★Tzadik
Classical Works
*In process of stocking. 2022 stock.* David Shea's sampling technique manages to be both one of the most innovative experiments in classical music and, at the same time, one of the most conservative uses of pre-recorded music. As the first piece on his Classical Works collection, "Chamber Symphony #1" highlights his unique process. The recording is the result of an original performance by the Brussels-based Ictus Ensemble, a 16-member chamber orchestra. The ensemble contributed to the recording …
Pacifica
*In process of stocking. 2022 stock.* Pacifica is a major new composition by the world-famous guitarist, improvisor and composer, Fred Frith. Over an hour in length and composed for a large ensemble of winds, strings and percussion, Pacifica sets the poetry of Pablo Neruda into a seductive and hypnotizing sound world that slowly metamorphoses into something altogether different. Lyrical written passages, inspired improvisations, sensual vocals and provocative sound effects all come together into…
Music For Violin Alone
*In process of stocking. 2022 stock.* Music for Violin Alone is the debut date as leader for virtuoso violinist Mark Feldman, who has performed as a sideman with countless musicians, in genres ranging from country to avant-garde jazz. Here he performs original, classically styled pieces that exude high drama. The violin arcs over small measures of time, plummets into hurt, soars back up into the air, then lands lightly spinning. Feldman bows out grit and texture with ribbed vibratos, and achieve…
50th Birthday Celebration Volume 1
*In process of stocking. 2022 stock.* September 2003 marked the 50th birthday of John Zorn, and to celebrate, Tonic hosted a month-long celebration of Zorn's various musical groups and projects. The shows were recorded, and the best of them are being released as a new series on Zorn's "Tzadik" label.
The first offering is the entire early set by the Masada String Trio, recorded on September 4, 2003, with Zorn conducting Mark Feldman on violin, Erik Friedlander on cello, and Greg Cohen, on ba…
Tracing The Magic
*In process of stocking.* "Tracing The Magic" is Ikue Mori's most varied and fabulous CD to date, and an absolute masterpiece. Seven pieces, each inspired by (and dedicated to) women artists whose powerful visions and and creativity led them to create well into the 80s and 90s: Joan Jonas, Louise Bourgeois, Agnes Martin, Judit Reigl, Leonora Carrington, Jakucho Sekuchi, and Toko Shinoda
The ensembles are some of today's most exciting musicians, including new friends (Charmane Lee, Sae Hashimoto)…
Archipelago X
*In process of stocking. 2022 stock.* Laptop wizard Ikue Mori, master keyboardist Brian Marsella and classical percussion virtuoso Sae Hashimoto are Archipelago X, a dynamic new trio born during the 2020 pandemic. Recording at their home studios and exchanging tracks back and forth for months, the music is detailed, evocative and dramatically mysterious, blending electronica, classical, ambient, film soundtrack, pop and jazz into a remarkably original aggregate. Inspiring and engaging music by t…
Obelisk
*In process of stocking. 2022 stock.* Universally acclaimed as a pioneer in live laptop electronics, Ikue’s signature style is still uniquely her own and has influenced two generations of laptop performers. Her new band project Obelisk is a super-band featuring three of the most acclaimed and original players in the Downtown scene—Okkyung Lee, Jim Black and Sylvie Courvoisier. Ikue’s startling compositions blend gorgeous melodies with hypnotic rhythms and evocative soundscapes. Strange and beaut…
Gently Unfamiliar
*In process of stocking. 2022 stock.* One of the most versatile and active proponents of creative music, Karl Berger is a living legend who has been expanding the Jazz language since the mid-'60s. A pianist, vibraphonist, composer, arranger, conductor and educator of astounding energy and creativity, Karl has worked with many of the greatest names in New Music: Ornette Coleman, Don Cherry, Gato Barbieri, Anthony Braxton, Bill Laswell and countless others. Following up on his gorgeous 2010 releas…
Live At Tonic 1999
*In process of stocking. 2022 stock* With the growth of saxophonist/composer/bandleader/producer John Zorn's Masada project into a veritable cottage industry that includes Masada Recital, Masada String Trio, Masada Guitars , Electric Masada and The Unknown Masada, it may be easy to forget how, ten years ago, his Masada Quartet, with trumpeter Dave Douglas, bassist Greg Cohen and drummer Joey Baron burst onto the scene with a series of ten rapidly-released studio records that combined a Jewish mu…
Grand Unification
Professor, herbalist and healer, Milford Graves is first and foremost one of the world's great geniuses of the drum. Rarely heard live, even more rarely found in the studio, a new recording by Milford Graves is a special event. Long overdue, this is the CD that free jazz fans and every drummer in the world has been waiting for: his music for solo drums. Intense, shooting off in all directions at once and yet always firmly rooted in the tradition, Tzadik is proud to release this important and his…
Cheol-Kkot-Sae (Steel.Flower.Bird)
*In process of stocking. 2022 stock.* Cellist Okkyung Lee explores her Korean roots in an amazing long-form composition combining electronics, improvisation, composed melodies and noise with Korean traditional music, performed with the superb ensemble of John Edwards (bass), Ches Smith (drums), John Butcher (sax), Jae Hyo Chang (Korean percussion), Song Hee Kwon (Pansori singing), and Lasse Marhaug (electronics).
The piece unfolds like a ritual, making these disparate and unusual pairings seem t…
Sound Characters (Making The Third Ear)
20120 Restock. The "Making the Third Ear" part of the title refers to the phenomenon that listeners experience when listening to Maryanne Amacher's compositions -- played at the right volume, sounds seem to emit from within the listener's head! Even though these works were written for installations in specific spaces, and not for recording, the "third ear" still happens (but not with headphones). The included pieces range from a rather comforting wash of tones ("Synaptic Island") to boggling, bl…
The Fictive Five
*In process of stocking. 2022 stock.* Larry Ochs may be best known as one-quarter of the Rova Saxophone Quartet, the Bay-area group, which, in its near-40 year history, has created large-scale works with composers as diverse as Terry Riley and Barry Guy. Ochs’ projects outside of Rova have often been just as noteworthy. He first assembled The Fictive Five for a performance at his 2013 residency at The Stone and this recent recording testifies to the way the band’s strengths realize Ochs’ composi…
James Moore Plays The Book Of Heads
Composed 1976–8 and now studied by guitarists the world over, The Book of Heads is one of John Zorn’s most popular and oft-performed compositions. Utilizing an hermetic language of meticulously notated sounds inspired by contemporary classical extended techniques, the idiosyncratic guitar languages of free improvisation, cartoons, film noir, world music, philosophy and more, they receive a virtuosic reading by James Moore, founding member of the Dither guitar quartet. This special edition …
Naked curvature
Active since the 1960s, composer/performer/educator/instrument builder and improviser David Rosenboom, has been at the cutting edge of contemporary music, scoring for orchestra, opera, solo performance, chamber ensembles, improvisers, electronics, dance and more. This exciting release presents his whispered chamber opera/concerto grosso for six instrumentalists, whispering voices, electronics and interactive computer software. Written in modular open form sections allowing each performanc…
Light In The Shadow
*In process of stocking. 2022 stock.* A winner of electronic music awards in Europe and the United States, Ikue Mori is one of the most respected composers working in the growing field of laptop electronics. A dedicated and passionate perfectionist, she has created a completely unique and original sound world unlike any other electronic composer around. Her newest CD adds a beautiful melodic twist to her moody, detailed and unique soundscapes and is her most stunning creation to date. Essential …
Song Project
Limited edition of six 7" singles with a 32-page book filled with lyrics, notes and rare photos. Features contributions from Mike Patton, Jesse Harris, Sofia Rei, Marc Ribot, John Medeski, Kenny Wollesen, Trevor Dunn, Joey Baron, Cyro Baptista. Flying Blind and more* "In celebration of his 60th Birthday, John Zorn asked his most acclaimed vocal collaborators to write lyrics to select compositions from his vast musical catalog. Including music originally written for Naked City, Masada, The…
On leaves of grass
Following up on the success of 2013’s “Dreamachines”, the third release by the brilliant quartet Nova Express is inspired by and dedicated to American poetic genius and father of free verse Walt Whitman. Combining the hypnotic swirls of minimalism, the free intensity of improvisation and a soaring lyricism, “On Leaves of Grass” is an exhilarating addition to Zorn’s growing collection of mystical transcendental works. An emotional and virtuosic outing from this Downtown supergroup performing musi…
Hamidbar Medaber
A dynamic and powerful band out of Canada, Zebrina brings Jewish music into the 21st century with their brilliant second CD. Featuring Ben Goldberg on clarinet, “Hamidbar Medaber” is one of the most exciting and successful blending of modern jazz with the Jewish tradition. Referencing Masada and late Miles, the music contains mysterious moods, fiery solos, and lyrical melodies that will keep you coming back for more. One of the most exciting young bands working in Radical Jewish Culture, Zebrina…
Valentine's Day
An exciting new world of instrumental rock featuring three generations of Downtown superstars—Marc Ribot (Ceramic Dog, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello), Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle, Melvins, Fantômas) and Tyshawn Sorey (Steve Coleman, Anthony Braxton, Vijay Iyer). Written in 2010, these 12 instrumental miniatures combine atonal lyricism with rock intensity—Schoenberg meets Beefheart’s Magic Band. Originally released as duos in 2011 on the now legendary Enigmata CD (one of the most vexing CDs in Zorn’s cat…