Zorn Goes with the Flow on Improv Night

The spit that flew out of John Zorn’s alto saxophone and onto my face as I sat on the cramped floor of downtown jazz club was alone more than worth the $20 donation at the door.

Zorn performed Saturday, December 27 at The Stone, which he opened himself in 2005. The club sits snugly on the corner of 2nd Street and Avenue C in Alphabet City, and functions as a non-profit venue, which, according to the website, is “dedicated to the experimental and the avant-garde.” Each month, The Stone hosts a series of musicians for Improv Night, when the audience is treated to sets with surprise guests, many of whom are downtown jazz veterans, including Zorn himself.

The first set, introduced by Zorn as “old school shit,” featured Jim Staley on trombone, Gerry Hemingway on drums, and Zorn on sax. The set was spot-on— the three crashed into a dizzying frenzy and left the audience exhilarated and gasping for air by the end. The polyrhythm of Hemingway’s drums and the cathartic effect of Zorn’s sax coupled to create the distinct convulsion of free jazz for which Zorn is best known, instantly making the set one of the best of the night.

The other standout performance was a duet between pianist Sylvie Courvoisier and violinist Mark Feldman. The real-life-couple, who has worked on projects with Zorn for over 15 years, had the most harmonious performance of the evening. Courvoisier’s prepared piano—the technique of placing objects onto the strings to alter the instrument’s timbre—combined with Feldman’s distinct vibrato to construct a stunningly unique set that could have easily been mistaken for a prearranged piece.

Other performances included the rock-driven set by guitarist Eyal Maoz, percussionist Billy Martin, and upright bassist Shanir Blumenkranz, who have each released work on Zorn’s avant-garde record label Tzadik, and sets with the Korean cellist Okkyung Lee and Japanese drummer and composer Ikue Mori. While the former’s set was strong and tightly structured, the latter’s two performances were noticeably weaker. Though Mori’s computer-generated noises fostered an atmospheric quality, she did not elevate the music to new heights. Similarly, Lee did not venture out of her comfort zone in the lower range of her cello, and seemed to stick with what she knew, not reacting to the other musicians—a vital component of free and experimental music.

Despite these weaknesses, it was clear that Zorn’s presence alone raised the bar for each of the musicians, challenging them to see how much they could tickle the ear with the abrasiveness of their music. This fearlessness has allowed Zorn and the musicians he supports to merge a wide array of musical styles to create something uniquely their own. Because of his artistic daring, it seems Zorn will continue to carry the torch of the downtown jazz scene that he has kept alive for nearly 30 years.