''Cobra'' is a double album featuring a live and studio performance of

John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conducting, conductor, saxophonist, arrangement, arranger and record producer, producer who "deliberately resists category". His Avant-garde music, avant-garde and experimental music, ex ...

improvisation Improvisation, often shortened to improv, is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. The origin of the word itself is in the Latin "improvisus", which literally means un-foreseen. Improvis ...

al game piece, ''

Cobra COBRA or Cobra, often stylized as CoBrA, was a European avant-garde art group active from 1948 to 1951. The name was coined in 1948 by Christian Dotremont from the initials of the members' home countries' capital cities: Copenhagen (Co), Brussels ...

'' recorded in 1985 and 1986 and released on the Hathut label in 1987. Subsequent recordings of the piece were released on Knitting Factory ('' John Zorn's Cobra: Live at the Knitting Factory'' (1992)), Avant ('' John Zorn's Cobra: Tokyo Operations '94'' (1994)) and Zorn's own label Tzadik Records, ('' Cobra: John Zorn's Game Pieces Volume 2'')) in 2002.

Reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

contains two disparate reviews of the album. The first, by Brian Olewnick, stated that "one is left with the nagging (and correct) sense of something crucial being missed. As a document in Zorn's career, ''Cobra'' is essential. As a purely musical experience, it is, quite unfortunately, less so".Olewnick, B
AllMusic Review
accessed July 22, 2011 The review by Steve Loewy of the 2002 CD reissue called ''Cobra'' "a masterpiece of eclecticism... all presented in Zorn's wickedly demented style, which tends toward pastiche but fascinates with its energy and variety. For Zorn enthusiasts, this is a must-have release."Loewy, S
AllMusic Review
accessed July 22, 2011

Track listing

*''Disc one (Studio Version)'' *''Disc two (Live Version)'' :''All compositions by John Zorn'' *Note: Disc one: 1, 9, 11, 13, 14 and Disc two: 3 are extra tracks not available on the original vinyl edition.

Personnel

*''Disc one (Studio Version)'' *Jim Staley – trombone *Carol Emanuel – harp * Zeena Parkins – harp *

Bill Frisell William Richard Frisell (born March 18, 1951) is an American jazz guitarist. He first came to prominence at ECM Records in the 1980s, as both a session player and a leader. He went on to work in a variety of contexts, notably as a participant ...

– guitar *

Elliott Sharp Elliott Sharp (born March 1, 1951) is an American contemporary classical music, contemporary classical composer, multi-instrumentalist, performer, author, and visual artist. A central figure in the Avant-garde music, avant-garde and experimenta ...

– doubleneck guitar/bass, soprano, voice *

Arto Lindsay Arthur Morgan "Arto" Lindsay (born May 28, 1953) is an American guitarist, singer, record producer and experimental composer. He was a member of the pioneering 1970s no wave group DNA, which featured on the 1978 compilation '' No New York''. In ...

– guitar, voice * Anthony Coleman – piano, harpsichord, celeste, Yamaha organ * Wayne Horvitz – piano, Hammond organ, celeste, DX7 * David Weinstein – Mirage sampling keyboards, celeste * Guy Klucevsek – accordion * Bob James – tapes * Christian Marclay – turntables * Bobby Previte – percussion *

– prompter *Recorded at Radio City Studios, New York City on May 9, 1986 *''Disc two (Live Version)'' * J.A. Deane – trombone synthesizer, electronics *

– guitar *

– doubleneck guitar/bass, voice * Anthony Coleman – piano, pipe organ, Yamaha organ * Wayne Horvitz – piano, DX7 * David Weinstein – Mirage sampling keyboards * Guy Klucevsek – accordion * Bob James – tapes * Christian Marclay – turntables * Bobby Previte – drum machine *

– prompter *Recorded live at

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (; RPI) is a private university, private research university in Troy, New York, United States. It is the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world and the Western Hemisphere. It was establishe ...

on October 21, 1985 by

WRPI WRPI (91.5 FM) is a non-commercial free-form college radio station, run entirely by students attending Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and staffed by community members and students. WRPI broadcasts every day with an effective radiated power o ...

References

{{Authority control 1985 albums Cobra (Zorn) albums Albums produced by John Zorn Hathut Records albums