On Wed, 23 Apr 2003 14:10:36 -0400 "Crowmeat Bob" wrote:
"You don't need to call it music if the term offends."
and I've got this Tudor recording of 'Variations II" that kicks unholy ass. I don't see how anyone could listen to Zorn's 'Classic Guide to Strategy' and not see a direct connection to a Cagey aesthetic.
But I love almost everything Zorn did in the 80's and even after more than twenty years of giving-the-benefit-of-the-doubt I still can't think of a composition by Cage that I could not live without (as you see, I put the threshold a little bit higher than "interesting"). I am not saying that Cage music is bad, but simply that it is disposable. In fact, I love specially Zorn when the "hooks" are more obvious, like rock in LOCUS SOLUS, quoting in GODARD, etc. In clear, when he moves even further away from Cage's aesthetic. As far as CLASSIC GUIDE TO STRATEGY, I see it more like a response to Euro improv (the Bailey/Parker school of non-idiomatic improv). And it is so powerful on delivery that I would never see it as owing anything to Cage (but I could be wrong). And if you read early Zorn, he does not buy that chance operation stuff at all! That's Zorn who was wondering why everybody was giving B.J. to Cage, no? In short, although Cage is an influence on Zorn, I am still wondering if the influence is not simply on the conceptual level (even Frith, when talking about Cage's influence, mainly mentions his books). Patrice.