Tag Archives: classical

John Zorn, Levi Nice, Atte Aho, and 417.3

by Dæv Tremblay

John Zorn, played by Brian Marsella, Jorge Roeder, and Ches Smith – Suite for Piano (Tzadik)

Suite for Piano
Official Tzadik website
You have to believe me when it comes to Zorn material, as there’s no official preview of most of his music to be found online. However, Suite for Piano, despite its rather boring title and appearance, is one of his best works recently. First off, this release was inspired by Schönberg and Bach’s Goldberg Variations, and is Zorn’s take on various musical forms for piano—the prelude, the allemande, the scherzo, the menuet, and the gigue to name a few—played by … Read more

Best of Tzadik Records 2021

by Dæv Tremblay


Tzadik Records is a very special thing to me. John Zorn’s label showcases his own compositions, ranging mostly from jazz to classical, as well as other groups and albums who are spearheading their respective genres. It’s often pretty difficult to listen to these albums, since they are usually not streaming online, so I’ve gathered them all here and got the five best Tzadik releases of 2021. This way, you’ll know where to start looking to dive into the surreal world of Zorn.

Number Five: John Zorn – Heaven and Earth Magick


Heaven and Earth Magick is one of the truer … Read more

Best of Post-Rock 2021

by Dæv Tremblay


Plug all the effect pedals at your local music store into one another and record an album with that, you’ll end up on my list.

Number Five: Voids – Who Needs the Words When There Are Stars Above?


Let’s start with an underground act: Voids, from Russia! Who Needs the Words […] was late to the party, coming out in late December, but it truly deserves to be on this list; vast, expansive, atmospheric, and a little heavy side makes for a great experience!

Number Four: Maybe She Will – No Feeling Is Final


UK’s Maybe She Will released a … Read more

Best Improvisation 2021

by Dæv Tremblay


Improvisation is often seen as inseparable from jazz. Sure, you often have to improvise in jazz, but improvisation is not bound to any one genre, and I’m going to prove that to you. Here are my favourite improvised pieces of music from 2021!

Number Five: i.o – The Complete 2021 Releases


Taken together, Blasted Sentinel, No Guardians for Rusted Remains, and The Same as My Red add up to an insane 2 309 minutes! That’s about 38 hours and a half! And before you ask: yes, I listened through it all. Not in one go, I paused for … Read more

Best of Classical 2021

by Dæv Tremblay


Contemporary classical is a Pandora’s box. You don’t know what you’ll find, and you have no idea how it could affect you! The new classical composers are always after something new, on the brink of knowledge and theory, they’re like post-doctorate fellows, and I’m sure some of them actually are! So, new compositions are fascinating, but new recordings of modern composers or even older ones can be truly satisfying as well. And on top of that, there’s another branch of composers; they might not be after a new sound, and don’t tread old ground either, but rather make new music … Read more