Zornfest @ Knitting Factory 9/7-9/93
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Originally posted to rec.music.bluenote, 10 Sep 1993 03:54:26 -0400.
The last couple of days have been fairly hectic. Around 10pm Tuesday I got
to Laguardia airpot, back from the Telluride Film Festival (see
rec.arts.movies if you're interested). By 11pm I was in the Knitting
Factory for the second set of Zorn's XU FENG. (Actually, one of the films
at Telluride, FAREWELL TO MY CONCUBINE, was produced by Xu Feng!)
The "sound modifiers" {referred to in Zorn's program notes} were cards Zorn
would hold up that said things like "fast", "slow", "loud", "soft",
"dense". There were other cards that indicated other things I can only
speculate about (there was a "Runner" card and a "Pool" card), possibly
they had something to do with who played or who "led" the improvisation.
There was a "crossfade" card which Zorn would raise and lower gradually,
causing one half of the band to become loud as the other faded out.
Headbands were worn by various people. Zorn had a hat that he wore and
took off at certain times, which I imagine meant something. There was a
big card that simply said "End" which had a predictable effect.
Anyway, the music was good. At times people seemed confused and some
of the transitions could have been more effective. But Zorn's system
generated some interesting interactions and juxtapositions.
After XU FENG, I eventually returned home and, since I hadn't played any
music for almost a week, I tore up my keyboard until about dawn. Slept in
the next day, had a msg on my machine that I could play a gig the next day,
which would have been exciting but it got cancelled before the day was
over.
Didn't make it to Kristallnacht at the Knitting Factory. But I heard the
first set was marred by the fact that Anthony Coleman had to borrow someone
else's sampler and it wasn't working or something. The second set was
apparently great. {I had seen this piece before.}
I had to wake up early anyway. I had four classes and a piano lesson
today. Ear Training, then Counterpoint, then Theory. Walk to Tribeca for
the lesson, walk back to the New School (13th & 5th) just in time for the
first meeting of Reggie Workman's "Free Jazz" class. I'm on time. There
are only four other students: drums, sax, trumpet, and another pianist.
They all seemed to know each other, and everyone except the drummer had
been in the ensemble last year and had the charts and stuff, so I was a
little insecure. It was an hour and a half before I got a chance to play.
When I did, I think I missed pretty much all the cues on the tune we were
reading (one of Reggie's), but it was a blast anyway. Since there
was no bass player, Reggie played bass. I think it's probably the first
time I've ever played with a totally awesome bass player,
certainly with respect to free improv! It's also probably the
first time I've ever really liked the music I've been playing at the
school. Anyway, it seems that I can be in the class even though there's
another pianist. The plan is to get another piano so we can both play at
once. Sounds like fun to me! Another potentially cool thing is that
Reggie said he would try to get Tim Berne to sub for him (it might not work
out cuz Berne is very busy).
After that, I had a little time to hang out at my brother's place, then I
head to Knitting Factory for Big John Patton's band with Zorn.
After buying five more Naked City tickets for certain people I go
upstairs, get a third row seat in the middle. As I'm sitting there, this
dude comes up, sez "Excuse me..." or something and sits down in front of
me, and starts asking me what I think about the music they're playing on
the PA or whatever. I thought it was pretty good. This guy wants details,
Why is it good? What is it about the groove? I'm not entirely sure I
understand what he's getting at (maybe cuz I was really stoned? But then
I'm not sure he was sober either...) but anyway he asks what music do I
like? I say, there's lots: Bach, Charlie Parker, Zorn -- He sez "are you a
musician?" I say "Well, yeah." "What do you play?" "Piano." Then he asks
me who's the first keyboard player I "imitated" since I must have imitated
people at first, he sez. I say, hmmmm, maybe Teddy Wilson (now that I
think about it Fats Waller would have to be a contender), and later Bud
Powell, and I was going to say after that it was Keith Jarrett (after which
I stopped trying to imitate people) but he had already gotten surprised at
"Teddy Wilson" so I explained "When I was a kid I was into stride piano,
etc." and he freaks out, exclaims something, walks out onto the stage. I
ask Bruce, who is that guy? And he sez "That's Big John." OK, so you
probably guessed that. I had a suspicion that's who he was but I the whole
thing caught me off-guard...
It was a fun concert. This band grooved like crazy. Big John would play
these throbbing basslines on the organ (they should have been louder,
IMHO). He rocked. Some of his bass notes were intriguing (ie, not just
1/4/5 or whatever but something more harmonically adventurous). There was
one tune where they all kept slamming this psuedo-downbeat on four without
fail (sort of like the bassline one is supposed to play with a wawonco beat
or whatever, if I understand that correctly, which I might not!) Zorn
sounded best when doing his "out" sax techniques (to be honest I've rarely
been impressed by his more normal melodic improvisation). Although the
guitar-player had a sound and "vocabulary" that I would usually consider
far too familiar, in fact he kicked ass as a soloist. He played
straight-ahead blues licks really well, without sounding cliched or
unconvincing, and also more sophisticated ("hip") harmonic substitutions,
and even some more almost avant-garde kinds of things. But basically he
drove the blues hard, and on the second-to-last tune he had a fantastic
solo which culminated in the whole band going "outside" with him on an
agressive rhythmic motif. It was great. Also spotted at the gig were Joey
Baron, Wayne Horvitz and Elliott Sharp.
I was singing the blues all the way home! I was hoping to play some but
first I had to watch the episode of Kojak taped while I was at the
Knitting, which I do at my brother's place. When I get back, I sit down at
the keyboard and although I sort of want to just kick off a rockin' blues
like Big John would do, I feel compelled to start really slowly, with a few
notes, and just see what develops. What develops is totally frenzied
eventually. I twist it into a blues or into some relationship with the
blues at certain points but basically I'm having a great time freaking out
so I go with it.
Well, I should stop babbling. Looks like I'll be at the Knitting Factory
for quite a few consecutive nights: tomorrow is
Locus Solus, then the
Sonny Clark Memorial Quartet,
Thieves Quartet,
News for Lulu,
Spillane & Godard, then
Naked City for four nights! I noticed
the Bill Frisell Trio (with Kermit Driscoll and Joey Baron) is playing at
the Vanguard Sept 28-Oct 3rd I think it is. Shame on whoever it was who
said there's no "interesting" music in NYC! One of the primary reasons I
moved here was for the music, and I don't regret it at all. I've probably
seen 50 maybe even 100 gigs already this year. Most would qualify at the
very least as "interesting".
Ciao,
-Ed
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Last modified 21 March 1994.