Cobra

by John Zorn

Cobra cover art
  • Type: Album
  • Released: 1987
  • Label: Hat Hut
  • Country: United States
  • Length: 1:25:00
  • Community rating: 3.71/5 from 3 ratings

Album Notes & Community Reviews

Acting as the defining realization of Zorn's 'game piece' compositions, 'Cobra' operates via a complex system of cue cards and hand signals dictating the rules of improvisation rather than a musical score. The sprawling double-album features an expansive roster of downtown New York avant-garde luminaries, resulting in a highly volatile, rapidly shifting auditory collage.

Genres

Descriptors: Avant Garde, instrumental, improvisation, avant-garde, sampling, atmospheric, experimental, conceptual, diverse

Tracklist

  1. Allegro (4:40)
  2. Largo (6:15)
  3. Moderato (7:50)
  4. Fantasia (3:45)
  5. Presto (1:40)
  6. Adagio Maestoso (2:45)
  7. Violento (4:20)
  8. Capricciocongusto (4:45)
  9. Scherzo (5:55)
  10. Epilogue (3:45)
  11. Prologue / Maestoso (6:05)
  12. Capriccio (13:15)
  13. Lento / Mysterioso (9:35)
  14. Allegro (10:25)

Credits

  • Guy Klucevsek - accordion
  • Kiriko Kubo - artwork
  • David Weinstein - celesta, sampler [mirage]
  • Bill Frisell - electric guitar
  • Arto Lindsay - electric guitar, voice
  • Wayne Horvitz - electric organ [hammond organ], celesta, piano, synthesizer [dx7]
  • Bobby Previte - electronic drums, percussion
  • Elliott Sharp - guitar [doubleneck], bass [doubleneck], voice, guitar [soprano]

More from John Zorn: full discography