Arcana II: Musicians On Music
V/A / John Zorn
Edited by John Zorn. "Arcana II is the second in a groundbreaking series of volumes presented by John Zorn answering a continuing need for critical attention toward avant-garde and experimental music. Thirty distinguished composer/performers illuminate and speculate upon method and practice in the process of making, experiencing, and thinking about music. Imaginatively elucidating through essays, scores, manifestoes, and interviews both real and imaginary, Arcana II gives voice to a new generation of brave musical explorers living outside the mainstream academy who passionately and selflessly devote themselves to a search for the miraculous. Colorful, urgent, idiosyncratic. Arcana II is a manifesto for freedom and experimentation. It’s also an exciting collection of stories by musicians about how and why they make music. Now that the music business has fractured, categories have loosened up too. Mainstream? Pop? Experimental? They mean completely different things these days. Arcana II lays the groundwork for revolutionizing what music can mean and be."
Contributions by Christopher Adler, Mick Barr, Borah Bergman, Lisa Bielawa, Uri Caine, Steve Coleman, Sylvie Courvoisier, Noah Creshevsky, Dave Douglas, Trevor Dunn, Jewlia Eisenberg, Yamataka Eye, Annie Gosfield, Milford Graves, Carla Kihlstedt, Lukas Ligeti, Jose Maceda, Ernesto Martinez, Jim O’Rourke, Evan Parker, Zeena Parkins, Maja S.K. Ratkje, Ned Rothenberg, Trey Spruance, J.G. Thirlwell, Matthew Welch, Chris Dench, Jason Eckardt, Butch Morris, Marina Rosenfeld
