AMERICAN MUSIC SERIES                                                                        220 a-h

John Zorn

with Ev Grimes

New York, N.Y.

Jan. 25, 1990

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Side a                                                                                                             pp. 1-13

His father and his father's meeting Dizzy Gillespie--his father's listening labits--his own listening habits as a child--playing the piano as a child--his parents discouragement of music as a career--early efforts at composition--school as a teenager--listening habits in high school--studying composition in college--learning from Stephen Hartke--learning Japanese and living in Japan--writing a solo guitar piece at age ten--getting into music through film--experience in film--decision to go into music.

Side b                                                                                                                        pp. 13-26

Studying scores, learning music--Cat O' Nine Tales--concern, when writing, that the musicians enjoy themselves--piece for the Kronos Quartet--decision to go to Webster College in St. Louis--organizing a chamber group--influence of Zappa--interest in the Ars Nova--Naked City pieces--improvisation--work with composition teacher Stallings--Kyle Gann's response to his music--influence of Godard--experimental underground film--studying saxophone and piano--what he learned in college--music of the AACM--beginning to study improvisation music, jazz music, black history.

Side c                                                                                                             pp. 26-38

Practicing the saxophone--living cheaply, buying records--his music in the seventies: exactly notated music and improvisational music--getting commissions--writing for improvisors yet retaining one's compositional identity--Klarino: the first game piece--Baseball--Curling--Lacrosse--Cricket--The Book of Heads--Fencing--Pool--Archery.

Side d                                                                                                                        pp. 38-50

Clock Events--working with other musicians in New York--difficult time for improv scene in the seventies and eighties--musical connections all over the country and in Japan--more on game pieces:  Track and Field--Cobra--Archery--Jai-Alai--Pool-influence of Stravinsky's Symphony of Wind Instruments--making his own recordings--Locus Solus--European trip--living in Japan--Darts--Sebastopol--Xu Feng--Cobra.

Side e                                                                                                             pp. 50-61

Naming of pieces--Dead Spot--No Reason to Believe--influence of cartoons--theater of Richard Foreman--his view of Europe--his approach to writing--Cat O'Nine Tails--Spillane--Game Pieces--project with Morricone's music--Godard--Spillane.

Side f                                                                                                             pp. 61-73

Becoming associated with Nonesuch--trouble with record companies--playing in Japan--composing and activities in Japan--Japanese traditional music--grants--getting money from the Shifting Foundation--dates of pieces.

Side g                                                                                                             pp.  73-85

Fidel--dangers of university life--Tennis--Rugby--Go--Tre Nel 2000--Road Runner

--Hu Die--getting more and more specific about what he is hearing--other recent pieces--Bill Frisell--series of pieces with Japanese titles--Eddie Harris--Locus Solus--Bone Orchard--Blues Noel.

Side h                                                                                                                        pp. 85-96

Jang Mi Hee--Naked City--hard core punk--Hu Die--Que Tran--Jang Mi Hee--

new piece for Kronos--music for ballet--Dead Man--record Live and Let Live--piece using Harry Partch instruments--Chinese piece--Indian piece--Houdini/De Sade Horspiel piece--new music for Naked City--Forbidden Fruit--pre-Cobra vs. post-Cobra pieces.