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Laurie Anderson has a new album out now, playing free show with John Zorn

john-zorn

Jazz and avant garde great (and Downtown NYC icon) John Zorn always has a few irons in the fire, be it new albums (he’s prolific), special live collaborations, or events at his NYC venue The Stone. This weekend, he’s participating in the centennial celebration of the New School on Sunday, October 6, playing a free show where and Laurie Anderson will perform as a duo.

Right after his set with Laurie, Zorn will lead a 35th anniversary performance his infamous improvisational game-piece, “Cobra,” where the rules can change on a whim. Zorn will be the “prompter” and he’s gathered an all-star dozen to play: Uri Caine, Kenny Wollesen, Brian Chase, Brian Marsella, Matt Hollenberg, Wendy Eisenberg, Taylor Levine, Sae Hashimoto, Kenny Grohowski, Nick Shellenberger, Brandon Lopez, and Simon Hanes. The performances start at 3 PM and more info is here. You can watch Zorn talk Cobra and improvisation in a clip from Derek Bailey’s 1992 documentary “On The Edge” below.

John also has a few dates on his 2020 schedule as well. He’ll play The Stone on February 5, during Sylvie Courvoisier’s residency. That’s part of a trio that includes Courvoisier and Bassist Jorge Roeder. He’ll also play The Sultan Room on February 21 with his Simulacrum group that also includes John Medeski (Medeski Martin & Wood), Matt Hollenberg (Cleric) and Kenny Grohowski (Imperial Triumphant). Tickets are on sale.

Meanwhile, Laurie Anderson just released Landfall, which she made with Kronos Quartet. The album was inspired by Anderson’s experience of Hurricane Sandy and she and Kronos quartet have performed it live a few times over the last five years, including at Nonesuch Records 30th anniversary celebration at BAM in 2014. Electronics and strings weave together against Anderson’s stories of loss, from “water-logged pianos to disappearing animal species to Dutch karaoke bars.” You can listen to Landfall below.