THE CLASSIC GUIDE TO STRATEGY VOLS. 1 & 2 were originally released as two seperate LPs.

Solo performer: John Zorn (soprano & alto saxophones, clarinet, game calls).

Recorded at OAO Studio, Brooklyn, New York in 1983 and Radio City Music Hall, New York, New York in 1985. Includes liner notes by Even Parker, Ned Rothenberg and John Zorn.

Personnel: John Zorn (clarinet, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone).

Liner Note Author: John Zorn.

Recording information: Oao Studio, Brooklyn, NY (02/27/1983-09/19/1985); Radio City Studio, NY (02/27/1983-09/19/1985).

Unknown Contributor Roles: Ikue Mori; Toshinori Kondo.

The Classic Guide to Strategy, Volumes One & Two presents two Zorn albums from the mid-'80s which have long been out of print. Featuring a variety of manipulated saxophones, clarinets, and duck calls, the album plays at the edges of sounds traditionally associated with reed instruments. The album is not entirely accessible, especially Volume One -- if it were produced by a college student sowing his experimental oats after a giddy term at BAM, it would probably be labeled a failure for its eccentricity, abruptness, and lack of a coherent theme. However, when a line is drawn through Zorn's previous work, it ends up here -- the playfulness of sound, the variety of textures, the use of silence and space as part of the composition -- if the listener approaches this album expecting to find musical genius, he or she will not have to look too far. Zorn manufactures the sounds of animals, voices, squeaks, scraps of melodic lines, drowning (or at least dampened) beasts, and cartoon worlds with his reeds, paying homage to the work of Carl Stalling, as well as the sounds of Anthony Braxton and Evan Parker. The first two tracks on this collection represent the original volume one; the last five belonged to the original volume two. Stylistically, they are similar, with the second volume containing less spacial breaks between the musical bursts and each song paying tribute to avant-garde Japanese artists like Mori Ikue, Enoken, Kondo Toshinori, Katsumi Shigeru, Aoyama Michi, and Togawa Jun. ~ Stacia Proefrock

THE CLASSIC GUIDE TO STRATEGY: VOLUMES ONE & TWO is a potent work by a formidable musician who's clearly immersed in his own world of sound. On these early solo excursions, which pre-date MASADA and NAKED CITY, John Zorn stakes out much of his musical territory. The results are strikingly inventive, and chaotic and humorous at once.

Given that many of the sounds that occur on this album are simulated bird calls, these compositions are harsh and playful. They allow for the introduction of melody only at infrequent moments. Zorn's use of silence to contrast his often startling use of saxophones, clarinets, and game calls is also clearly evident. Although the album is far from easy listening, it's a key page in Zorn's expansive and eclectic catalog of music.