Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, John Zorn Style

December 12, 2011 11:41 AM

Always an enigma, John Zorn, winner of a MacArthur Fellowship, founder of avant garde record label Tzadik proponent of radical Jewish culture, leader of the hard core group Naked City, creator of the Masada songbook, and hundreds of other things, has, with the likes of Mark Ribot, Cyro Baptista and Mike Pattoon, released a heart-breakingly lovely Christmas record, A Dreamer's Christmas.

Zorn on MeFi previously: 1, 2, 3.

posted by Lutoslawski (19 comments total)

John Zorn is both a creepy weirdo and a national treasure. I have more fun listening to one of his string quartets than I do experiencing just about anything else.
posted by shakespeherian at 11:46 AM on December 12, 2011 [1 favorite]

Fantastic.
posted by looli at 11:48 AM on December 12, 2011

It's really a fabulous album, and the most tolerable xmas music in years.

Zero skronk, yelps or irony. Totally straightforward and well played. So sincere it's post ironic.
posted by Theta States at 11:52 AM on December 12, 2011 [1 favorite]

Electric Masada stands among the best performances I've ever witnessed. Breathtaking.
posted by neuromodulator at 11:54 AM on December 12, 2011 [1 favorite]

I think Mike Patton would approve of being made to rhyme with spittoon.

Also oh man I need to get back to the US and get to a decent internet connection so I can listen to this. I basically just love the fuck out of everything Mark Ribot does, and the other three bode pretty well too.
posted by nebulawindphone at 12:03 PM on December 12, 2011

This is really, really great. Thank you!
posted by koeselitz at 12:30 PM on December 12, 2011

Jingle HONK Jingle SQUEAK Jingle all the TINK.
Oh what fun it is to PLINK in a one-horse open BLAT.
posted by clvrmnky at 1:05 PM on December 12, 2011 [2 favorites]

john zorn is a good animal. always good to be reminded of a zorn. gonna have us a zornmas now.
posted by beefetish at 1:16 PM on December 12, 2011

Neuromodulator- agreed. One of The Best concerts I've ever seen. They were having so much fun. Magic.
posted by parki at 3:00 PM on December 12, 2011

I don't have enough superlatives for this.
posted by mintcake! at 3:07 PM on December 12, 2011

Finally something new for the shelf of Christmas music I can stand to listen to. It's nice to hear the vibes featured so prominently, there's an instrument that doesn't get much play these days. Also, the organ sound on Let It Snow! is just killer.
posted by Lorin at 3:37 PM on December 12, 2011

This is fantastic! And a little unexpected. But mostly fantastic.
posted by .kobayashi. at 3:54 PM on December 12, 2011

Wow! I really like this. And I hate X-Mas music!
posted by Area Control at 4:04 PM on December 12, 2011

If you like vibes in jazz, Lorin, try to chase down some of Jason Adasiewiecz's appearances.
posted by box at 4:31 PM on December 12, 2011

Ohh, checking him out on youtube now. Great stuff, thanks for the tip!
posted by Lorin at 5:03 PM on December 12, 2011

Finally! An answer to the age-old question: which John Zorn album do I get for my mom?

(Seriously, though, the songs I've heard off of this are really good, and I have a soft spot a mile wide for Christmas music, even sickly sentimental stuff)
posted by heurtebise at 5:08 PM on December 12, 2011

(...though 'A Very Painkiller Christmas' would not go unloved here at Mintcake Towers.)
posted by mintcake! at 6:54 PM on December 12, 2011

This is one of my favourites. The beginning is slow.
posted by neuromodulator at 8:51 PM on December 12, 2011

Two Zorn posts in one month? This is a happy December!
posted by caddis at 10:41 AM on December 13, 2011 [1 favorite]