The Tzadik Constellation: 20 Years/20 Albums
Taking the form of a series of brief chronicles, this survey constitutes a subjective, six-handed search through the Tzadik discography. The three authors, fervent “Tzadikologists,” have selected one album from each of the years 1995–2014, drawing from each of the collections that make up Tzadik’s unique richness (Composer Series, New Japan, Radical Jewish Culture, etc.) Through the work of various multifaceted artists (Annie Gosfield, Pamelia Kurstin, Many Arms...), this “constellation” guides the reader through a maze of genres and subgenres of the musical underground, from noise through post-minimalism by way of klezmer, dub, and fusion; and casts light on John Zorn’s work as a pioneering proponent of wildly versatile artists.