''The Hermetic Organ'' is an album by

John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conductor, saxophonist, arranger and producer who "deliberately resists category". Zorn's avant-garde and experimental approaches to composition and improvisation are inclusive of jaz ...

, consisting of a single live improvisation on the Aeolian-Skinner

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ''ranks ...

St. Paul's Chapel St. Paul's Chapel is a chapel building of Trinity Church, an episcopal parish, located at 209 Broadway, between Fulton Street and Vesey Street, in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Built in 1766, it is the oldest surviving church building in Man ...

at Columbia University, which was released on Tzadik Records in June 2012.Columbia University Events: John Zorn: Solo Organ Concert
accessed November 8, 2013 The performance was held at 11 PM on the evening of December 9, 2011, which Zorn has noted was a full moon, as an encore to a "Composer Portrait" ensemble performance of his works held earlier that night at the Miller Theatre. It is the first release by Zorn to exclusively document his solo improvisations on the organ, his first instrument. In 2014, Zorn released a second volume of improvisations, ''

The Hermetic Organ Vol. 2 ''The Hermetic Organ Vol. 2'' is an album by John Zorn, consisting of a live improvisation on the Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ of St. Paul's Chapel at Columbia University, which was recorded on September 23, 2013 and released on Tzadik Records in ...

''.

Reception

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...

, who attended the performance, called it a night of "culmination and conquest", and Zorn himself thought highly of the improvisation, calling it "something special" and "a truly magical event." Phillip Coombs of ''The Free Jazz Collective'' stated "This is a type of recording that needs to be savored, played loud and with good headphones... this is a very serious recording, especially with the themes he tackles and the environment he tackles them in. Rarely is Zorn recorded solo lately and this alone makes it special".Coombs, P
The Free Jazz Collective Review
''Free Jazz Collective'', August 24, 2012

Track listing

Personnel

− Aeolian-Skinner organ

References

External links

John Zorn speaking prior to the performance
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hermetic Organ John Zorn live albums 2012 live albums Tzadik Records live albums Albums produced by John Zorn