John Zorn: Suite for Piano
Brian Marsella, Jorge Roeder & Ches Smith
Over the years John Zorn has developed a vast network of collaborators invested in his work. This dazzling new project revolves around three of Zorn’s close collaborators: bassist Jorge Roeder, drummer Ches Smith, and pianist Brian Marsella, who will lead his own band Gatos do Sul elsewhere at this year’s Big Ears.
Zorn drew inspiration from Bach’s Goldberg Variations and the solo music of Arnold Schoenberg for the ten-movement suite—each section is named for specific dances or styles dating back centuries—but the execution is pure post-bop poetry. There’s no missing Zorn’s thumbprints (from the dive-bombing snare explosions or jump cut shifts in tempo) but the project delivers some of the most transparent elegance and virtuosity of any of the composer’s recent work, with a trust in his collaborators to bring his ideas to life with astonishing passion, precision, and empathy.
