Friday, July 03, 2020

John Zorn's jazz-metal multiverse

Here is a long story I recently published on John Zorn. It focuses on his many projects over the years that have blended jazz/improv with metal/hardcore — from Spy vs. Spy through Naked City, Painkiller and others, on up to the currently active Simulacrum — and the considerable influence these endeavors have had on both communities. It's based on new interviews with John and around 20 of his collaborators, from Joey Baron and Bill Frisell to Mike Patton and Mick Harris. This was a lot of fun to work on and I hope you'll give it a read.