John Zorn, Dave Lombardo, John Medeski
In August 2023, at one of several celebrations of his 70th birthday, Zorn unveiled a new power trio, Awakening Ground, that proved age does not mean any loss of edge. He linked with longtime collaborator John Medeski of the great jazz-jam band that took his name and Dave Lombardo, the Slayer drummer who helped define the sound of heavy metal and worked with Zorn around the turn of the century. Their debut at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall was all explosion, from a sax-and-drums outburst that overran an opening Medeski organ drone to subsequent whirling organ runs that seemed to spin Zorn and Lombardo into an instrumental tizzy. A defining feature of Zorn’s work during his dauntless decades is the magic that can happen when great players are goaded into unexpected contexts—Awakening Ground is a testament to that idea, to letting three instrumental greats tear into a few loose pieces and one another for an hour. They bring that beautiful racket to Knoxville for a very rare appearance.
https://wl.eventim.us/event/zorn-medeski-lombardo-awakening-ground-matinee/694421?afflky=GreatAmericanMusicHall