Arcana X: Musicians on Music

The Arcana series is John Zorn's major series of new music theory, which includes contributions from over 300 musical thinkers from various genres. The series explores composing, performing, improvising, touring, collaborating, living, and thinking about music from diverse perspectives, providing direct connections to the creative processes and hidden stratagems of musicians.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 372 pages
Publication date: 02 November 2021
Publisher: Hips Road/Tazadik

John Zorn's renowned Arcana series, initiated in 1997 and concluding in its tenth and final installment, stands as a significant repository of new music theory and practice in the twenty-first century. Through a diverse range of mediums, including essays, manifestos, scores, interviews, notebooks, and critical papers, Arcana offers a profound exploration of music, illuminating it directly through the personal visions and experiences of the practitioners themselves. These practitioners, who immerse themselves in the heart of the creative crucible, offer a unique perspective on music, one that transcends the detached observer's stance. Spanning over twenty-five years, the ten volumes of Arcana have showcased the writings of over three hundred exceptional musical thinkers, each offering their distinctive insights into composing, performing, improvising, touring, collaborating, living, and contemplating music from diverse and refreshing angles. The contributions of these writers encompass a wide spectrum of technical, philosophical, political, artistic, and mystical dimensions, providing direct connections to the creative processes and hidden stratagems of musicians across various genres, including classical, rock, jazz, film soundtrack, improvised music, and more. Among the notable contributors to Arcana are Susan Alcorn, Oren Ambarchi, Ran Blake, Peter Blegvad, Tyondai Braxton, Patricia Brennan, John Butcher, Ben Coniguliaro, Amir Elsaffar, Kenny Grohowski, Tom Guralnick, Mark Helias, David Hertzberg, Stefan Jackiw, Dan Kaufman, Derek Keller, Richard Kessler, Pauline Kim, Ulrich Krieger, Hannah Lash, Dan Lippel, Annea Lockwood, Dave Lombardo, Charlie Looker, Thomas Morgan, Stephen OMalley, Laura Ortman, Alex Paxton, Alexandria Smith, Conrad Tao, Pat Thomas, Henry Threadgill, Anna Webber, Fay Victor, Christian Wolff, and Miguel Zenon.

Weight: 656g
Dimension: 167 x 255 x 33 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780978833718