The Dr. Jazz Podcast: John Zorn - Live Zorn (May 2019)

In this Episode, we at the Dr. Jazz Podcast are raising awareness
for helping out Tzadik Records (John Zorn's independent record
label). Last year, they put out the Book Beriah Boxset (Masada Book
III) through PledgeMusic for distribution, and essentially got
royally screwed - the musicians, studio mixers, recording
engineers, etc. Like...$197,559! This is from the NPR article by
Nate Chinen: The Book Beriah was a Tzadik release too, though its
elaborate sprawl and high production costs led Zorn to involve an
outside partner: PledgeMusic, a British-based, direct-to-fan
crowdfunding service designed to help bring musical projects to
fruition. "The only way we could have broken even was going on a
platform like this," Zorn tells NPR Music. Now, after a calamitous
turn for PledgeMusic — which announced last week that it is headed
for bankruptcy — Zorn hopes to recoup a substantial loss: $197,559,
all of it raised through the platform and still owed to Tzadik.
After the truth emerged and Zorn processed his initial shock, he
says, "I went into my let's-fix-it mode. I always have a Plan B. I
try to find a way to solve the problem that's a creative way." To
that end, Tzadik has just announced four limited-edition vinyl
releases, handpicked by Zorn with input from Sugiyama. Among them
is Masada — The Best of Sanhedrin, the first-ever vinyl release by
the original Masada Quartet, which consisted of Zorn on alto
saxophone, Dave Douglas on trumpet, Greg Cohen on bass and Joey
Baron on drums. Alhambra Love Songs is an acoustic trio recording
featuring Cohen, pianist Rob Burger and drummer Ben Perowsky. The
two other releases underscore Zorn's breadth as a composer. Nove
Cantici Per Francesco D'Assisi features a suite inspired by the
life of St. Francis of Assisi, performed by an all-star guitar trio
of Bill Frisell, Julian Lage and Gyan Riley. And The Last Judgment
is the final recording by a heavy-gauge project called Moonchild,
with vocal chameleon Mike Patton, organist John Medeski, bassist
Trevor Dunn and Baron on drums. Please help support Zorn and Tzadik
by going to Tzadik  and ordering some vinyl for a good -
no... great cause! -Dr. Jazz