I simply do not understand the appeal. This might be the best album for those who can appreciate this free-form high-intensity jazz. I am not one of these people.
I don't get this. It's energetic I guess. And loud.
This is basically the thrash metal of Jazz. I was surprised that I didn’t hate it. That said, I don’t see myself listening to this again. But not the worst.
Another of the bottom 10 records on this generator... One of the reviews states that it "sounds like the drums are beating the shit out of the saxophones" and that may be the most accurate description I've ever heard. This dude created a genre called thrash jazz. It is exactly what it sounds like. Insanely fast drumming and sax parts. Just utter chaos. It's quite hilarious actually. John Zorn is clearly insane. Man, those horns are being abused. I guarantee that this album was influenced heavily by Miles Davis' album of the same caliber: Bitches Brew. Favourite songs: Feet Music, Ecars, Good Old Days Least favourite songs:... Most of the album 2/5
I had to listen to this on poor man's you tube as it's not on Spotify. Maybe the constant adverts were a blessing as this is some crazy confusing music. They're all good musicians yet the thread of consistency is thin. I've discovered thrash jazz but not in a massive rush to hear it again. If someone gave this 1 star or 5 stars I couldn't argue. I listened to it when I went to the shops and forgot what I was going in for. A very interesting listen. 5/10
This is why people don’t like jazz. This ruins it for anyone else. This sounds like a junior high band warming up. Nothing to see here.
Jazz as an extreme sport. Often painful but never boring. Probably won't listen again. A good album to get the bar emptied. 2.3
Yesterday I got Miles Davis - Kind of Blue followed by…this. Opposite ends of the jazz spectrum for sure. I gave Kind of Blue five stars, so logically this gets: 0⭐️ (sigh) 1⭐️
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+
If I was on a desert island with only this album for company I'd choose to live the rest of my life in silence.
It is hectic, so if I'm listening for the notes that I can't hear, then I'm missing all the notes that I can't hear. I think this means I'm hearing a lot. More than I'd like to hear. The musicians are fabulous, especially the horn players. Not sure how they can handle all the frantic notes... but mostly, this isn't really for me.
Whoah. This is pretty awesome... i don't believe i've heard anything like it. Though phrases like "free jazz" or "thrash jazz" already kind of get me to what i'm likely to make out of it. As everything is saying, this is some challenging music, and i'm going to end up on the side that says it doesn't work for me. I feel like there is about 25% of the time that if you even isolated a single instrument (particularly the saxes and rums) that you would even want to listen to that single instrument. And then they take all 5 instruments (sax, sax, drums drums, bass) and mass them together... and you get this. I will say that i appreciated listening to it, definitely an experience expansion for me. I love someone's comment about what would happen if you casually dropped this on your playlist while driving in a car with someone. To me it just highlight the stressful nature of this music... i feel confident that if Peace Warriors suddenly became the U.S. national anthem, there would be sudden increase in the number of stabbings across the country.
Sounds like a box of instruments falling down an escalator.
Two bad eggs in a row. Sounds like five different musicians playing separate songs in sperate rooms that are now being played all at the same time.
Some music is much more enjoyable to perform than it is to hear.