Spillane (album)

Last updated

Spillane
Spillane (album).jpg
Studio album by
Released1987
RecordedJune–August 1986, June & September 1987 at Radio City Studios, New York, NY; Russian Hill Recording, San Francisco, CA and Metal Box Studio, Tokyo, Japan
Genre Avant-garde
Length54:01
Label Elektra Nonesuch
Producer John Zorn, David Breskin
John Zorn chronology
Cobra
(1987)
Spillane
(1987)
News for Lulu
(1988)

Spillane is an album by American composer and saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist John Zorn, composed of three "file-card pieces", as well as a work for voice, string quartet and turntables.

Contents

It is named after mystery writer Mickey Spillane, whose novels featuring detective Mike Hammer provided the basis for the album's title track. Zorn wrote Spillane on a series of index cards, each containing an outline or instruction for the musicians that was intended to evoke scenes from one of Spillane's novels. One card states: "Scene of the crime #1 -- high harp harmonics, basses and trombone drone, guitar sonorities, sounds of water dripping and narration on top." [1] Thus, the musicians are not given traditional sheet music, but a series of cues or outlines that encourage improvisation.

Zorn later released the composition "Spillane" on the compilation album Godard/Spillane (1999).

Reception

The AllMusic review by Stephen Cook stated: "Spillane is not only one of the highlights in Zorn's catalog, but also makes for a fine introduction to the composer's vast body of work". [2]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [3]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Spillane"25:12
2."Two-Lane Highway: Preacher Man/White Line Fever/Nacogdoches Gumbo/East Texas Freezeout/San Angelo Release/Rollin' to Killeen/Blowout/Devil's Highway/Midnight Standoff/Marchin' for Abilene"13:30
3."Two-Lane Highway: Hico Killer/Long Mile to Houston"4:46
4."Forbidden Fruit (Variations for Voice, String Quartet and Turntables)"10:20

Personnel

1 - "Spillane" (25:12)
Recorded (June/August 1986) and Mixed (August 1987) by Don Hünerberg at NBC Radio City Studios, New York City
Written and arranged by John Zorn in collaboration with:

"Two-Lane Highway" (18:16)
2 - Preacher Man/White Line Fever/Nacogdoches Gumbo/East Texas Freezeout/San Angelo Release/Rollin' to Killeen/Blowout/Devil's Highway/Midnight Standoff/Marchin' for Abilene (13:30)
3 - Hico Killer/Long Mile to Houston (4:46)
Recorded (June 1987) and mixed (August 1987) by Don Hünerberg at NBC Radio City Studios, New York City
Conceived and arranged by John Zorn for Albert Collins in collaboration with:

4 - "Forbidden Fruit" (Variations for Voice, String Quartet and Turntables) (10:20)
Recorded September 1987 at Russian Hill Recording, San Francisco, by Howard Johnston, and at Metal Box Studio, Tokyo by Ono Seigen. Mixed September 1987 by Ono Seigen at CBS Roppongi Studios, Tokyo.
Written and arranged by John Zorn in collaboration with:

Credits

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Quine</span> American guitarist

Robert Wolfe Quine was an American guitarist. A native of Akron, Ohio, Quine worked with a wide range of musicians, though he himself remained relatively unknown. Critic Mark Deming wrote that "Quine's eclectic style embraced influences from jazz, rock, and blues players of all stripes, and his thoughtful technique and uncompromising approach led to rewarding collaborations with a number of visionary musicians."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Previte</span> American drummer

Bobby Previte is a drummer, composer, and bandleader. He earned a degree in economics from the University at Buffalo, where he also studied percussion. He moved to New York City in 1979 and began professional relationships with John Zorn, Wayne Horvitz, and Elliott Sharp.

<i>The Big Gundown</i> (album) 1986 studio album by John Zorn

The Big Gundown is the third studio album by American composer and saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist John Zorn. It comprises radically reworked covers of tracks by the Italian film composer Ennio Morricone.

<i>Filmworks VII: Cynical Hysterie Hour</i> 1989 soundtrack album by John Zorn

Filmworks VII: Cynical Hysterie Hour is a 1989 album by John Zorn featuring music written for a series of Japanese animated shorts that were created by Kiriko Kubo. It features Zorn's first music for cartoons and was originally released on the Japanese Sony label in limited numbers. In late 1996 Zorn finally attained the rights for his music and remastered and re-released the album on his own label, Tzadik, in 1997.

<i>Filmworks 1986–1990</i> 1990 soundtrack album by John Zorn

Filmworks 1986–1990 features the first released film scores of John Zorn. The album was originally released on the Japanese labels Wave and Eva in 1990, on the Nonesuch Records label in 1992, and subsequently re-released on Zorn's own label, Tzadik Records, in 1997 after being out of print for several years.

"For Zorn, filmscores have always been a place to experiment, and the FilmWorks Series is in many ways a microcosm of his prodigious output. This original installment of the FilmWorks Series presents three scores ranging from punk-rockabilly ; a jazzy Bernard Herrmann fantasy; to a quirky classical/improv/world music amalgam for Raul Ruiz's bizarre film The Golden Boat. Zorn's infamous one-minute arrangement of Morricone's classic The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, is included as a bonus track. This is the place where it all began."

Lois V. Vierk is a post-minimalist composer who lives in New York City.

<i>Taboo & Exile</i> 1999 studio album by John Zorn

Taboo & Exile is an album by John Zorn. It is the second album to appear in Zorn's Music Romance Series following Music for Children (1998). Three of the tracks on this recording are from Zorn's Masada songbook.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Zorn discography</span>

John Zorn appears on over 400 recordings as a composer or performer. This is a selection of recordings released under his name, bands he was/is part of, collaborations with other musicians, and significant albums to which he has contributed. The year indicates when the album was first released and any subsequent years if the following release included additional material.

<i>Archery</i> (album) 1982 studio album by John Zorn

Archery is an album by John Zorn featuring his early "game piece" composition of the same name. The album was released by Parachute Records in 1982.

<i>The Bribe</i> (album) 1998 studio album by John Zorn

The Bribe: variations and extensions on Spillane is the ninth studio album by American composer and saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist John Zorn, consisting of music created for three half-hour radio plays produced by Mabou Mines theater company in 1986. It utilizes compositional techniques, source material, and personnel that are similar to Zorn's Spillane.

<i>Voodoo</i> (Sonny Clark Memorial Quartet album) 1986 studio album by The Sonny Clark Memorial Quartet

Voodoo is an album by The Sonny Clark Memorial Quartet which was composed of alto saxophonist John Zorn, keyboardist Wayne Horvitz, bassist Ray Drummond and drummer Bobby Previte. The album was released in 1986 on Black Saint Records and featured the group’s arrangements of compositions of hard bop pianist Sonny Clark.

<i>Godard/Spillane</i> 1999 compilation album by John Zorn

Godard/Spillane is a compilation album by American composer and saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist John Zorn consisting of music created through Zorn's file-card compositional process. The composition "Godard", a tribute to French film-maker Jean-Luc Godard whose jump-cut technique inspired Zorn's compositional approach, on the French tribute album Jean-Luc Godard|Godard ça vous chante? in 1986 issued by the French Nato label. "Spillane" was first released on Zorn's Nonesuch Records album Spillane in 1987, and "Blues Noël" was first released on the compilation album Joyeux Noël - Merry Christmas Everybody! on Nato in 1987.

<i>Filmworks III: 1990–1995</i> 1995 soundtrack album by John Zorn

Filmworks III: 1990–1995 features the scores for film and advertisements by John Zorn. The album was originally released on the Japanese labels Evva in 1995 and Toys Factory in 1996 and subsequently re-released on Zorn's own label, Tzadik Records, in 1997. It features the music that Zorn wrote and recorded for Thieves Quartet (1993), directed by Joe Chappelle, which was performed by the group that would become Masada; nine cues for Kiriko Kubo's Music For Tsunta (1988); eleven tracks for Hollywood Hotel (1994), directed by Mei-Juin Chen; and thirty-two pieces for advertisements by Wieden & Kennedy.

<i>Filmworks IV: S&M + More</i> 1997 soundtrack album by John Zorn

Filmworks IV: S/M + More features film scores by John Zorn. The album was released in Japan on Eva Records in 1996 and on Zorn's own label, Tzadik Records, in 1997. It features the music that Zorn wrote and recorded for Maria Beatty's The Elegant Spanking, Beatty and M.M. Serra's A Lot of Fun for the Evil One, "Credits Included" written for the film of the same name directed by Jalal Toufic and "Maogai", written for a piano scene in a film by Hiroki Ryuichi.

<i>Cobra</i> (album) 1987 studio album by John Zorn

Cobra is a double album featuring a live and studio performance of John Zorn's improvisational game piece, Cobra recorded in 1985 and 1986 and released on the Hathut label in 1987. Subsequent recordings of the piece were released on Knitting Factory, Avant and Zorn's own label Tzadik Records, ) in 2002.

<i>Winter Was Hard</i> 1988 studio album by Kronos Quartet

Winter Was Hard is a studio album by the Kronos Quartet. It contains compositions by Aulis Sallinen, Terry Riley, Arvo Pärt, Anton Webern, John Zorn, John Lurie, Ástor Piazzolla, Alfred Schnittke, and Samuel Barber.

<i>Jim Bianco and the Tim Davies Big Band</i> 2003 studio album by Jim Bianco and Tim Davies

Jim Bianco and the Tim Davies Big Band is a collaboration between Jim Bianco and Tim Davies. Tim Davies arranged and adapted Bianco's songs and conducted his 19 piece big band, while Bianco provided the vocals.

<i>No Pain for Cakes</i> 1987 studio album by the Lounge Lizards

No Pain for Cakes is an album by the American jazz band the Lounge Lizards, released in 1987. John Lurie sang on the album.

<i>Miracle Mile</i> (Wayne Horvitz album) 1992 studio album by Wayne Horvitz

Miracle Mile is an album by American keyboardist and composer Wayne Horvitz's band The President recorded in 1992 and released on the Elektra/Nonesuch label.

<i>Slay the Suitors</i> 1994 studio album by Bobby Prevites Empty Suits

Slay the Suitors is an album by American drummer/composer Bobby Previte's group Empty Suits. The album was released on the Avant label in 1994.

References

  1. John Bracket. Some notes on John Zorn's Cobra. American Music, Vol. 28, No. 1 (Spring 2010), pp. 44-75
  2. 1 2 Cook, S. AllMusic Review accessed March 13, 2009.
  3. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1543. ISBN   978-0-141-03401-0.