Spillane (album)


Spillane is an album by American composer and saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist John Zorn, composed of three file-card pieces, as well as a work for voice, string quartet and turntables.
It is named after mystery writer Mickey Spillane, whose novels featuring detective Mike Hammer provided the basis for the album's title track. Zorn wrote Spillane on a series of index cards, each containing an outline or instruction for the musicians that was intended to evoke scenes from one of Spillane's novels. One card states: "Scene of the crime #1 -- high harp harmonics, basses and trombone drone, guitar sonorities, sounds of water dripping and narration on top." Thus, the musicians are not given traditional sheet music, but a series of cues or outlines that encourage improvisation.
Zorn later released the composition "Spillane" on the compilation album Godard/Spillane.

Reception

The Allmusic review by Stephen Cook awarded the album 4½ stars stating "Spillane is not only one of the highlights in Zorn's catalog, but also makes for a fine introduction to the composer's vast body of work".

Track listing

Personnel

1 - "Spillane"

Recorded and Mixed by Don Hünerberg at NBC Radio City Studios, New York City

Written and arranged by John Zorn in collaboration with:
"Two-Lane Highway"

2 - Preacher Man/White Line Fever/Nacogdoches Gumbo/East Texas Freezeout/San Angelo Release/Rollin' to Killeen/Blowout/Devil's Highway/Midnight Standoff/Marchin' for Abilene

3 - Hico Killer/Long Mile to Houston

Recorded and mixed by Don Hünerberg at NBC Radio City Studios, New York City

Conceived and arranged by John Zorn for Albert Collins in collaboration with:
4 - "Forbidden Fruit"

Recorded September 1987 at Russian Hill Recording, San Francisco, by Howard Johnston, and at Metal Box Studio, Tokyo by Ono Seigen. Mixed September 1987 by Ono Seigen at CBS Roppongi Studios, Tokyo.

Written and arranged by John Zorn in collaboration with: