John Zorn is a man of metropolis, a men who suits the relation with the other above us, from the 34th floor. It gives him the joy of the first meet, the discovery of one’s being through the eyes of the interlocutor.

Muzicadevest.ro (which means West Music and it’s another website of mine) got credentials at one of the oldest Jazz Festivals in Europe, the one in Ljubljana, that reached it’s 50th edition. The festival that invited, at it’s last night, John Zorn.

How is it in Ljubljana? I think it’s an uncharacteristic european capital. Provincial, and in the same time daintily, full of fresh green and beautiful, pleasant establishments.

I am trying to tell you now how it was at John Zorn’s concert, technical details: i didn’t think the location, being in an opened space, would have given the possibility of such an impeccable sound, but i was wrong, the sound was incredible. About 1000 people filled the Križanke open air theatre’s amphitheatre, the instruments of the monitor men were brought by the men from Medeski Martin & Wood. The ticket price was around 30 €, the concert was more than 4 hours long and there were 12 musicians involved on the stage.

20:07 hours, two prying eyes behind some geeky glasses, a red t-shirt with cabalistic symbols and the famous camouflage pants of the Mossad, plus the saxophone, lustreless from the acidity of the unforeseeable sounds. Zorn, John Zorn. One sock yellow, one red.

40 minutes of “zornish” improvisations

A show beginning I’ve never seen before. Full of strength, you had no way to resist the attack directed by Zorn. On the stage, short-reel films seemed to unwind, with different actors, but the same director.  Marc Ribot, Trevor Dunn, Joey Baron, Cyro Baptista, Chris Wood, Billy Martin, Kenny Wollesen, Jamie Saft succeeded each other in an awesome rhythm.

A Cyro Baptista which seemed like Frank Zappa, in look and the irony and cynicism of rendition, a Trevor Dunn that i confused with a timid child, lucky i recognized the bass, a Marc Ribot that was industrious doing his job, treating his guitar like a Salem witch and unstoppable in vary occasions (lucky chance that Zorn tempered him), a permanent smile of Joey Baron from behind the drums, a dervish dance of Kenny Wollesen, the vibraphonist. And John Zorn’s saxophone above them, and especially, his presence. As usually, backing the audience, facing the artists, “by director” Mr. John Zorn.

What did this gang sing? This i can not tell you, it’s impossible for me. Google can’t tell you either

After a 15 minute break, “The Dreamers” followed. They sang it almost entirely. A record released in 2008, in the , “The Gift” & Electric Masada tradition, but with Zorn playing the “conductor”. Delirious, a musical panacea that Zorn offers us these days. Apostrophizing and light in the same time, lively and solemn, full of specific dichotomies to the personality of one of the greatest smart sound creators on the contemporary music.

For me this concert stays a standard. Zorn’s activity too. He’s a diamond. Live, i saw two sides of him. I’ll stop with the metaphor, i believe i said enough.

Thank you John Zorn.

No pictures, no filming, he was pretty strict about it. Instead, i’m glad i can describe this to you.

P.S.

Thank you Gabi, Mirela, Dorin and Victor for being there with me, and for making this dreamful weekend.

Also, i thank the organizers of this jazz festival, we will surely be coming back at the next editions, Darinka Hvalec si Andrej Predin.