John Zorn - Naked City
Label: Nonesuch
Label: Elektra/Nonesuch/Tzadik
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gcfwxq9gldde
Review by Scott Yanow
The violent cover photo (which shows a man after he was shot dead) sets the stage for the rather passionate music on this John Zorn set. With guitarist Bill Frisell, keyboardist Wayne Horvitz, bassist Fred Frith, drummer Joey Baron, and guest vocalist Yamatsuka Eye making intense contributions, altoist Zorn performs his unpredictable originals, abstract versions of some movie themes (including "A Shot in the Dark," "I Want to Live," "Chinatown," and "The James Bond Theme"), plus Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman." The stimulating music rewards repeated listenings by more open-minded listeners.
Release Date: 1989
Review by Thom Jurek
It's almost inconceivable to believe that Naked City, the vanguard supergroup comprised of John Zorn, Bill Frisell, Fred Frith, Wayne Horvitz, and Joey Baron, never recorded a live album during their tenure. This wonderfully recorded document from the dawn of the Knitting Factory provides ample evidence that Naked City was even more astonishing live than on their albums. The material comes mainly from the band's debut — which was recorded some months later — and has all the punch and sheer adrenaline-gushing verve that a new project brings out of its participants. From the stomping psychedelic lounge of "Batman" to the strolling, edgy R&B in "Latin Quarter," to the hardcore punk and roll of "You Will Be Shot" and the freewheeling improvisation that gives way to Addams Family-style surf music at the heart of "Shot in the Dark," in these first four selections, Naked City lays out a territorial map of the ground that they will stake as their own. But it's not enough to be wide-ranging and experimental and humorous: You have to be able to pull it off in style, and Naked City reveals beyond doubt that inside the grain of their collective voice as a unit, the sense of swing and movement is paramount — check "Blood Duster," "Chinatown," "Den of Sins," etc., over 20 selections. The other magnificent thing about this live date juxtaposed with the band's studio outings is how different the solo impulses are. No two are the same from any member, and none of them made their way onto tape later. The stop- and start-on-a-dime histrionics of their hardcore attitude and Ornette Coleman-inspired improvisation is an open field against the tighter arrangements of the shimmering jazz noir and warped, blues-laden post-bop. This is not only essential for fans, but proves to be an accessible and wondrous introduction to a truly awesome, if short-lived, band.
The first album from John Zorn’s trailblazing collective, the self-titled Naked City features a rollicking synthesis of jazz, free-jazz, punk, hardcore, and collage techniques, often jumping between multiple styles at a rapid pace within one song. Rolling Stone suggests that listeners of this postmodern whirlwind think of Zorn as a “rapid-fire radio scanner,” and anticipate “hanging on for dear life whenever he hits the button.”
Credits:
MUSICIANS
John Zorn, alto sax
Bill Frisell, guitar
Wayne Horvitz, keyboards
Fred Firthy, bass
Joey Barron, drums
Yamatsuka Eye, vocals
PRODUCITON CREDITS
Produced by John Zorn / Naked City
Recorded and mixed by Roger Moutenot
Mastering by Bob Ludwig
Front cover photograph: Weegee, Corpse with Revolver, CA 1940
Photo courtesy of the Weegee Collection, curator: Wilma Wilcox
Illustrations: Maruo Suehiro
Design: Tanaka Tomoyo
Photo-type setting: Takahashi Yukihiro
Executive producer: Bob Hurwitz
Tracks:
1 Batman 1:58
2 The Sicilian Clan 3:27
3 You Will Be Shot 1:29
4 Latin Quarter (listen to full-length track) 4:05
5 A Shot in the Dark 3:09
6 Reanimator 1:34
7 Snagglepuss 2:14
8 I Want to Live 2:08
9 Lonely Woman 2:38
10 Igneous Ejaculation :20
11 Blood Duster
12 Hammerhead :08
13 Demon Sanctuary :38
14 Obeah Man :17
15 Ujaku :27
16 Fuck the Facts :11
17 Speedball :37
18 Chinatown 4:23
19 Puck China Doll 3:01
20 N.Y. Flat top Box :43
21 Saigon Pickup 4:46
22 The James Bond Theme 3:02
23 Dens of Sin 1:08
24 Contempt 2:49
25 Graveyard Shift 3:25
26 Inside Straight 4:10