FILM WORKS 1986-1990

This album puts together music that John Zorn recorded for films (and one for a commercial) between 1986 and 1990. And there are a lot of good ideas in it. But that's where it's problem lies. There are thirty two tracks here, all between one half a minute and three and a half minutes long. The styles are all over the map. There's rock, rockabilly, straight jazz, free jazz, lounge music, samba, classical organ, heavy prog, Frank Zappa styles noise pieces... and all of it quite intriguing. It should be, with guests musicians like Bill Frisell, Fred Frith, and Melvin Gibbs, to name just a few, lending their prowess to the songs.

But as good as many, if not most of the pieces are, their shortness is the issue. In averaging under two minutes each they rarely get a chance to develop much past the underlying rhythms.

But this is music made for the background of films. What do you expect?