John Zorn’s Flatlands 9/4/26 Firehouse 12

 Billed as a “special event” and not the premiere of the Fall series, Zorn’s current project Flatlands takes the stage. A power trio in the true sense had Matt Hollenberg on electric guitar, Simon Hanes on electric bass, and Ches Smith on drums. John Zorn, an avant renaissance man, observed the proceedings from a stool near the sound board. A pillar of the downtown music scene of the late 80s and 90s, John Zorn was a sax wailer in the vein of Pharoah Sanders or Albert Ayler. His restless spirit provided early recordings paying homage to the likes of Mickey Spillane and Ennio Morricone. He founded Tzadik records dedicated to “radical Jewish music” which, in today’s world, sounds like a “defund the police” level misnomer blunder. The label has provided him a cadre of talented young free thinkers jumping at the chance to be conducted. Ditching the sax, Zorn has taken the route of conducting the next generation to carry out his wide ranging musical ideas. One of my favorites from John’s early canon is the Naked City record, a whiplash of ideas that runs the gamut from slinky lounge music to head banging hardcore. He even hung out with the hardcore stalwarts Napalm Death to sponge ideas. It is with this mindset that Flatlands takes shape. The trio march through a series of blasts that threaten the eardrums of the sold out crew of listeners. Let’s start with Ches Smith, a firehouse regular, I’ve described him as a used car lot ballon man on drums and my assessment holds. In this setting, he is prodded to unleash behind the kit. I’m not familiar with Hollenberg or Hanes, but they both seem to be rooted in metal. The music is a barrage of calculated racket that is fascinating to view. The trio’s ability to start and stop on a dime was miraculous. You can’t be in Zorn’s stable without ability to play all styles. These guys easily shifted from shards of metal to choogling funk for a face melting experience. Hanes cajoled Zorn to come up front to “conduct” a piece. His conducting included non-traditional hand gestures like roller coaster or thumbs up or downing the trio. Their wide-eyed attention emphasized their virtuosity and shone a light on just how difficult this music is to play. The Firehouse may need to install seatbelts, this ride made the Cyclone blush.