When I saw Ornette at Carnegie Hall in 2003 with his two-bass quartet, they played the tunes at almost this same tempo, with Denardo drumming like he was in Slayer. (Denardo later told me that the concert was recorded, but not released because Carnegie Hall wanted too much money for the use of their name. I told him he should just call it "Live In New York" and tell them to get fucked.)
FANTASTIC post. I have all of Zorn's Nonesuch CD's. Zorn - the Master Composer that apparently doesn't sleep. Tim Berne is my favorite saxophonist. Screwgun Records is an audio goldmine.
Hell yes! My copy of Spy Vs. Spy is on the shelf, between Naked City and Film Works, 1986-1990, another classic Nonesuch release. Spillane and The Big Gundown reside among the LPs, where I also have Torture Garden by Naked City. It's favorite Zorn period by a long shot.
This record was my introduction to Ornette’s music (my local library in high school had this cd and big gundown(which I heard first) and I haven’t looked back since. Probably haven’t heard this in 20+ years but listening now reminded how exciting it is as a record…
My first date with my future wife was Indian food on 6th Street, then watching Zorn + Berne play the Spy Vs Spy Ornette stuff from the sidewalk beneath the open windows of the old Knitting Factory on Houston Street on a warm summer night. It was glorious. (She dug it, too; we're still together.) I saw Naked City there sometime later, who were astonishing, but imho nowhere near as pleasurable.
When it came out i said "zorn wants to make ornette dangerous again." Thanks for this writeup on this much-neglected recording.
When I saw Ornette at Carnegie Hall in 2003 with his two-bass quartet, they played the tunes at almost this same tempo, with Denardo drumming like he was in Slayer. (Denardo later told me that the concert was recorded, but not released because Carnegie Hall wanted too much money for the use of their name. I told him he should just call it "Live In New York" and tell them to get fucked.)
Postwar is so great it really influenced my thinking, and I became something of a Judt fanboy. Have you ever read his harrowing essay “Night”?
FANTASTIC post. I have all of Zorn's Nonesuch CD's. Zorn - the Master Composer that apparently doesn't sleep. Tim Berne is my favorite saxophonist. Screwgun Records is an audio goldmine.
Hell yes! My copy of Spy Vs. Spy is on the shelf, between Naked City and Film Works, 1986-1990, another classic Nonesuch release. Spillane and The Big Gundown reside among the LPs, where I also have Torture Garden by Naked City. It's favorite Zorn period by a long shot.
People like Scott Yanow are essentially why I've decided to become a music critic.
(Naked City even reached me in my small town in Northern Germany – Nonesuch/Elektra really did make an effort marketing that record.)
This record was my introduction to Ornette’s music (my local library in high school had this cd and big gundown(which I heard first) and I haven’t looked back since. Probably haven’t heard this in 20+ years but listening now reminded how exciting it is as a record…
My first date with my future wife was Indian food on 6th Street, then watching Zorn + Berne play the Spy Vs Spy Ornette stuff from the sidewalk beneath the open windows of the old Knitting Factory on Houston Street on a warm summer night. It was glorious. (She dug it, too; we're still together.) I saw Naked City there sometime later, who were astonishing, but imho nowhere near as pleasurable.
Glad to report I have it in my music library in my desktop, where it has been for close to 20 years.