John Zorn

John Zorn fascinates me because he treats genre as something to be smashed rather than served. Jazz, hardcore, classical, surf, metal, Jewish music, he fuses them all and insists on unrepeatable results from ever-changing lineups. His 2006 MacArthur Fellowship felt overdue recognition for someone who simply refuses to repeat himself. His music is rarely comfortable, but that uncompromising restlessness is exactly what I respect. Through his Tzadik label he built a whole community of fellow travelers, which to me is as impressive as the compositions. He is the real avant-garde, not a pose.

Name (English)

John Zorn

Name (Japanese)

ジョン・ゾーン

Reading

じょん・ぞーん

Born

September 2, 1953 (age 72)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Virgo / Snake

Origin

New York City, New York, United States

Occupation

composer / jazz clarinetist / jazz saxophonist / jazz pianist / record producer

University

Webster University

Awards & achievements

• 2006 MacArthur Fellows Program

• Official sitehttps://www.tzadik.com
• Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John%20Zorn
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%B8%E3%83%A7%E3%83%B3%E3%83%BB%E3%82%BE%E3%83%BC%E3%83%B3
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q298726

Tags

• New York
• composer
• jazz clarinetist
• jazz saxophonist

Last updated

2026-06-21

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.